Anyone in the plastics industry?

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Grand_Wag_85
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Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

Curious if anyone here works in the plastics industry, specifically injection molding. I have a prototype that I need a mold made for and seeking a company willing to work with(and pour the molds for) a small business.
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htfiremedic
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by htfiremedic »

Got a buddy that does plastics, the women are his biggest clients....


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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

htfiremedic wrote:Got a buddy that does plastics, the women are his biggest clients....


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That's funny right there, HA!

Nothing too exciting(or nasty) that I need built, just bicycle parts.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

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Lol. If they need headlights.....


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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

htfiremedic wrote:Lol. If they need headlights.....
HA!
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Stuka »

Most companies that do that are over seas. There are a few here that are good for lower production counts, but I can't recall the names of any that I had worked with years ago off hand.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

Stuka wrote:Most companies that do that are over seas.
That's what I'm running into. The company we have been using got bought out and the new owners won't give us the time of day.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by weeegoneeer »

Would 3D printing work? Or do you need the molds to make a whole bunch of them? Don't know much about injection molding, but could you 3D print the molds?

I've used these guys: https://www.shapeways.com/

Actually got an MRI of my shoulder bones 3D printed - was super easy and the 'resolution' of the print was much better than the lower-end gluegun type printers.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

3D printing has never crossed my mind but I'll check it out.

Would 3D printing work for load bearing structural components?
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Shagoneer »

Grand_Wag_85 wrote:3D printing has never crossed my mind but I'll check it out.

Would 3D printing work for load bearing structural components?
The best answer for that question is it depends.

How much load are on talking about? People build ar15s out of 3d prints using ABS plastic, as long as you use a high infill percentage it should be ok. However if the part is going to be subjected to higher loads you could use carbon fiber filament, or a company called filamet makes 3d printing filament out of 90 percent metal, then once the print is done you put it in the oven to cinter and it becomes 99% pure metal. All 3 of these filaments could be run in a relatively low cost printer as long as the part you need isn't too big. A folgertech ft5 is around 500 and can print anything up to 12x12x15.

If it's a complex shape you may need supports. You can do supports one of tree ways.
1. Use the build material for supports. You normally have to scrape this off and then send the part for a decent finish, and if your is in a specialty filament can be costly
2. Get a mod for for printer that allows it to use two print heads simultaneously. You then load one print head with your desired build filament, and the other with a water solluable support material. Then when the print is done, you soak it in water for an hour and the supports dissolve. This stops you from having to send the part, but has a lower resolution.
3. This is the most expensive option, but yields the best results. Buy a mosaic. The mosaic splices multiple filaments together to give you the better resolution of a single print head, and the ability to use a water solluable support so you don't have to waste high strength filament.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by swampedge »

I am an injection molder. Plenty of mom and pop shops as well as big companies. Pouring is casting and injection is literally squirting a molten polymer in to a mold. PM me and we can drill down your needs. Part size, mold size, machine tonnage etc......or we can discuss here.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

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swampedge wrote:I am an injection molder. Plenty of mom and pop shops as well as big companies. Pouring is casting and injection is literally squirting a molten polymer in to a mold. PM me and we can drill down your needs. Part size, mold size, machine tonnage etc......or we can discuss here.
Jim
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Grand_Wag_85 »

Shagoneer wrote:
Grand_Wag_85 wrote:3D printing has never crossed my mind but I'll check it out.

Would 3D printing work for load bearing structural components?
The best answer for that question is it depends.

How much load are on talking about? People build ar15s out of 3d prints using ABS plastic, as long as you use a high infill percentage it should be ok. However if the part is going to be subjected to higher loads you could use carbon fiber filament, or a company called filamet makes 3d printing filament out of 90 percent metal, then once the print is done you put it in the oven to cinter and it becomes 99% pure metal. All 3 of these filaments could be run in a relatively low cost printer as long as the part you need isn't too big. A folgertech ft5 is around 500 and can print anything up to 12x12x15.

If it's a complex shape you may need supports. You can do supports one of tree ways.
1. Use the build material for supports. You normally have to scrape this off and then send the part for a decent finish, and if your is in a specialty filament can be costly
2. Get a mod for for printer that allows it to use two print heads simultaneously. You then load one print head with your desired build filament, and the other with a water solluable support material. Then when the print is done, you soak it in water for an hour and the supports dissolve. This stops you from having to send the part, but has a lower resolution.
3. This is the most expensive option, but yields the best results. Buy a mosaic. The mosaic splices multiple filaments together to give you the better resolution of a single print head, and the ability to use a water solluable support so you don't have to waste high strength filament.
My part is about 17" X 3". It's literally a plastic 'mag' wheel repurposed for another end use. Loading can be up to 400LBS and can see high RPM's with varying amounts of vibration. I guess I'd be worried about it shattering and somebody getting hurt.
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Re: Anyone in the plastics industry?

Post by Shagoneer »

Carbon fiber or steel filament could hold that weight easily, as long as it was printed in the right direction. (Prints can sometimes break at the later seams.) If printed lying down it would be good to go, printed rightside up you MAY have problems.

If you wanted to use a budget printer you could split the wheel into 4 equal parts and then use an epoxy of some kind to put them together.
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