Plastic Injection Moulded Components
Injection moulding can be done with a variety of materials including thermoplastics, metals and glass. For manufacturers like Cotel, most components are moulded with thermoplastics for products that can be quite intricate and must be durable. Plastic injection products you will see every day include toys, kitchen utensils, construction components, packaging, caps, lids, your keyboard and mouse etc. Almost every small plastic object in your house was most likely injection moulded. The method is a great example of how mass production has become more efficient and economical, as injection can be faster than a second, accurate and minimizes waste.
How it Works
The plastics used for the moulded products are melted down from small pelletized thermoplastics such as LDPEs (Low-Density Polyethylene) and PVCs (Polyvinyl Chloride). These are heated until they melt and become mouldable. Once in the “molten plastic” state, the plastic is injected at a high speed into a metal mould of the desired shape and clamped tight between two pressing plates or “platterns”. The high pressure forces the plastic to set in the correct shape, and is immediately cooled into solidity by a system of hoses. Once cooled, the plate holding onto the newly moulded products ejects them with thrusting pins. The products then move onto the rest of the manufacturer’s processes e.g: Automated Counting, Labelling, Packaging and Quality Control. For colouring, a small amount of powdered pigment beads are mixed with the plastics pellets before melting – giving a lasting finish and vibrant colour that cannot be matched with post-production painting.
Here's some products created in our factory with Plastic Injection Moulding:
Cotel Mouldings
Cotel Mouldings are one of the UK’s leading custom moulding manufacturers of industrial components. We supply a whole catalogue of made to measure products, plus component moulding using the above methods for: Furniture Fittings, Hinges, Locks, Fixings, Caps, Cables, Safety Signs and more. If you’d like to know more, Cotel Mouldings offer free expert advice regarding your needs whatever your location in Europe.
