Introduction to Plastic Bucket Molds
Plastic Bucket Molds are basically industrial conduits used in the manufacture of plastic buckets. A plastic raw material is melted and then poured into the Mold.
The process required to manufacture them involves the use of sophisticated molding machines. You can have them in different materials but the most common are Aluminum and Stainless Steel.
Merits Of Plastic Bucket Mold
High Precision – Since the mold specifications are well defined during their manufacture, the mold is usually very precise. This means that the buckets dimensions and any cavity on it are produced with the highest precision levels.
Reduced Lead Time – An efficient Plastic Bucket Mold will definitely result in a short production lead time. This is because the dimensions are exact hence reducing the flaws and errors in production.
Repeatability – Since the mold is not altered in any way after each production cycle, the buckets produced have a similar quality. This ensures uniformity in products produced besides reducing the lead time.
Types Of Plastic Bucket Molds
Plastic Bucket Molds come in a variety of designs despite having a similar mode of operation. Some of the common Plastic Bucket Molds include:
- Pail Bucket Molds
- Mop Bucket Mold
- Water Bucket Mold
- 20-liter Bucket Mold
- Paint Bucket Mold
- Mop Bucket Mold
- Oil Bucket Mold
Process Of Designing Plastic Bucket Mold
Manufacturing a Plastic Bucket Mold begins with the customer submitting a 2D design the Mold Maker. The manufacturer can as well offer his design from a sample mold in the event that the customer doesn’t have a 2D Drawing.
The manufacturer then goes starts the machining operation to make the mold. The operations may include drilling and CNC Milling. Additionally, EDM and Turning can be applied depending on design complexity.
Surface finishing treatments are then done on the mold. The treatments strengthen the molds resistance and also improves its aesthetic appearance.
Finally, quality assurance tests are carried out on the mold. This includes examining its precision and other factors like durability and strength.
Those that require adjustments or have flaws are taken back for reprocessing. Those Molds that pass the test get a clean bill approval and are shipped to the client for final application.
Factors To Consider When Picking A Plastic Bucket Mold Manufacturer
When you need to source for a Plastic Bucket Mold Manufacturer, you have to critically analyze them. Some worthy pointers to look into are:
- How reliable the company is based on previous works and recommendations
- The availability of professionals in their design team and their levels of expertise.
- How advanced their Mold making Technology is and they type of machinery they employ for that.
- How Plastic Bucket Molds they can produce and their capacity to handle the same
- Other products related to Plastic bucket Molds they offer and any other after sale services such as maintenance and modifications.
- The quality control methods that the mold manufacturer applies on their products
Designing The Perfect Plastic Bucket Mold
In recent times, we have had a significant improvement in the Plastic Bucket Molds. It is worth noting that Plastic Bucket Mold designers don’t necessarily have all your mold specification requirements beforehand.
That is why it is important for you to have certain pointers checked when designing your Mold. Here is a brief analysis of some of them:
Time And Cost – As usual, the quality must be good, made in a short time and cheaply. However, you set aside some time during your Mold design to make adjustments and corrections where necessary.
Have Feasible Design Specification – You ensure that your design specifications are supported by the existing technology. Full specifications should be provided so that any shortcomings can easily be corrected at prototyping and solid works stage.
Partner Closely With Your Mold Maker – After handing your design specifications to your manufacturer, you should their design team to also contribute. Such suggestions and modifications may improve moldability and fasten the production process.
Create A Production Timetable – Your mold production schedule should allocate sufficient time to bench test the mold. Running the Plastic Bucket Molds before delivering ensures that any errors and corrections are done by the manufacturer.
Factors That Require Regulation When Using Plastic Bucket Mold
When using the Plastic Bucket Mold, there are some factors you need to regulate to ensure an optimal production. They include:
Pressure – Molten plastic that is injected into the mold has to have a steady pressure during formation. This is to allow the material to flow freely and allows a flawless bucket design.
Material Quality – In as much as the Plastic Bucket Mold may have a top-notch design, the quality of plastic material has to be good. This will have a great impact on the durability and strength of the end-product.
You should settle for raw materials that best suit the product application. This ensures a plastic bucket of premium quality.
Mold Design – Designing the Plastic Bucket mold requires utmost care and precision. This is because a perfect Mold design reduces the defects that may occur while creating a perfect plastic bucket.
Materials Used in Plastic Bucket Molds
Besides creating an excellent surface finish, Aluminum contains excellent mechanical properties that are useful in the mold. They include resistance to corrosion and high thermal properties.
This is the most common material widely preferred for this mold. They come in different grades like H13 that have a rigid structure suitable for such molds.
It is common modern practice to add little portions of copper in stainless steel to improve quality. The cavity designs made of H13 and P20 grades have improved thermal properties when mixed with copper traces.