Thin Wall Container Mold
When it comes to Mold manufacture, this is the most common of all molds. The products they produce require precision since they are very thin walled. That is way they are the preferred choice for containers mainly used in food packaging and other food related industries.
Materials Used To Make Thin Wall Container Molds
When going for the mold material, you should critically consider the all the mechanical and technical properties. In brief, the most common materials used in manufacturing this mold include:
- Stainless Steel of different grades
- Aluminum
- Hot Rolled Steel
- Carbon Steel
Advantages of Thin Wall Container Molds
Thin Wall Container Molds Container Molds have the following advantages:
- With a faster cycle time, production efficiency is increased
- Cost-efficient since many parts are produced per cycle
- Versatile because many shapes and sizes can be manufactured
- Improved aesthetic value because products can have custom shapes
Common Applications Of Thin Wall Molds
We can use this mold in very many industrial applications. They products are mainly in the food packaging industry where the containers are majorly manufactured through this.
This is because this industry requires mass production of such products with minimal wastage from individual molds.
Types Of Thin Wall Container Molds
Thin Wall Container Molds basically carry out the same function but come in different shapes and sizes. This depends on the desired container required and the number of cavities on the mold.
Some of the available molds include:
- Disposable Food container molds: the ideal mold material is usually either S136 or S140 stainless steel
- Bowl Container Mold: they may have cavities between 2 to 10 depending on customer requirements. Mostly used to make disposable or microwave bowls.
- Packaging Mold: common mold designs are usually 4 by 32 molds but customization is always possible.
- Cup Container Mold: the mold core is usually stainless-steel grade of either S136 or H13.
- Cutlery Mold: they require manufacture of very many parts in a single cycle due to part size. For this reason, it is advisable to use stack mold technology.
Design Tips for Quality Thin Wall Container Molds
Uniform Wall Thickness – The Mold cavity should have a uniform wall all through to avoid inconsistencies and variations of the part. If a specific part contains varied wall thickness in different sections, separate molds can be applied and assembly done afterwards.
Include Radii – Molds with sharp corners do not usually produce quality products because the material tends to stick to the mold. The pressure required to fill such molds is also beyond normal and can result in voids if not properly applied.
You can easily round off such sharp corners by including radii to round them and smooth them off. Due to the narrow wall, material can flow easily and its ejection flawless.
Efficient Mold Gates – Dealing with thin wall container molds means the injection speed and pressure are usually high. This means that your mold design should have gates that are bigger than the container being molded.
This will reduce the material shear while inhibiting the gate wear. Additionally, freeze-off of the container is avoided before the containers are packaged.
Challenges in Thin Wall Container Mold Design
Poor Design Mold – When a Thin Wall Container Mold is poorly designed, the chances of it breaking are extremely high. The major causes are design flaws such as heating and cooling elements installed wrongly.
You have to ensure that your mold design is versatile enough to counter the excessive process pressure and temperature. This optimization ensures you get the most out of your mold.
High Initial Investment Cost – You will require a higher set up capital based on the materials and equipment required to create the mold. This majorly applies when you’re investing in Multi-cavity Molds that need extensive setup time.
It is however worth noting that this increases the volume of production in the long run. This recovers the initial investment cost fast thus outweighing this challenge.
Zero Margin for Error – Due the precise measurement requirements for Thin Wall Container Molds, poor quality parts may be made if plastic do not fill them. To counter this, you should carry tests on any specification changes before proceeding with production.
Insufficient Labor Skill – Modern technology has rendered very skills untenable. With introduction of automation, it is becoming more difficult to find skilled manual molders.
Manufacturing Procedure For Thin Wall Container Mold
Modern technology has made it possible to have ideas efficiently conceptualized into design. We can break down the process of fabricating the Thin Wall Container Mold as follows:
2D Client Submission
The client submits a 2D or 3D design to the Mold manufacturer with all design specifications. The manufacturer will then carry out remote tests and measure to ascertain the viability of the design.
Manufacturing
Machining operation commences depending on the specifications and design involved. Such processes include drilling and CNC machining that produces a complex mold at high precision.
Finishing
The mold then goes through various surface finishing processes that serve to strengthen it. They also give it an aesthetic finish property.
Quality Control
The injection mold undergoes a quality control process where overall parameters and performance are ascertained. The efficiency and accuracy of the mold is very vital at this stage.
How to Choose a Thin Wall Container Mold
When opting for a Thin Wall Mold Container Mold, here are some tips you can look into:
Mold Capacity
The best mold option you should opt for is a stack mold since the output per cycle is high. Also it accommodates extra material weight.
Speed
The speed of filling it with material is more important than pressure used. A mold design that allows the fast filling of the material greatly reduces the process pressure.
Design Of The Clamp
A well-designed mold has a good flexing degree in terms of its clamp mold. Your mold