AIM Processing Small Plastic Parts Blog


Jon Gelston


Recent Posts

Tips for Optimizing Your Plastic Parts Manufacturing Process for Assemblies

Posted: May 19, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Assemblies

One of the more interesting challenges we get at our small part plastic injection molding operation in the Denver area is how to design a plastic parts manufacturing process in a way that produces the best assemblies. When two or more finished parts must fit together properly to make one assembly, there are a number of factors to keep in mind.

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Steel vs. Aluminum Molds: What’s Right for Your Small Plastic Parts Project?

Posted: April 25, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Injection Molding Tooling

Historically, small plastic part injection molding has been performed primarily with steel molds. There are many advantages to steel, including:

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What You Need to Know About Nylon

Posted: March 14, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Types

Nylon is a synthetic thermoplastic first produced in 1935 and introduced as a fabric during the 1939 New York World's Fair. You will also see Nylon referred to by its chemical designation “PA.” It is commonly available in black, white, and off-white or beige, which is its natural color. Nylon can be produced as fibers, filaments, sheet stock, and films, and also as the raw material for injection molding.

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For High Impact, Low Friction Applications, Acetal is Your Plastic

Posted: February 24, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Types

 

Acetal is the common name for polyoxymethylene (POM), a white semi-crystalline thermoplastic. It is strong, abrasion and impact resistant, and tolerates many organic chemical compounds. It has a low coefficient of friction and durable stiffness, so it is often used in moving parts. Because it is widely available in sheet and block form, many machined prototypes are made of acetal. Examples of items made from acetal include a variety of large and small plastic parts:

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Polycarbonate: A Strong, Clear, Multi-Purpose Plastic

Posted: February 15, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Types

Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of strong, impact-resistant, heat-resistant, thermoplastics. They are naturally transparent, with the raw material capable of transmitting light as well as glass—and they are much lighter than glass. While they are clear by default, PC plastics are commercially available in many colors.

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An Introduction to ABS Plastic for Injection Molding

Posted: January 27, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Types

 ABS is an acronym for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. (Now you understand why it goes by its initials!) It is an opaque thermoplastic polymer. The term “thermoplastic” refers to a class of plastics that can be reprocessed after an initial heat cycle; as opposed to "thermoset" plastics that undergo an irreversible chemical change during its first heat cycle. ABS is a common engineering grade plastic and it is used in many products around you, particularly electronic enclosures.

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Rules for Using Ribs to Strengthen Plastic Injection Molded Parts

Posted: January 18, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Injection Molding

It’s not uncommon for a small plastic injection molded part to be expected to hold up under a large load. One of the ways to strengthen a part is by adding one or more “ribs” to the design. Ribs are thin protrusions that extend perpendicular from a wall or plane to provide added stiffness and strength.

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5 Plastic Project Details Needed for an Accurate Estimate

Posted: January 5, 2017 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Plastic Injection Molding

If you have a new plastic project in mind, one of the first things you’re likely to wonder is, “What will it cost to create this small plastic part?” In order to answer your question, an injection molder will need to know a little more. Though you may not have precise answers, even educated guesses can help shape an accurate quote so you can explore your options.

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Insert Molding: Tips for Holding the Part in Place

Posted: December 26, 2016 by Jon Gelston
Tags: insert molding

Insert molding is a technique in which an item such as a threaded fastener, tube or stud, electrical component, or label is present in the mold. As the viscous plastic fills in around it and hardens, the item becomes a component of the finished part. When performing insert molding, it’s obviously critical that the insert does not move as the mold closes or as plastic is injected under pressure into the cavity — no small feat as hot resin can enter at 20k-30k psi.

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Let There Be Light! An Intro to Light Pipes for Electronic Enclosures.

Posted: December 15, 2016 by Jon Gelston
Tags: Electronic Enclosures

Light pipes are rigid, transparent plastic shapes that transfer the light from a light-emitting diode (LED) within an electronic enclosure to the outside. They serve many purposes, including letting  the user of a device know whether it is on or off, whether its battery is in need of charging, etc. Light pipes can transmit as much as 80 percent of the light emitted by an LED mounted on a printed circuit board, making them a great way to share the status provided by an internal component while keeping that component safely enclosed. They can also be used for decorative purposes like illuminating a product logo.

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