Polymer Injection Molding Technology for the Next Millennium

Injection molding technology continually develops, with major milestones including the introduction of the first thermoplastic materials, the reciprocating screw design, the first hot runner systems, engineering materials, the introduction of microprocessors for machine control, Computer Aided Engineering flow simulation software, and recently the application of expert systems for optimized machine setup. This article presents a vision of injection molding for the next millennium to address current industry needs, then describes some needed developments to convert that vision to reality. The injection molding machine for the next millennium will pull together the whole injection molding story, i.e. ‘the big picture’ integrating existing fragmented ideas of machine, material, process, production, and information control with Computer Aided Design techniques to produce a fully optimized manufacturing strategy. In this paradigm, automation of machine setup procedures will become the normal practice, with each machine in a manufacturing plant having consistent setup/optimization procedures, eliminating the ‘black art’ of injection molding. Injection molding setters will re-focus their efforts on more complex molding issues that have eluded the design process, providing a specific direction for improving product quality. The ultimate aim is a machine that produces no scrap material and increased