6/28/22, 12:27 PM TOOLING: Dealing with Lifters--Part 2 | Plastics Technology

INJECTION MOLDING

Published 10/26/2015 | 6 MINUTE READ

TOOLING: Dealing with Lifters--Part 2

This installment delves into more detail on some variables of design and fitting/timing of the lifters, which can cause issues or
failures during molding.
#bestpractices

RANDY KERKSTRA
Tooling Columnist

Lifters at times can cause read-through and gloss problems, due to lack of cooling,
deflection (as mentioned last month), and the lifter not being flush with the cavity surface.
It typically is desirable to have the lifter rest 0.002-0.003 in. below the cavity surface to
prevent drawing or sticking issues.

When there are any rib details in the lifter and the cavity that the lifter travels against, the
rib detail in the lifter should be wider by 0.001-0.002 in. to reduce dragging and sticking
issues when traveling against the rib detail in the cavity.

If the lifter is “proud” with sharp edges, it can peel up plastic, leaving flakes in the tool that
will create defects in the next part. In some cases, a slight texture on the lifter surface can
camouflage read-through.

Lifter pre-load is also a critical spec, also referred to as timing the lifter. This is established
by the moldmaker. Pre-load is what ensures the lifter is held down all the way during the
molding process. If the lifter is built to the exact length, plastic pressure on the lifter cavity
details can pull the lifter up, causing flash, dimensional issues, or read-through.

The lifter is typically attached to the ejector plates with a slide and gibs. These components
have some clearance to allow for mechanical movement. In most cases, the lifter rod or
shank will be shortened by 0.002-0.003 in. to accommodate these clearances and make sure
the lifter is down tight during mold close. In one case where I refurbished a mold with new
lifters, the parts produced had a clip detail that was out of spec by 0.007 in. I knew I had the
lifters properly positioned before sampling the mold, as was verified on subsequent
examination. The lifters were on a 7° angle but had too much unsupported length. The
plastic pressure was deflecting the lifter shank and pushing the lifter down during the
injection process. In this case, we raised the lifter, the opposite of pre-load, to compensate.
Not the greatest solution, but redesigning the mold was not really an option.

I have seen this issue on other molds. If the lifter or detail is below the cavity surface, this is
something to consider. The only way it can be pushed down, if timed properly and verified,
is from cavity pressure causing deflection on the lifter shank. Making sure the lifter has

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minimum unsupported length with a bearing surface, guides, bushings, or a buddy/helper

pin are potential solutions.

If the lifter has shutoff surfaces on the top (where the stationary half has details that shut
off on the top of the lifter), pre-load is not as critical. But too much pre-load can also create
maintenance issues. I have seen many tools over the years where too much pre-load has
caused broken lifter bolts and held the ejector plates forward. In a few cases the lifter pre-
load varied by 0.005-0.020 in., contributing to tooling issues. This is solely the responsibility
of the moldmaker and its process for timing lifters. There are various ways to time lifters
and adjust pre-load; they all work, but close attention to detail is needed by the moldmaker
to make sure the outcome is correct.

Spotting and fitting the lifters is also critical for the moldmaker. For lifters with heads and
drafted sidewalls, the fit should not be too tight, to avoid stressing the lifter bolts trying to
pull the lifter home. After the lifter is fitted, you should be able to push the lifter all the way
down and out of the pocket by hand and not a hit from a tool. If it requires a hit to the
bottom of the pocket to get the lifter out, the fit is too tight. On lifters with square shanks, I
will chamfer the four corners below the cavity surface to provide clearance. I have seen
many cases where the corners were not cleared enough and contributed to galling.

One other misconception is that pre-hardened H-13 lifters (40 RC) do not need further
hardening. The old standard of 10 points of RC difference for wear surfaces has been
proven wrong on the lower RC scale. When running lifters at 40 RC against P-20 steel, which
is 28-30 RC, galling will occur at some point. On the higher RC scale, above 50 RC, spreads
can be less than 5 RC. I have had tools running millions of cycles with the cavities in S7 steel
at 50-52 RC and the lifters at 52-54 RC with no lifter failures.

P-20 or pre-hardened H-13 steel can be good base materials for lifters, but always nitride or
Dyna-Blue them to prevent galling. Coatings can also work but are not as durable for the
long term. When using copper alloys like MoldMax, AMPCO, or Moldstar for increased
thermal conductivity, coatings are not a necessity but can improve wear. The exception is
when running glass-filled materials: Copper-alloy tooling should always be coated to
prevent erosion from the glass fibers.

Round lifter rods are maintenance friendly, but it is critical to key the rod to prevent
rotation and damage to the lifter and cavity. Typically a nitrided ejector pin will be used
because the center is soft enough to drill and tap. Square lifter shanks are also commonly
used, but repair work is a little more involved. Typically, if a square lifter is bent or broken,
we cut the rod where it would be positioned in the bearing surface and splice a new shank
with a notch, which is then bolted and dowled. Whether the lifter is hardened steel or a
copper alloy, we use P-20 material for the splice and then have it nitrided.

The lifter slide (in the ejector plates) should move freely by hand, with no dragging, to
reduce the chances of failure or wear. This is especially true in cases where the lifter is
decelerated or accelerated, which adds more friction. Deceleration or acceleration is used
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when the lifter detail or undercut in the part is on an angle and not parallel with the
parting line. This means the lifter will need to travel at angle more or less than the ejector
stroke to pull on the angle of the part detail. The lifter slide will be machined on an angle,
so that as the ejector travels forward, the lifter will either be above the ejection with an
accelerated slide or below it with a decelerated slide (see Fig. 2).

One other consideration in the tool design is trying to hold the part in position without
sticking to a lifter. One common method I use is to add ring detail on ejector pins to hold the
part in position and prevent the part form traveling with or sticking to the lifter.

Also, with some flexible materials such as PP, it is sometimes necessary to have an ejector
pin or straight lifter bar going up the sidewall of the part to prevent the part from flexing
and sticking to the lifter. And in a few cases, push pins can be used on the lifter detail to
assist in releasing the part from the lifter (see Fig. 1).

Read: The Long and Short of It (Part 2)—Tips for Molding Short-Fiber Reinforced
Polymers

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RANDY KERKSTRA

Randy Kerkstra has been in the plastics industry for more than 26 years, occupied
frequently with troubleshooting injection molding. He is currently a tooling manager for a
large, multi-plant molding and manufacturing company.
Contact: kbmoldingsolutions@gmail.com.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Creating a Capable Process Using Process

Capability

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TOOLING

Published 6/22/2021 | 9 MINUTE READ

What You Need to Know About Blade Ejectors: Part 3

Follow these guidelines to prevent premature wear, flash and galling. The focus here is on corner radii.
#bestpractices

JIM FATTORI

When machining a slot or hole by milling, grinding or EDM, you will always have a very
small inside corner radius. Most standard ejector blades have dead-sharp corners. If this is
not taken into consideration, the ejector blade will most likely gall and seize within the first
few minutes of sampling a new mold. Therefore, a small radius must be added to some or
all four corners of the ejector blade, depending on how it was installed. Unless the slot or
hole is relieved, the length of the radius on the ejector blade must be slightly longer than
the stroke of the ejector plate, plus the length of the bearing surface.

Some moldmakers prefer to chamfer the corners instead of adding a radius. I don’t
recommend doing this because it usually results in slight down-flash in the corners when
molding medium- to low-viscosity resins at high injection pressures. However, chamfering
the edges is a relatively simple method for relieving the corners—starting about ¼ to ½ in.
from its front face. An alternate relief method is to machine the hole or slot in the mold on a
slight taper—½° per side or less—after the first ¼ to ½ in.

Stoning, grinding, hard milling, or EDMing radii on an ejector blade is time-consuming and
therefore expensive, especially when you only have to modify a few pieces. Any work done
by hand will require the blade to be numbered and keyed, so that it can be put back in its
original position and orientation when the mold undergoes preventive maintenance or
repairs.

I examined the websites of 33 companies that sell ejector pins. Of those, only nine offer
ejector blades as a standard component. Five of these suppliers were domestic and four
were offshore. Of those five domestic suppliers, only one offers blades with corner radii as
a standard. It’s an option for a few more, but with a longer lead time. They are available
with 0.005-, 0.006-, 0.007-, 0.008-, 0.010- and 0.012-in. radii, having a tolerance of ±0.0010 in.
A radius can be added to any or all four corners as dictated by the method of installation.

EDM wire ranges from 0.007 to 0.016 in. diam., but 0.008, 0.010 and 0.012 in. are the most
commonly used sizes. When you consider the required over-burn during the EDM process,
the smallest radius you can cut with the commonly used wire diameters is between 0.0050
and 0.0080 in. This explains why one German supplier of ejector blades only offers blades
with 0.0080-in. corner radii—on all four corners, or on two corners of one of the wide sides.

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A well-respected mold designer and friend of mine told me that he prefers to wire-EDM the
holes for blade ejectors. He says that instead of taking the time to add radii to the ejector
blade, he scallops or “bumps out” the corners of the hole, as shown in Fig. 1A. He has done
this dozens of times and never had a flashing issue. The skeptic that I am, I ran the numbers
to verify this idea. I made a 0.008-in. radius coincident with the sharp corner of the blade.

FIG 1A Wire EDMed ejector-blade hole with bumped-out corners.

Despite this best-case scenario, it left a 0.0023-in. gap on the sides, as seen in Fig. 1B, which
is well above the recommended vent depth for most materials. The numbers don’t add up to
support my friend’s design, and yet I trust him when he says it works, so I have to assume
that when material flows into a long, narrow crevice, like a deep rib, the amount of
pressure drop must be so great that there is not enough pressure to force any material
down the sides of the bumped-out corners.

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FIG 1B Gap dimensions on bumped-out corners.

But I also suspect that if this method were used near a gate, where the injection pressure is
much higher, it would, in fact, flash down the corners. However, with a very small-diameter
wire, a minimized amount of over-burn, and a secondary trim pass, those gaps can be as
small as 0.0010 in. I mention this design trick so you have another option at your disposal.
Just use caution and forethought if you do.

Another trick you can try is to use conventional—also known as ram or sinker—EDM to
touch up the corner radii left in the wire-EDMed hole. With the right graphite and proper
machine settings, the corner radius can easily be 0.0010 or less.

One Japanese mold-component supplier offers ejector blades with a full radius on the
narrow ends, as shown in Fig. 2. I really like this idea when the blade is installed in a wire-
EDMed hole. Instead of having four faces with surface contact, you have two with surface
contact and two with line contact. This also eliminates the need to account for the four
small radiused corners of the hole.

Venting

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Blade ejectors are often used at the base of a deep rib,

which is one of the last places to fill. Venting in this
location is almost always essential to prevent
dieseling and erosion of the core. Add vents to an
ejector blade similarly to how you would add them to
a parting line. Grind a small vent to a depth
appropriate for the type of resin with a 0.030- to
0.080-in. land length. Then add a deeper relief
FIG 2 Ejector blade with full-round ends.
channel down the length of the blade that leads out to
the atmosphere. It is best to add vents only on the wide side(s) and never on the full width
of the blade in order to maintain some bearing surface, as shown in Fig. 3. In addition to the
benefit of exhausting the gas from the cavity, vents also reduce the amount of surface
contact area, which increases the longevity of both the blade and the mold.

FIG 3 A vented ejector blade.

Vent ejector blades at the bottom of a deep rib.

One of the smartest toolmakers I know shared with me his manufacturing method for
ejector blades. He takes a block of O-6 steel and wire-EDMs a blade, as shown in Fig. 4. The
corner radii are 0.001 in. larger than the corner radii in the wire-EDMed hole in the core.
This reduces the chance of contact and galling in these critical locations. The blade has
0.0015 in. of extra stock on all four sides, which is later ground off and polished. This
eliminates the EDMed surface from rubbing against the other EDMed surface. The wire
path also includes the required vent, which saves some secondary machining.

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FIG 4 A wire-EDMed ejector blade.

Unsupported Length
Since ejector blades are typically very thin, they are prone to buckling under pressure
while trying to eject a part. There are mathematical formulas for calculating whether a
blade might buckle, but one of the primary variables is how much force is required to eject
the part. That value is, at best, an estimated guess, because it is dependent on so many
factors, such as the amount of pack and hold pressure. Therefore, it is crucial to keep the
unsupported length to a minimum. The unsupported length is the distance between two
locations where the blade is held or supported.

A split bushing, as shown in Fig. 5, can often help minimize the unsupported length for
various mold designs, as well as being a simple component to repair in the event of wear,
erosion, or galling. Ideally, this split bushing can be flush with the parting line or flush with
the bottom of a deep rib. If you can design the mold in this fashion, off-the-shelf ejector
blades can be used with somewhat less concern about steel types and hardnesses causing
adhesive wear and galling.

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FIG 5 A blade ejector retained in a split bushing.

If the ejector blade is thin and the unsupported length is large, some method of supporting
the blade is required to prevent buckling. I know of only one such off-the-shelf method,
from a German mold-component supplier, but it takes up a lot of room in the ejector plate
and won’t allow for multiple blades to be in close proximity to one another. While there
must be a variety of ways to support a very long or thin blade, the one I am going to
describe is the most appealing.

Start by wire-EDMing a piece of ground stock to create just the blade portion with the
desired length, width and depth, as shown in Fig. 6. These are referred to as rectangular-
shank ejector blades. They are also available as a standard component from some of the
offshore suppliers in thicknesses as small as 0.018 in.

FIG 6 A wire-EDMed rectangular-shank ejector blade.

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Grind a slot the thickness of the blade into a core pin, as shown in Fig. 7. A copper-alloy core
pin with 30 to 40 Rockwell C hardness works well in this application due to its natural
lubricity. An alternate method is to wire-EDM the slot all the way through the core pin.

FIG 7 A keyed and slotted core pin to support an ejector blade.

Install the ejector blade and slotted core pin into the mold as shown in Fig. 8. Don’t forget
the recess in the B-retainer plate for the shoulder of the blade.

FIG 8 Cross-section of a well-supported thin ejector blade.

Lubrication Reduces Friction

Friction, and the heat generated from friction, is one of the primary causes of galling.
Proper lubrication is extremely beneficial in reducing friction and the chances of galling.
Unfortunately, you can’t load up ejector blades with grease because it will often migrate or
“bleed-out” onto the surface of the molded parts. Ejector blades are notorious for this. But
you can grind or hard mill very shallow grease grooves in the side of the blade, the same as
you would a wear plate for a cam.

Ejector blades must be well lubricated.

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There are dozens of commercially available lubricants specifically formulated for sliding
mold components. Some say they do not melt; some contain fluoropolymer; some contain
lithium or molybdenum disulfide, some are applied “dry”; and some are specifically
designed for the food and medical industries. It is important to note that you don’t want to
mix different types of grease. They may not be compatible with one another. If you are
going to switch the type of grease you are using, make sure the original type is completely
removed. If you have a problem with bleed-out or lack of lubricity, review your production
practices before switching to a different type of lubricant.

One of the biggest culprits of poor performance is using mold cleaner to clean the parting
line of the mold and then forgetting to re-apply lubricant to the ejector pins, sleeves and
blades. When performing preventive maintenance, don’t forget to clean the bore holes with
solvent-soaked pipe cleaners. Better yet, use an ultrasonic cleaning tank, because lubricants
cannot get into the tiny imperfections of the steel if they are covered in debris, outgassed
deposits, or dried lubricants.

Read: Density & Molecular Weight in Polyethylene

Designing an injection mold to work well and last a long time with minimal repair costs and
down-time is not difficult if you pay attention to the details.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jim Fattori is a third-generation molder with more than 40 years of
experience in engineering and project management for custom and captive molders. He is
the founder of Injection Mold Consulting LLC in Pennsylvania.
Contact: jim@injectionmoldconsulting.com;
injectionmoldconsulting.com

MOLD MAINTENANCE

Published 8/1/2021 | 11 MINUTE READ

Design Your Tools for Moldability ... and Maintenance

In the initial design phase, when considering the structure and Wayne Daniel, Canon Virginia

elements of the tool, are you designing them to be maintenance

friendly? Canon Virginia has used this approach and preventive
maintenance to make tool replacement a thing of the past. You can,
too. Here’s how.

Technology in moldmaking has grown substantially over the years, and so has our
knowledge of the full process of design for manufacturing (DFM). We’ve realized that it is
important not only to consider the detail of designing for efficient molding, but to also
consider how tooling, molding and tool maintenance should connect.

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At Canon Virginia, design for manufacturing and experience running our own tooling in a
manufacturing environment have led to our increased focus on design for maintenance.
We’ve realized that it is important to consider both factors in the design process, so
with this article we introduce you to what we call DFM2.

Design for Manufacturing

It’s well known that the most well-established way to reduce costs is to design from the
beginning with manufacturing in mind. Manufacturing and assembly costs add up if the
design of the part, and how it will be manufactured, are not carefully considered. With that
being said, traditional DFM can easily be substituted with many things today—one being
design for moldability. We find ourselves asking questions like:

• How moldable is the part geometry?

• Where are the undercuts?

• How are you going to get the part out of the mold?

• What draft angles are required?

• Where should it be gated?

At Canon Virginia, we have been responsible for designing the part, manufacturing the tool,
and mass producing that part. Though we may not be involved in each of these processes
for every job we take on, that experience gives us the knowledge to consider the
comprehensive cost to all parties while designing the tool.

The time it costs to do a proper Design for Manufacturing up front is far less than the cost
associated with making corrections later in the process. We’ve all seen that DFM can
dramatically change the outcome for all of the parties involved.

For the tool manufacturer, it can improve the ease of machining, simplify the mold, and
win over the customer by considering the costs downstream. For the molder, it maintains
robust process windows, improves repeatability and quality, and makes tool
maintenance easier. For the end manufacturer, it ensures incoming parts meet specs,
reduces assembly processes, and enhances product quality. It’s important to understand the
outcomes for each of the parties downstream.

For example, we recently had a two-piece assembly that utilized a twist fit. Though it
seemed simple in the beginning ideation, it would have complicated the molding and
manufacturing downstream. The twisting motion of fitting the part together would have
been tricky. The end manufacturer would have to add cost for a human to twist each piece
or create an even more expensive automated assembly process.

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The better solution was a press fit or snap fit. Though it was slightly more complicated to
add an undercut to the design, it offered significant downstream cost savings on assembly.
This is just one simple example, but it illustrates the principle well—keep all of the
stakeholders in the production process in mind.

Through software that simulates the molding process, we are able to see each tool in action
before it goes into production. We are able to predict many things like where the flow lines
and sink areas will be, as well as warpage, pressure and flow rates. These predictions are
valuable to everyone involved in the process. Not only are you able to fix molding problems
before they arise, but you are able to save time on maintenance of the tool.

But that’s not where the process ends. At Canon, we don’t stop with simply assessing part
moldability and manufacturability, but incorporate Design for Maintenance considerations
into our tool design as well.

Design for Maintenance

Design for Maintenance, at its core, is simply considering the structure and elements of the
tool, and designing them to be maintenance-friendly. For many years, I was responsible for
a large injection molding operation that included nearly 100 active molds. I became
familiar with the Mold Maintenance Department and witnessed the differences between
molds that were easy to maintain and those that were not. After those experiences, I have
become adamant that ease of maintenance is important to extend tool life and must be
considered during the design phase.

The question everyone asks is, “How can you quantify the value and the importance of
maintenance?” The quick answer is this: With basic preventive-maintenance (PM) systems
we have eliminated our internal tool replacement program. Back in the day, like many
molders, we budgeted year after year for the replacement of tools after 1 million cycles.
Through innovation and the improvement in Design for Maintenance processes—as well as
the advancement of technology—we extended tool life to 2 million shots, then 3 million
shots and beyond. Now, we expect that our tooling will last until the end of the product’s
life.

I compare 1 million cycles on a mold to 100,000 miles on a vehicle. In the early days, 1 million
cycles or 100,000 miles was a lot, but not anymore.

In the early years, performing preventive maintenance was often difficult and extremely
time consuming. Tools became more and more complex, making it more and more difficult
to maintain each one efficiently. Design for Maintenance started making its way into our
initial design process at this time. Through the innovation of our design processes, several
benefits arose. These included reduced time to do tool maintenance and reduced WIP
inventory between the processes. Reviews of each tool and history using gathered data gave

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us the ability to customize plans and allowed us to make preventive maintenance faster and
safer. It also let us know if we needed to increase maintenance frequency. In the end, we
saved a lot of capital investment in tooling.

Here are some Design for Maintenance Tips for your consideration:

TIP 1: Consider the material being used to build a given tool. When choosing this material,
first ask the question: What is the expected life of the product? For mold-classification
purposes, we can say a “class 101 mold,” but for the investment, just like our vehicles, we
want them to last. I compare 1 million cycles on a mold to 100,000 miles on a vehicle. In the
early days, 1 million cycles or 100,000 miles was a lot, but not anymore. We expect our tool
to exceed 1 million cycles and our vehicle to exceed 100,000 miles; therefore they should be
designed accordingly.

Another material question to ask is: What resin are you running and is it abrasive or
corrosive? Some materials are harsh and require extremely hard or exotic steels. There is a
big difference in tool wear rate on a simple open/shut tool with no action versus a tool that
has moving components. When considering those moving parts, material selection is
critical. Corrosion can come in the form of water contact, acidic materials and outgassing.
Choosing materials that can stand up against these elements is critical for achieving long
tool life.

To prevent erosion from outgassing and facilitate mold maintenance, hardened inserts (green) are placed in the final fill areas of the cavity where
gas will be trapped.

For example, when controlling volatile gases consider inserting areas that are subject to
erosion. In the image above, I show a soft cavity block with hardened inserts at the final fill
area where the gas trap will be. This type of strategy will give you better tool life and will
help you keep cost down because the entire cavity block does not need to be hard.
Otherwise, you may end up cutting out the worn area and inserting it anyway because of
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steel erosion over time. If you don’t insert these areas up front, take it into consideration in
the design phase and don’t run water channels under areas of concern, so you at least have
the option for inserting in the future.

Venting with removable vent dumps allows the vents to be cleaned in the press.

TIP 2: Include front-loading components as much as possible. Disassembling the whole tool
is extremely time consuming. For this reason, we attach the fixed components on the
parting-line side rather than the backside when we can. In the accompanying images, you
can see a simple representation of this in action. Cavity blocks bolted from the front; inserts
that can be pulled from the front; hot-runner gate tips that can be cleaned in the press;
angle pins that can easily be removed; and venting with removable vent dumps are all
design elements that will reduce the time to do preventive maintenance.

As time goes on and data is collected, use that data. Every tool is different, and it is important to
customize each tool’s preventative maintenance.

TIP 3: Standardization of mold components is a great area to focus on. Components that can
be easily standardized include springs, switches, angle pins, angle bushings and shot

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counters. Keeping the required variety of such parts at a minimum helps the PM shop keep
less inventory.

Often, we find ourselves building several molds for the same customer. If you are able to
standardize across multiple tooling projects and also use off-the- shelf components,
sourcing becomes easier and lead times can be dramatically reduced. In many cases, skilled
moldmakers are able to order stock blank components and finish them in-house with the
detail needed, whether it be cutting them to length or adding other details.

Attaching fixed components on the parting line side rather than the backside eases disassembly. This cavity block is bolted from the front of the
tool.

To prevent confusion down the line, assign part numbers that can be configurable to
include the detail of the finish work, such as adding the length to the end of the part
number. A molder without machining capability has no use for a blank pin. They need a pin
to come in ready to use, so including this information on the Bill of Materials brings clarity
to the molder and saves capital for the moldmaker.

Lastly, try to keep the hot-runner system as standard as possible. With most heaters and
thermocouples being standard, it is efficient for the only difference in a tooling set to be the
valve-pin length. Additionally, custom gate tips, pins and bushings are expensive and
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increase lead times. Though it is not always possible to use standard components, there are
benefits to starting with standard components and working from there.

As much as possible, design the tool to be error-proof. For a moment, consider yourself a tool-
maintenance technician. You don’t wake up and say, “I am going to make a mistake today!”

TIP 4: As much as possible, design the tool to be error-proof. For a moment, consider
yourself a tool-maintenance technician. You don’t wake up and say, “I am going to make a
mistake today!” You go to work and start on the mold that is scheduled for preventive
maintenance. Everything goes well and later that day you finish up. Little did you know
that one out of 50 ejector pins in the tool is rotated 180° out of orientation in the pocket.
That pin happens to have molding geometry on it or a sharp angle. Guess what happened
when you shut the tool? Damage. The machine is now unable to run and repair is needed
for the mold. This kind of thing happens time and time again. We are not perfect.

Hot runner gate tips that can be cleaned in the press will ease maintenance.

In the initial design phase, incorporate error proofing wherever it’s possible. As you
focus in on the areas that present risk, design with the perspective that the PM
technicians know what they are doing, but they are also human. We all make mistakes.
Therefore, when a mistake happens, focus on how the mistake was made, rather than what
mistake was made. Move toward continuous improvement and efficiency.

Develop a Motivated Culture

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At Canon we are constantly evolving and incorporating Design for Maintenance strategies,
but we are also passionate about our tool- maintenance systems. Here are some top ways to
support a successful tool-maintenance strategy:

1. Get everyone involved on the same page. Making sure everyone on the molding floor is
speaking the same language is important to continuous innovation.

2. As time goes on and data is collected, use that data. Every tool is different, and it is
important to customize each tool’s preventive maintenance. Some tools need more care
than others.

3. Develop a scheduled maintenance plan based on the number of shots or time duration.
Knowing when to execute the work will help you have less disruptive and more timely
maintenance.

4. Make sure training includes how to detect defects and areas that could lead to future
failures, as well as how to use data effectively.

Read: Canon Virginia PTXPO Spotlight

In order to be truly successful, there needs to be collaboration between all the parties
involved. If there is alignment between these parties, we are able to look beyond Design for
Moldability and consider Design for Assembly. Then, we can even consider Design for
Disassembly. Many times, recycling is not cost-beneficial, but using these design principles
helps to make sustainability more attainable. Long-term success is the target, and using
DFM2 helps us design from a quality, cost, delivery and environmental point of view.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wayne Daniel currently serves as Director of Business

Development at Canon Virginia Inc. He has been engaged in the tooling and molding
industry for over 30 years. Daniel has experience in both injection molding and tool
manufacturing, including previous roles as Canon Virginia’s director of Molding and
director of Tool Manufacturing Operations. During this time, he has guided activities in
mold processing and production innovation with a focus on cost reduction, efficiency and
flow improvements, as well as personnel development.

INJECTION MOLDING

Published 5/19/2022 | 7 MINUTE READ

Molders’ Block: Dealing With Foreign Materials in a Hot-Runner

System
Understanding plastic flow can help you understand how foreign materials move—or don’t move—through your hot-runner
system.

ROBERT GATTSHALL

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Determining whether foreign material blocking a hot-runner nozzle tip is a one-time issue or an ongoing contamination event is a key first step in
dealing with the situation. (Photo: Tony Deligio)

Over the last two-plus years, manufacturing has become more challenging than ever. These
challenges haven’t been unique to the plastics industry; all manufacturing has been
impacted as demand for many products continues to increase while there is also a decline
in availability of raw goods. The increased pressure to keep jobs running in order to meet
our customers’ and, ultimately, consumers’ demands during this global pandemic has
forced injection molders to run under sub-optimal conditions.

Shorter runs and more frequent mold changes have become business-as-usual due to many
shortages. These shortages have extended from resins to the steel we use to build mold
components and even to the labor needed to package product. Let’s just say that these are
interesting times that call for creative solutions in order to stay ahead or as close to ahead
as possible.

I recently came across a molder struggling with a metallic foreign material (FM)
contaminating the hot-runner system on a high-cavitation, multi-level mold. Of course, it
happens to be one of the molder’s highest priority jobs that supplies one of its highest
volume customers. During our first conversation I was told that there was no way this
molder could afford to take the mold down long enough to have the hot-runner system
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thoroughly cleaned. Although this was a difficult situation, it did provide an opportunity to
challenge everyone’s perceptions on how plastic was flowing through this hot-runner
system and why the FM was taking so long to make its way through that system.

The first rule of plastic flow—whether in the cavity, a cold-runner system, or through a hot runner
—is that plastic flows in the direction of least resistance.

First let me say that it is never recommended to allow the FM, metallic or otherwise, to pass
through a hot-runner system. The best course of action is to send the system to an oven or
fluidized bath to rid the flow channels of all plastic and contamination. You could also
purge a hot-runner system with a purging compound if this were a single-level mold but
with a multi-level mold this is a much more difficult process to say the least. At the same
time, we need to protect the supply chain whenever possible for our customers and
consumers.

First Rule of Plastic Flow

Whenever we are discussing plastic flow—whether in the cavity steel, a cold -unner system,
or through a hot-runner system—the first rule we need to remember is that plastic flows in
the direction of least resistance. This is extremely important when a foreign material
invades a hot-runner system. In the case above, the FM was a non-ferrous metal
that was completely obstructing the hot tips on many cavities. A quick inspection of the
material-handling system showed no obvious signs of an entry point for the FM; but even as
the hot tips were replaced, they would almost immediately block off again. This molder
continued to mold, thinking that as the job would run, the FM in those drops would be
pushed towards the tips with each shot.

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Best practice when experiencing foreign material contamination of a hot runner is complete disassembly and cleaning, but that isn’t always
possible. (Photo: Tony Deligio)

I had him repeat that to me again to make sure I had understood his theory: “As it runs, the
metal in the drop gets pushed closer to the tips.” My response: “How high do you think the
viscosity of the material is in those drops with the tips completely blocked off with metal?” I
waited a moment before answering the question myself: “Infinitely high.”

Suspended State
If plastic flows in the direction of least resistance, than nothing is happening in those drops
that have been completely occluded by metal. This means that any FM in those hot-runner
drops is suspended in the position it was at the time when the plastic could no longer flow
through the gates. That metal isn’t going anywhere, and as soon as you open up the gate, by
removing the metal or replacing the hot tip, then and only then will it move again.

But, based on the orifice size of the hot tip, it is very likely that another chunk of FM would
block off the gate shortly after it is unblocked. This is one reason why even a one-time
event that introduces FM into a hot-runner system can mimic an active event of
contamination. If plastic can’t flow, neither will the FM, and it isn’t going to cut its way to
the front of the line, like me at a donut shop.

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In addition to the gate orifice diameter being much smaller than the diameter of the FM
making its way through the hot-runner system, these particular hot tips also had a vest-cap
installed in the space between the hot tip and the gate insert. Depending on the design of a
vest cap, it can significantly reduce the effective plastic flow area. What do I mean when I
say “effective” flow area?

Due to the fountain flow of plastic, pressure can only be transferred cylindrically through
the center of the plastic flow. This area is commonly referred to as the effective flow area.
Think of it this way, if you have a cold runner cut in a rectangle that measures 10 by 20 mm,
the effective flow diameter is going to be just under 10 mm. It is as simple as drawing the
largest circle you can inside a cross-section of the runner.

And yes, for those wondering, it is a waste of material to use non-cylindrical flow channels
and a waste of time to increase the width of a tab gate in only one direction. Keeping these
flow characteristics in mind, I knew any sort of protrusion of the vest cap into the gate
would significantly reduce the diameter of the effective flow area, and any FM working its
way through was going to cause an obstruction.

If plastic can’t flow, neither will the FM, and it isn’t going to cut its way to the front of the line, like
me at a donut shop.

That is another reason why it can take a great deal of run time and unblocking of gates for
contaminants to work their way out of a hot-runner system—and I haven’t even mentioned
dead stops yet.

Dead spots are any areas inside the hot runner that are mismatched or any turn in the melt
channel that was created by cross drilling and plugs. The mismatch can create an area
where plastic is unable to escape, causing it to degrade and carbonize over time—or for our
FM, to hang up and break off later as the melt flows pass over it. The turns created by cross-
drilling are very similar. Cross-drilling creates a sharp corner on the inside of the turn and
a dead spot on the opposite side. The circular flow of plastic allows this area to be filled but
doesn’t allow it all to be cleared out by the next shot, so the plastic just sits in that area and
cooks. This can cause a small bit of carbon to break off, leading to contamination in your
parts, and just like the mismatch, it can also allow for FM to hide and show itself again,
making molders think they have an active contamination event.

Read: Take Time to Save Time: Five Steps in Mold Design to Reduce Back-End
Troubleshooting

At the end of the day, when something like metal makes its way into your hot runner system
the best thing to do is to have the system completely cleaned in an oven or a fluidized bath.
Since we all live in the real world, one that has doesn’t allow downtime, we may have to
work through issues we’d prefer not to. Understanding how plastic flows can help you

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determine if you have some old FM coming through the system or there is an active
contamination event.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Gattshall has more than 22 years’ experience in the
injection molding industry and holds multiple certifications in Scientific Injection Molding
and the tools of Lean Six Sigma. Gattshall has developed several “Best in Class” Poka Yoke
systems with third-party production and process monitoring such
as Intouch Monitoring Ltd. and RJG Inc. He has held multiple management and engineering
positions throughout the industry in automotive, medical, electrical and packaging
production. Gattshall is also a member of the Plastics Industry Association’s Public Policy
Committee. In January 2018, he joined IPL Plastics as process engineering manager.
Contact: (262) 909-5648; rgattshall@gmail.com.

Dealing with foreign material contamination of a hot runner will protect it, the mold and the molded parts from any unwanted particulates. (Photo:
ThinkStock)

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