Q: What are the benefits of gas assisted injection molding?
A: Gas assisted injection molding is an enhancement to conventional injection molding, enabling…
- Faster cycle times
- More consistent production
- Higher quality parts – no warp or sink marks
- Greatly expanded design options
- Becoming a better, preferred supplier to your customers
Through lower costs and by becoming a preferred molded part supplier, you increase profits and increase your business opportunities!
Q: Will gas injection help my products?
A: Gas assisted injection molding is not recommended by any means for all injection molded products. Gas assist processing is also not intended to be only a “fix” for problematic programs.
Gas assisted molding is an enhancement to eliminate sink marks, allow for longer resin flow lengths, eliminate warp and reduce cycle times. Are your products a candidate for gas assist processing? Examine the following:
- Do you have a program that has and extended cycle time?
- Do any of your products have sink marks but you “live with it?”
- Do you run longer than desired cycle time, using the mold as a cooling fixture to try to keep a part flat?
- Do you mold parts with heavy, thick sections that take a long time to pack and cool?
- Do you have a program with a large cross section that could be hollow “if there was only a way?”
- Every molder has at least one program where, when it needs to be set up, they say to themselves, “oh no, we have to run that &%#$@ tool again…”
- Are you limited by molding machine clamp to the jobs you can accept?
These are only a few of the instances where gas assist molding can improve your molding processes……..give us a call – our free evaluation program can help you understand the potential for gas assist, reduce your manufacturing costs, and make you a preferred molder!
Q: Isn’t gas assist implementation expensive?
A: The days of expensive equipment and licensing fees are gone. A gas assist installation can cost as little as $35,000.00 (new), including gas pressurization and today’s latest processing controls. The return on investment can be a quick as 90 days for some programs, and your expanded business opportunities offset the initial cost concerns significantly.
Though various capital lease programs, little or no “down payment” is required and monthly costs can be less than $1,000.00, while you enjoy cost reductions greater than the monthly cost. We recently analyzed a program where the resin cost reduction alone was over $5,000.00 per month!
Q: How can NitroJection help my company do this right the first time?
A: NitroJection has been manufacturing gas assist injection molding equipment for over 20 years – that’s become the easy part.
What we bring to your operations are services from preliminary product review for gas assist evaluation, product design support, tooling development support, and in-plant process optimization. We do not expect an injection molder to “get there” on their own. In fact, we very much like to avoid that. The days of “let’s try gas assist” are gone. Our purpose is to make a comprehensive assessment of the program, provide support for product design and tool build or conversion, and to support your in-plant startup.
If you’re left to figure it out for yourself, you have the wrong technology provider.
Q: Why is nitrogen gas used for gas assist processing?
A: The gas for injection into the molten resin needs to be dry and inert. Nitrogen is perfect for the application, is readily available, abundant in the atmosphere for in-plant generation, and the most cost effective for gas assist molding. Development has been performed with other inert gasses, but none have proven to be better suited for gas assist processing.
Q: Do I need to modify my molding machine?
A: No. A gas assist process controller has an interface with the molding machine to actuate a “cycle start” and a “reset” signal, to prepare for the next molding cycle. Typically there are (2) other interfaces for safety reasons (purge shield closed and operator door closed). None of these interfaces require an electrical voltage; our controllers have 24VDC outputs for these signals; all we need is a dry contact to actuate the function in the controller. All we request from the molding machine is a consistent resin shot size.
Q: Are tooling adaptations difficult?
A: Tooling adaptations are quite simple and usually inexpensive. With NitroJection’s support, we will help you make the proper conversion for an existing tool, or gas provisions for a new tool.
Tooling adaptations include (usually) the addition of flow channels and gas injectors for the gas assist process. Occasionally, gas can be injected through the nozzle which eliminates the need for injectors and tooling-internal gas paths. Most often, gas injection via gas injectors results in the most efficient and consistent gas assist molding process.
Q: Don’t I need a “license” to practice gas assist molding?
A: No. We had expected this question to fade away years ago.
There are still a very few esoteric gas assist processes that are still to be licensed, or for which a license is required. Most often those practices are unnecessary, and most often they are just plain bad ideas. We can help you avoid ineffective proprietary methods, as they often result in a very complicated process with undesirable results.
NitroJection has over 30 patents protecting our systems, process and accessories, but they are for protecting our rights, not to make unreasonable licensing demands.