Product Description:

 Rubber dampers or shock absorbers are used to reduce the transmission of shock to the surrounding structure. Shock absorption is possible as the rubber absorber deflects under the applied shock load. The construction of rubber dampers (also known as rectangular buffers) is such that rubber is bonded to a metal plate which incorporates a number of fixing holes allowing for simple installation.

A wide range of dimensions and rubber hardness options are available from stock or alternatively rectangular buffers and rubber dampers can be specially manufactured to meet the customer’s individual requirement.

Product Function:

Rubber damper is made to prevent the vibration, impact transmission or offering the cushioning effect of rubber products. There are 3 major function: anti-vibration, shock absorption, and isolating the vibration.

Product Applications:

There are many type of applications that require a high level of stabilization. Applications like DVD, CD-ROM, wash machine, multimedia/navigation automotive units, motorized units, and precision machinery all have a need for this type of damper. Reduction, absorption, and isolation of vibration is key to the life of the unit.

Product Design:

– Material choice

In order to reduce, absorb, and isolate vibration, it is essential to use material that will help dissipate energy. The dissipation of energy is measured by Loss Factor(h). The higher the Loss Factor the better the dissipation of energy and thus the greater the reduction, absorption, and isolation of vibration. Below is a list of the different types of rubber and it’s Loss Factor.

–Structure Design
With the CAE simulation software, we can simulate the vibration of dampers made of different materials listed above. As each unit and device is different, this simulation software helps us design the best damper for your units.

Different kinds of Damper:

1.Rubber damper  

Material:

1) Silicone Rubber                                                                               
2) IIR
Application:
CD, VCD, DVD, MP3, CD-ROM and so on. The application is to reduce the vibration and make sure the data can be read normally from the disc.

2.Rubber grease damper

Material:
1) Silicone Rubber
2) IIR
3) Silicone Grease                                                                                               
Application:
Silicone grease is heavily used in interior automotive applications such as CD,VCD, DVD, MP3, and harddrives.

3.Hybrid grease damper

Material:

1) PP

2) TPR

3) Silicone Grease                                                                                   

Application:

This kind of damper is specially designed for automotive application such as CD, VCD, DVD, MP3, CD-ROM and hard drives. It is considered to be the best damper to absorb shock & vibration.

The Benefits of Neway Damper:
– Quality Assurance
With many years in the raw and manufacturing industry of rubber, Neway has know-how and experience to make the very best quality parts. We stand by our quality. Our tolerance of rubber hardness is +/-3 shore A for many rubber applications.

– Design Ability
With the help of CAE software, our engineers have a big advantage over our competition. We can analyze your design quickly and accurately to reduce potential failure modes as well as optimize your design.

– Product Special Characteristics Testing
Dynamic stiffness, static stiffness & loss factor per the physical anti-vibration parameters defined by ASTM.

– Environmental Inspection
RoHS compliance: All products conform to RoHS regulation by EU as a basic standard of Neway. Additional restriction of hazardous substance requirements by customer can be accepted after the review of Neway.

– Total Solution for Vibration.

• Parts quantity
• Tooling budget
• How the part is made
• Size of parts
• Material used

Determining your Parts Quantity

For a high volume, custom plastic products project, you will need to plan for at least 100,000 parts or greater. This is the minimum quantity required by many custom product manufacturers. Consider your product plans and how you will make use of the parts in your design to determine whether this is a realistic number for your project.

Creating and Evaluating a Tooling Budget

Your budget for tooling, which includes designing and creating your mold, is an important factor to consider carefully before you proceed with your project. The more complex your design is, the more your mold production is likely to cost. Make a list of all the costs you anticipate for creating the initial design and having it modified for final production, as this will be a major factor in your overall production costs. It may also determine whether you can use injection molding for your custom plastic products.

CNC tooling at The Rodon Group

Design Production and Size Considerations

Not all part designs can be reproduced using the injection molding process. Before a design is approved for use, the manufacturer will evaluate the design and make changes to adapt it to produce the most structurally sound part. There are also cost considerations that will make it beneficial to change how a part is made using your design.

Smaller size parts are generally preferred for the injection molding process. In any case, your design should be smaller than a 10x10x10 inches. Consider ways that your design can take advantage of a greater number of smaller parts as opposed to fewer large parts that may be less practical to produce using the injection molding process.

Choosing the Right Material

The material used for your product is an important consideration. Some designs will have specific requirements for a particular material, while others will allow more flexibility. Your manufacturer can help you choose the right material for your intended use, and they will be the best source of information on how a particular material will work in their injection molding process.

Neway can help you with creating your part design, evaluating it for use in production, and producing your mold.

After completing mold production, your mold will be used in the actual injection molding press to make production parts. This process usually takes 8-10 weeks.

If you want to make a mould for your design, it’s time to contact us!

Quality drives performance in any product. For critical-use applications, the stakes are even higher. End-user safety, health, and lives could be jeopardized if a product malfunctions. To mitigate high degrees of risk, manufacturers must have the utmost confidence in their injection molding partner’s experience with tight tolerance injection molding. Why? Injection molding tolerances have a direct impact on part sealing and, in turn, on part quality and performance. Improper seals may allow atmospheric elements or fluids to penetrate critical components. They could also cause fluids and air pressure to escape from parts. Either way, it’s a potential liability. DESIGN, MATERIALS, AND INJECTION MOLDING TOLERANCESA custom injection molder with expertise in achieving tight tolerances understands the importance of proper sealing, and how to prevent Variable part flatness and defective gasket-type sealsExcessive parting lines on sealing surfaces that create leak pathsInconsistent dimensional requirements that prohibit clean seals

These issues are largely universal, but each industry has its unique seal challenges. An automotive or industrial manufacturer may require parts with injection molding tolerances that seal in gas, transmission fluids, cooling liquids, or other abrasive chemicals. Medical OEMs could prioritize intricate part geometries to ensure medications are properly dosed and managed. A consumer OEM may need a home appliance to provide leak-free interactivity with water. Understanding conditions of use is important, but it’s a jumping off point. Your injection molding partner should be willing and able to verify your design for manufacturability. A good seal needs to be planned into the design process. The same holds true for the precise manufacturing of the mating components of mission critical parts. To that end, a molder with an in-depth knowledge of resins proves invaluable. They can guide the selection of materials best suited for holding tight tolerances as well as withstanding use and exposure risks. Part designs and material selection should be done with the seal and mating parts in mind. Doing so leads to robust, finely tuned processes that minimize part shrinkage rates, maintain tight tolerances, and allow full seal function. Continuous quality control ensures every critical-use injection molded part functions exactly as it should — before it leaves the manufacturing facility. FOCUS ON QUALITYAt Kaysun, our in-house Quality Lab helps us integrate quality benchmarks into every process to achieve consistent, defect-free outcomes. The Quality Lab serves as a hub for cross-functional collaboration, comprehensive testing, and unparalleled injection molded part and process management. As industries evolve, injection molding is playing a larger role in the comprehensive solutions required to keep pace with need. High-performance, high-quality parts are becoming the norm as are expectations about injection molding tolerances. Learn more in How to Achieve Tight Tolerances in Custom Plastic Injection Molding. Click the button below to download your copy of the guide now.

Sample mould and mass production mould are two types of molds used in the manufacturing industry. Let’s explore the differences between them:

2. Purpose:

– Sample moulds, also known as prototype mould or tooling, is an essential component in the product development process. Its primary purpose is to create a limited number of prototypes or samples of a product before proceeding to mass production. Sample moulds are typically used in industries such as automotive, electronics, consumer goods, and medical devices.

– Mass production moulds, also called production tooling or injection moulds, are designed for large-scale manufacturing operations. They are used to create a high volume of identical products efficiently and cost-effectively. Mass production moulds are commonly utilized in industries such as automotive, packaging, appliances, and consumer goods.

3. Design Complexity:

– Sample Mould: Sample molds are often simpler in designcompared to mass production molds. They are usually less expensive and easier to manufacture. The focus is more on creating functional prototypes rather than optimizing for high-volume production.

– Mass Production Mould: Mass production molds are designed for efficiency and durability. They can handle high-pressure injection molding processes and are built to withstand the stress and wear associated with long production runs. The design of mass production molds takes into account factors such as cooling, ejection, and automation requirements.

4. Lead Time and Cost:

– Sample Mould: Since sample molds are less complex and require a smaller number of cavities, they can be manufactured relatively quickly and at a lower cost. The emphasis is on speed and flexibility to support rapid prototyping iterations.

– Mass Production Mould: Mass production molds are typically more expensive and time-consuming to manufacture. They involve detailed engineering, precise machining, and may require multiple cavities or complex mechanisms. The cost and lead time are justified by the high-volume production capabilities and extended lifespan of the mold.

5. Lifespan and Maintenance:

– Sample Mould: Sample molds are not intended for long-term use or extended production runs. They are designed to create a limited number of samples or prototypes. Once the design is finalized and mass production is planned, a new mold is often created specifically for that purpose.

– Mass Production Mould: Mass production molds are built to withstand the demands of continuous use over an extended period. They undergo regular maintenance and repairs to ensure their longevity. Mold maintenance includes cleaning, lubrication, and occasional replacement of worn components.

In conclusion, sample moulds are used for creating prototypes and limited production runs to validate product designs, while mass production moulds are designed for high-volume manufacturing. The complexity, lead time, cost, and lifespan of the moulds differ based on their intended purpose and production requirements.

Injection molding of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is a process to produce pliable, durable parts in high volume.

Liquid silicone rubber is a high purity platinum cured silicone with low compression set, good stability and ability to resist extreme temperatures of heat and cold ideally suitable for production of parts, where high quality is required. Due to the thermosetting nature of the material, liquid silicone injection molding requires special treatment, such as intensive distributive mixing, while maintaining the material at a low temperature before it is pushed into the heated cavity and vulcanized.

Chemically, silicone rubber is a family of thermoset elastomers that have a backbone of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms and methyl or vinyl side groups. Silicone rubbers constitute about 30% of the silicone family, making them the largest group of that family. Silicone rubbers maintain their mechanical properties over a wide range of temperatures and the presence of methyl-groups in silicone rubbers makes these materials extremely hydrophobic, making them suitable for electrical surface insulations.

Characteristics of LSR

Liquid silicone rubber is high-purity platinum cured silicone. LSR’s physical, chemical and thermal properties make it highly suitable for products where performance, durability and high quality are a necessity.

Additionally, liquid silicone rubber allows for coloring or transparency in the finished product. Depending on their chemical composition, these materials can also serve as insulators or conductors.

LSR liquid injection molding is the preferred method for molding precision, delicate components. The process is clean and offers precision, accuracy, and high output. When combining the properties of LSR with the clean manufacturing process of liquid injection molding, the result is products that offer superior resilience and performance.

Typical applications for liquid silicone rubber

LSR are products that require high precision such as seals, sealing membranes, electric connectors, multi-pin connectors, infant products where smooth surfaces are desired, such as bottle nipples, medical applications as well as kitchen goods such as baking pans, spatulas, etc. Often, silicone rubber is overmolded onto other parts made of different plastics. For example, a silicone button face might be overmolded onto a Nylon 66 housing.

Manufacturing Processof LSR

Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is a thick liquid polymer that uses a clean liquid injection molding process for producing LSR molded components.

LSRs used in the liquid injection molding process are two-part, platinum-cured polymers, the most stable. Platinum-cured LSR is received in 2 drums – A & B. When the A & B material components are pumped into the injection barrel of the molding machine, the materials combine and the vulcanization or curing process begins. If colored parts are desired, a third liquid with the color pigment is pumped into the barrel as well. The curing process is further accelerated when it is injected into the heated mold cavities where it solidifies and forms to the exact part geometry.

1. Process Overview:

– Injection Molding: In injection molding, molten plastic material is injected into a mold cavity under high pressure. The material solidifies inside the mold and takes the shape of the cavity. Once cooled, the mold is opened, and the part is ejected.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting, also known as silicone molding or polyurethane casting, involves creating a master pattern or prototype part using various techniques. A silicone mold is then made around the master pattern, and a liquid resin is poured into the mold under vacuum to create the final part.

2. Complexity and Detail:

– Injection Molding: Injection molding is capable of producing highly complex parts with intricate details and fine features. It allows for precise control over dimensions and geometries.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting is better suited for producing parts with relatively simpler geometries and moderate levels of detail. It may struggle with extremely fine features and intricate designs.

3. Tooling and Lead Time:

– Injection Molding: Injection molding requires the creation of expensive steel molds or tooling, which can take several weeks or even months to produce. However, once the molds are made, they can be used repeatedly, resulting in lower unit costs for large production runs.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting utilizes less expensive silicone molds that can be produced relatively quickly, typically within a few days. This makes it more suitable for small production runs and prototyping, where fast turnaround times are crucia.

4. Material Options:

– Injection Molding: Injection molding supports a wide range of thermoplastics and engineering-grade materials, such as ABS, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate, and Nylon. The material selection is extensive, including options with varying properties like strength, flexibility, and temperature resistance.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting primarily employs resins (eg: ABS-Like, PC-Like, PP-Like, POM-Like, PU-Like, Nylon-Like, Silicone-Like), which offer a limited but sufficient range of material properties, The material used for vacuum casting is not exactly same as that used for injection molding.

5. Cost Considerations:

– Injection Molding: While injection molding has higher initial setup costs due to tooling expenses, it becomes more cost-effective for large production volumes due to its high production speed and efficiency.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting has lower initial setup costs since it relies on less expensive molds. However, it is generally more expensive per part and better suited for small production runs or prototyping.

6. Surface Finish and Quality:

– Injection Molding: Injection molding parts typically have excellent surface finish and dimensional accuracy. The process provides consistent results and high-quality finishes, requiring minimal post-processing.

– Vacuum Casting: Vacuum casting parts can achieve good surface finishes, but they may not match the level of quality obtained through injection molding. Some post-processing, such as sanding or painting, might be necessary to achieve desired aesthetics.

In summary, injection molding is ideal for high-volume production of complex parts with precision and a wide range of material options. On the other hand, vacuum casting is better suited for low-volume production, prototyping, and simpler parts, offering faster turnaround times and lower initial costs. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the project, including volume, complexity, lead time, and budget.

In today’s fast-paced world, where precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness are paramount, injection molding has emerged as a game-changer in the manufacturing industry. This sophisticated manufacturing process enables the production of a wide range of complex plastic components that are vital to numerous industries, including automotive, electronics, medical, and consumer goods. In this blog, we will delve into the fascinating world of injection molding, exploring its principles, applications, advantages, and future prospects.

Understanding Injection Molding

Injection molding is a manufacturing technique that involves injecting molten plastic material into a specially designed mold, which then cools and solidifies to create a desired shape. It is a highly automated and efficient process that can produce intricate and precise parts in large volumes, with minimal human intervention.

The Process in Detail

Designing the Mold: The first step in injection molding is designing the mold. Skilled engineers create a mold cavity with the desired shape, allowing room for the molten plastic material to flow and cool properly. Factors such as material properties, part geometry, and production volume are taken into consideration during the mold design process.

Material Preparation: Next, the selected thermoplastic material, usually in the form of small pellets, is melted in an injection molding machine. The machine comprises a hopper that feeds the pellets into a heated barrel, where they are melted by a reciprocating screw.

Injection: Once the molten plastic reaches the optimal temperature and consistency, it is injected into the mold under high pressure. The injection unit of the machine pushes the material through a nozzle into the mold cavity. The pressure ensures that the material fills the mold completely and accurately.

Cooling and Solidification: After the molten plastic fills the mold cavity, it starts to cool and solidify. Cooling can be facilitated by circulating coolant through the mold or using cooling plates. The cooling time is critical as it affects the part’s quality and cycle time.

Ejection: Once the plastic has solidified, the mold opens, and the part is ejected using ejector pins or plates. The cycle then repeats, and the process continues to produce multiple parts.

Applications and Advantages

Injection molding‘s versatility and efficiency make it an ideal choice for a wide array of industries. Some notable applications include:

Automotive Industry: Injection molding is extensively used in automotive manufacturing, producing components such as dashboards, bumpers, interior trims, and electrical connectors. The ability to produce lightweight yet robust parts with complex geometries has revolutionized automobile design.

Electronics and Appliances: Many electronic devices and household appliances rely on injection-molded components for their casings, connectors, switches, and buttons. The precision and cost-effectiveness of the process make it indispensable in this sector.

Medical Field: Injection molding plays a crucial role in the medical industry by manufacturing various medical devices and equipment, including syringes, IV components, surgical instruments, and diagnostic devices. The process ensures high quality, consistency, and stabilizability, meeting stringent regulatory requirements.

Consumer Goods: From packaging materials to toys, from kitchen utensils to sports equipment, injection molding enables the mass production of consumer goods in various shapes, sizes, and colors. It allows for customization and quick turnaround times, meeting the ever-changing demands of consumers.

The advantages of injection molding are numerous:

1. High Precision: Injection molding allows for the production of complex, intricate parts with tight tolerances, ensuring consistent quality and dimensional accuracy.

2. Efficiency and Cost-effectiveness: The automation and high-speed production capabilities of injection molding result in reduced labor costs and shorter cycle times, making it a cost-effective solution for large-scale manufacturing.

3. Material Versatility: A wide range of thermoplastic materials, including polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, and engineering-grade plastics like ABS and PC, can be used in injection molding. This versatility allows for the production of parts with varying mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties.

4. Waste Reduction: Injection molding generates minimal waste as any excess plastic can be reground and reused, contributing to sustainable manufacturing practices.

They both have unique properties that make them ideal for a wide range of applications. Both materials can be custom molded into complex shapes and can be used in many different industries. Let’s compare them across various factors as follow:

Chemical Composition:

PP: It is a thermoplastic polymer made from Propylene monomers.

ABS: It is a thermoplastic polymer made from acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene monomers.

 Strength and Rigidity:

PP: It has a relatively low strength and rigidity compared to ABS. It is more flexible and can withstand bending without breaking.

ABS: It is stronger and more rigid than PP, making it suitable for applications requiring structural integrity and impact resistance.

Heat Resistance:

PP: It has a higher heat resistance than ABS. PP can withstand temperatures up to around 100°C (212°F) before it starts to deform.

ABS: It has a lower heat resistance compared to PP. ABS can tolerate temperatures up to around 70-80°C (158-176°F) before deformation occurs.

Chemical Resistance:

PP: It offers good chemical resistance to a wide range of acids, bases, and solvents, making it suitable for applications involving exposure to various chemicals.

ABS: It has moderate chemical resistance but may be affected by certain solvents and chemicals. It is not as chemically resistant as PP.

Impact Resistance:

PP: It provides good impact resistance, with the ability to absorb shocks and withstand rough handling without breaking easily.

ABS: It offers excellent impact resistance, making it highly suitable for applications requiring impact or stress resistance.

Appearance and Surface Finish:

PP: It has a naturally opaque or translucent appearance and a slightly waxy surface. It may have visible mold lines.

ABS: It has a glossy appearance with a smooth and polished surface finish. It is commonly used for products that require an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Cost:

PP: It is generally less expensive compared to ABS, making it a cost-effective option for many applications.

ABS: It is slightly more expensive than PP due to its superior mechanical properties and better surface finish.

Both PP and ABS have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the application. PP is often used in packaging, automotive parts, and medical devices, while ABS finds applications in consumer goods, electronics, and automotive components.

Silicones are the polymers that consist mostly of silicon (sometimes mistakenly spelled cilicone), oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. These polymers are used in production of silicone rubber, silicone resign, silicone grease and silicone oil. Silicones possess several extremely useful properties that give them clear advantage over the other materials used for the same purposes.

Silicone rubber keypads are:

• Chemically inert
  • Nontoxic
  • Thermally stable, meaning that their physical properties do not change over a large range of temperatures (-100°C to 250 °C)
  • Resistant to microbiological growth
  • Waterproof (this quality allows the use of silicones as watertight seals)
  • Non-sticky, which comes in handy when silicon rubber buttons are used in the electronic products that require manual operations (oscilloscopes, ammeters, programmable logic controllers, etc)
  • Electrical insulators
  • Resistant to ultraviolet light (UV light), ozone and oxygen
  • Non-corrosive
  • Eco-friendly

Silicones as chemical compounds

Silicones rubber is a mixture of organic and inorganic components whose general chemical formula is [R2SiO], where R stands for either methyl or ethyl or phenyl organic groups of molecules, depending on the application. (Si-O-Si-O-Si-O …) are the chains of inorganic silicone-oxygen molecules.

Silicone rubber’s properties depend on spatial positions of the Si-O chains and the chain lengths. It is possible to change physical properties of a silicone rubber compound by changing positions of its molecules.

Advantages of using silicone rubber buttons in electronic products

Electronic products such as remote controls, industrial keypads, medical devices, calculators and many other small electronics have incorporated the use of silicone rubber buttons. Silicone rubber buttons are resilient to many external forces, provide tactile feedback, and can be printed on and numerous other features. One of the most common features of silicone rubber keypads is molding a carbon contact pill on the backside. The carbon contact pill will complete a circuit on a PCB when the silicone rubber is pressed. This method of completing a circuit is cost effective and very reliable because it removes the need for a mechanical tactile switch.

When electronic devices are operated at low temperature, the buttons must still function properly when pressed. These buttons are often made out of silicone rubber because of its ability to withstand very low temperatures.
Ultraviolet light is used in many medical devices. Silicone rubber buttons are an ideal choice of relays for these devices because of silicone’s ability to resist the UV light.

Being non-toxic, silicone rubber buttons do not release harmful toxins into the atmosphere. Electronic toys for children are equipped with such buttons so that the children are not exposed to harmful toxins.

One of the main advantages of silicone rubber buttons is their low price. It makes sense for the companies producing electronic equipment to use these buttons to help keep their production prices low.

The first step in making a plastic mould is choosing the right materials. This is important because the materials used will determine the strength, durability, and performance of the resulting mould. The most commonly used materials are S136H，718H, P20, NAK80.

Mould Design 

Once you’ve selected the right materials, the next step is designing the mould. This step involves creating a model of the plastic part and then making a mold based on that model. Initially, this can be done by hand using tools such as rulers or callipers, but for precision designs, design software is often used. This allows for fine tuning of the design to ensure it replicates the original model with the highest level of accuracy.

Pre-Processing

Before the mould can be used, it needs to be pre-processed. This involves preparing the mould by cleaning it and filling it with lubricant before allowing it to cool. This ensures that the plastic does not stick to the mould, and the cooling process can also help increase the moulding speed and accuracy.

Injection Moulding

Once the mould is pre-processed and cooled, it is ready for the injection moulding process. This is when the molten plastic is forced into the mould cavity by the injection moulding machine. This process is also known as the flow process, and it ensures that the plastic is evenly distributed and that the mould is perfectly replicated.

Post-Processing

The final step in making a plastic mould is post-processing. This includes removing excess material, cooling the mould, and cutting, drilling, or tapping for added features. It is important to be careful during this step since the plastic can easily be scratched or bent if it is not handled with care. Making a plastic mould is a process that requires patience, precision, and skill.

By following these steps, you can make a professional-looking product with excellent performance and dependability. With the right materials and techniques, you can make a reliable plastic mould for nearly any application.