Preface

This third edition has been written to thoroughly update the coverage of injection molding in
the World of Plastics. There have been changes, including extensive additions, to over 50%
of the content of the second edition. Many examples are provided of processing different
plastics and relating the results to critical factors, which range from product design to meeting
performance requirements to reducing costs to zero-defect targets. Changes have not been
made that concern what is basic to injection molding. However, more basic information has
been added concerning present and future developments, resulting in the book being more
useful for a long time to come. Detailed explanations and interpretation of individual subjects
(more than 1500) are provided, using a total of 914 figures and 209 tables. Throughout the
book there is extensive information on problems and solutions as well as extensive cross-
referencing on its many different subjects.
This book represents the ENCYCLOPEDIA on IM, as is evident from its extensive and
detailed text that follows from its lengthy Table of CONTENTS and I NDEX with over
5200 entries. The worldwide industry encompasses many hundreds of useful plastic-related
computer programs. This book lists these programs (ranging from operational training to
product design to molding to marketing) and explains them briefly, but no program or series
of programs can provide the details obtained and the extent of information contained in this
single sourcebook.
In the manufacture of molded products there is always a challenge to utilize advanced
techniques, such as understanding the different plastic melt flow behaviors, operational moni-
toring and control systems, testing and quality control, and statistical analysis. However,
these techniques are only helpful if the basic operations of molding are understood and
characterized, to ensure the elimination or significant reduction of potential problems.
The book provides an understanding that is concise, practical, and comprehensive and that
goes from A to Z on the complete subject of injection molding. I t provides concise information
for either the technical or the nontechnical reader, interrelating and understanding basic
factors starting with the plastics melt flow behavior during processing. It should be useful
to the fabricator, moldmaker, designer, engineer, maintenance person, accountant, plant
manager, testing and quality control worker, cost estimator, sales and marketing person,
venture capitalist, buyer, vendor, educator/trainer, workshop leader, librarian/information
provider, lawyer, consultant, and others. People with different interests can focus on and
interrelate across subjects that they have limited or no familiarity with in the World of Plastics.
As explained throughout this book, this type of understanding is required in order to be
successful in the design, prototyping, and manufacture of the many different marketable
molded products worldwide.
xxi x
xxx Preface
The reader will have a useful reference for pertinent information readily available in the
table of contents and the index. As past book reviewers have commented, the information
contained in this book is of value to even the most experienced designers and engineers, and
provides a firm basis for the beginner. The intent is to provide a complete review of all aspects
of the injection molding process that goes from the practical to the theoretical, and from the
elementary to the advanced.
This book can provide people not familiar with injection molding an understanding of
how to fabricate products in order to obtain its benefits and advantages. It also provides
information on the most common and costly pitfalls or problems that can develop, resulting
in poor product performance or failures. Accompanying the problems are solutions. This
book will enhance the intuitive skills of those people who are already working in plastics. Its
emphasis is on providing a guide to understanding the worldwide technology and business of
injection-molded products.
From a pragmatic standpoint, every theoretical aspect that is presented has been expressed
so that it is comprehensive and useful. The theorist, for example, will gain insight into the
limitations of plastics relative to other materials such as steel and wood. After over a century
of worldwide production of all kinds of injection-molded products, they can be processed
successfully, yielding high quality, consistency, and profitability. As described in this book, one
can apply the correct performance factors based on an intelligent understanding of the subject.
This book has been prepared with the awareness that its usefulness will depend on its
simplicity and its ability to provide essential information. With the experience gained in
working in the injection molding industry worldwide and in preparing the first and second
editions as well as other books, we believe that we have succeeded in that purpose and have
provided a useful, practical reference work.
The injection molding industry consumes about 32 wt% of all plastics. The plastics industry
as a whole is ranked as the fourth largest industry in the United States. With plastics, to
a greater extent than other materials, opportunity for improvement will always exist, since
new and useful developments in materials and processing continually are on the horizon.
Examples of these developments are given in this book, providing guides to future trends in
the world of plastics.
The limited data presented on the properties of plastics are provided as comparative guides;
readers can obtain the latest information from material suppliers, industry software, and/or
sources mentioned in this books reference section. Our focus in the book is to present,
interpret, analyze, and interrelate the basic elements of injection molding for processing
plastic products. As explained in this book, there are over 17,000 plastic materials worldwide,
and selecting the right one requires specifying all product performance requirements, properly
setting up and controlling the injection molding process to be used, and intelligently preparing
a material specification purchase document and work order to produce the product.
The many properties of different plastics are important for different purposes. Some meet
high performance requirements such as long-time creep resistance, fatigue endurance, or
toughness. On the other hand, for some plastics, ready supply and low cost are the main ad-
vantages. As explained in this book, each of the different materials requires specific injection
molding operating procedures.
Patents or trademarks may cover some of the information presented. No authorization
to utilize these patents or trademarks is given or implied; they are discussed for informa-
tion purposes only. The use of general descriptive names, proprietary names, trade names,
commercial designations or the like does not in any way imply that they may be used as
common nouns. While the information presented is believed to be true and accurate, neither
the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors, omissions,
inaccuracies, or other factors.
Preface xxxi
In preparing this book and ensuring its completeness and the correctness of the subjects
reviewed, use was made of the authors worldwide personal, industrial, and teaching expe-
rience that totals over a century, as well as worldwide information from industry (personal
contacts, conferences, books, articles, etc.) and trade associations.
THE ROSATOS