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Glossary

Terms

Equipment Terminology

Machine Components & Functions

  • Injection Unit – The part of the machine responsible for melting plastic and injecting it into the mold, ensuring precise molding.
  • Clamping Unit – Holds the mold shut during injection and cooling, crucial for high-quality plastic molding.
  • Barrel – A heated chamber where plastic resin is melted before injection, essential in the injection molding process.
  • Screw – Rotates within the barrel to mix, melt, and push the material forward, optimizing plastic flow.
  • Nozzle – The exit point through which molten plastic enters the mold, ensuring efficient plastic distribution.
  • Hopper – A container that holds and feeds plastic pellets into the barrel, key to smooth injection molding operations.
  • Tie Bars – Structural components that align and support the movement of the clamping unit for precision molding.
  • Platen – Metal plates that secure the mold halves in place, critical in injection molding machine stability.

Process & Operational Terms

  • Cycle Time – The duration of a full molding process, including injection, cooling, and part ejection, essential for efficient production.
  • Shot Size – The volume of plastic injected into the mold in each cycle, a key factor in part consistency.
  • Clamping Force – The pressure applied to keep the mold securely closed, ensuring defect-free molding.
  • Screw Back Pressure – The resistance applied to the screw during melting to enhance material mixing and quality.
  • Screw Recovery Time – The period needed for the screw to return to its initial position after injection, optimizing production speed.
  • Cushion – A small amount of material left in the barrel to maintain consistent pressure for accurate molding.
  • Sprue – The channel through which molten plastic flows from the nozzle to the mold, an integral part of mold design.
  • Gate – The entry point where plastic enters the mold cavity, influencing the final part’s structure.
  • Runner – Pathways in the mold that distribute plastic to multiple cavities, key to multi-cavity molding.
  • Flash – Excess plastic that leaks out of the mold cavity, often due to high pressure or misalignment, affecting product quality.
  • Ejector Pins – Pins that push the finished part out of the mold after cooling, improving automation in molding.
  • Cooling Time – The time required for the molded part to solidify before ejection, impacting production efficiency.

Material & Defect Terms

  • Resin – The base plastic material used in the injection molding process, determining part durability and flexibility.
  • Thermoplastic – A plastic type that can be repeatedly melted and reshaped (e.g., ABS, polypropylene, nylon), offering recycling benefits.
  • Thermoset – A plastic that hardens permanently after molding and cannot be remelted (e.g., epoxy, phenolic), ideal for high-heat applications.
  • Sink Marks – Surface depressions caused by uneven cooling, commonly found in thick-walled parts.
  • Short Shot – A defect where the mold is not completely filled due to low pressure or temperature, leading to incomplete parts.
  • Warping – The deformation of a part due to uneven cooling or material stress, a challenge in complex molding.
  • Burn Marks – Darkened or discolored areas resulting from material overheating, often due to excessive injection speed.
  • Jetting – A surface defect caused by excessive injection speed, leading to irregular flow patterns.

Machine Specification Terms

  • Tonnage (Clamping Tonnage) The rated clamping force of an injection molding machine, expressed in US tons or kilonewtons, that holds the mold closed against injection pressure. LOG machines range from 90 to 650 tons.
  • Tie Bar Distance (Tie Bar Spacing) The clear horizontal and vertical space between the tie bars, which limits the maximum mold size the machine can accept.
  • Mold Daylight (Maximum Opening Daylight) The maximum distance the platens open, determining how tall a molded part the machine can release.
  • Mold Height (Minimum and Maximum) The range of mold thicknesses the clamp can accommodate between the platens.
  • Injection Pressure The pressure applied by the screw to force molten resin into the mold cavity, measured in bar or psi.
  • Injection Rate (Injection Speed) The volume or distance of plastic injected per unit of time, controlling fill behavior and surface finish.
  • Plasticizing Capacity The maximum weight of resin the screw and barrel can melt per hour, usually rated in polystyrene.
  • Screw L/D Ratio The ratio of screw length to screw diameter, which influences melt quality, mixing, and residence time.
  • Screw Diameter The bore size of the screw, selected to balance shot size, plasticizing rate, and pressure for a given application.
  • Holding Pressure (Pack and Hold) The pressure maintained after fill to compensate for shrinkage as the part cools.
  • Hold Time The duration holding pressure is applied before the gate freezes off.
  • Dry Cycle Time The machine’s clamp open, close, and ejector cycle measured with no injection, used to compare base machine speed.
  • Clamp Stroke The total travel distance of the moving platen during open and close.
  • Ejection Stroke and Force The distance and pressure the ejector system uses to push parts off the core.

Servo and Drive Terms

  • Servo Motor Drive A closed loop electric drive that powers the hydraulic pump only on demand, cutting energy use compared to a fixed displacement pump running continuously.
  • Servo Hydraulic System The LOG S8 and S9 architecture that pairs hydraulic clamping force with servo controlled pump output for energy savings and precise repeatability.
  • Energy Consumption per Kilogram (kWh/kg) The electricity used to process one kilogram of plastic, a key efficiency benchmark for servo versus standard hydraulic machines.
  • Variable Displacement Pump A hydraulic pump that adjusts output to match demand, related to but distinct from servo pump control.
  • Closed Loop Control Feedback based control of position, pressure, and speed that improves shot to shot consistency.
  • Repeatability (Shot to Shot Consistency) The machine’s ability to reproduce the same part dimensions across cycles, often expressed as a percentage variation.

Process and Quality Terms

  • Mold Cavity and Core The two halves of the tooling that form the outside and inside surfaces of the part.
  • Number of Cavities (Cavitation) The count of identical parts produced per cycle in a multi cavity mold.
  • Hot Runner System A heated manifold that keeps resin molten in the runners, eliminating runner scrap.
  • Cold Runner System An unheated runner that solidifies with the part and is trimmed or reground.
  • Regrind Reprocessed scrap from sprues, runners, and rejects, blended back into virgin resin at a controlled ratio.
  • Melt Temperature The actual temperature of the molten resin, distinct from the barrel set point.
  • Mold Temperature The controlled surface temperature of the tooling, which affects cooling, finish, and warpage.
  • Residence Time How long resin stays molten in the barrel, important for heat sensitive materials.
  • Venting Small channels that let trapped air escape the cavity to prevent burns and short shots.
  • Draft Angle The slight taper on part walls that allows clean ejection from the mold.
  • Gate Freeze Off The point when the gate solidifies and no more material can pack into the cavity.
  • Weld Line (Knit Line) A visible line where two melt flow fronts meet, often a strength weak point.
  • Delamination Layer separation in a molded part, usually from contamination or incompatible materials.
  • Splay (Silver Streaking) Surface streaks caused by moisture or gas in the melt.

Material Terms

  • Hygroscopic Resin A material such as nylon, PET, or polycarbonate that absorbs moisture and must be dried before molding.
  • Melt Flow Index (MFI / MFR) A measure of how easily a molten resin flows, guiding gate, runner, and pressure selection.
  • Shrinkage Rate The percentage a part contracts as it cools, which must be designed into the mold.
  • Filler and Reinforcement Additives such as glass fiber or talc that change strength, stiffness, and shrinkage.
  • Masterbatch A concentrated color or additive carrier blended with natural resin during molding.

Machine-Specific Terminology (S8 vs S9)

  • LOG S8 Series A servo driven hydraulic injection molding platform built for energy efficient, precision general purpose molding across 90 to 650 tons.
  • LOG S9 Series A high end servo precision platform aimed at tighter tolerance and higher performance molding across the same 90 to 650 ton range.
  • Tonnage Class The clamping force rating that defines each model, for example LOG S8 250T or LOG S9 320T, where the number is the rated tons.
  1. Cutting Chamber
    The main section of a shredder or granulator where materials are fed and cut by rotating blades or knives.
  2. Rotor
    A rotating component in shredders and granulators equipped with blades that shred or granulate materials as it spins.
  3. Fixed Blade
    A stationary knife in the cutting chamber that works with the rotor blades to slice through materials.
  4. Screen
    A perforated metal sheet under the cutting chamber that determines the size of the output particles by allowing only appropriately sized pieces to pass through.
  5. Hopper
    The top opening of a shredder or granulator where materials are fed into the machine for processing.
  6. Shaft
    The central axle in a shredder or granulator that holds and rotates the cutting blades or tools. Machines may have single or multiple shafts for different applications.
  7. Drive System
    The mechanism that powers the machine, typically including an electric motor or hydraulic system that drives the rotor or shafts.
  8. Feed Rollers
    Mechanized rollers that grip and push materials into the cutting chamber, ensuring consistent feeding in shredders.
  9. Grates
    Replaceable screens or bars that control the size of the material exiting the shredder or granulator.
  10. Infeed Conveyor
    A conveyor belt system that moves materials into the shredder or granulator, allowing for continuous and automated feeding.
  11. Discharge Conveyor
    A conveyor system that removes processed materials from the shredder or granulator and transports them to the next stage of processing or storage.
  12. Overload Protection
    A safety feature that shuts down the machine if it is overburdened with material to prevent mechanical damage.
  13. Flywheel
    A rotating wheel that stabilizes the machine’s energy and ensures smoother operation during cutting or shredding.
  14. Blade Gap
    The precise spacing between the rotor and fixed blades, critical for effective cutting and material size control.
  15. Hydraulic Ram
    A powered component that pushes bulky materials into the cutting chamber, commonly used in industrial shredders for heavy-duty applications.
  16. Cutting Angle
    The angle at which blades meet materials, which influences the efficiency and quality of the shredding or granulating process.
  17. Counter Knife
    A stationary knife positioned opposite the rotating blades, creating a shearing action to cut through materials.
  18. Wear Plate
    A replaceable metal plate that protects machine components from abrasion and damage caused by processed materials.
  19. Cutter Block
    The assembly that holds and supports the cutting knives or blades on the rotor.
  20. Torque Limiter
    A mechanism that prevents damage by disengaging the drive system if the machine encounters excessive resistance or a blockage.
  21. Baffle Plate
    A device inside the hopper or cutting chamber that helps guide materials into the blades for even cutting and shredding.
  22. Hydraulic Power Pack
    A system that supplies hydraulic pressure to components like the ram or feed rollers, enabling smooth and powerful operation.
  23. Bed Knife
    A stationary cutting blade mounted in the cutting chamber that works in tandem with the rotor knives to slice materials.
  24. Screen Basket
    A cylindrical or semi-cylindrical screen used in some shredders or granulators to filter processed materials based on size.
  25. Pulley System
    A series of wheels or belts that transfer power from the motor to the rotor or other moving parts of the machine.
  26. Chipper Rotor
    A specialized rotor design with large, sharp blades, often used for shredding wood and fibrous materials.
  27. Claw Cutter
    A blade design resembling a claw, often used in granulators to achieve efficient cutting and reduce material stress.
  28. Reversible Blades
    Cutting blades that can be flipped and used on both sides, extending their lifespan and reducing maintenance costs.
  29. Material Feed Sensor
    A sensor that monitors the flow of materials into the machine and adjusts feed rates to prevent overloading or jams.
  30. Dust Extraction System
    An integrated system that removes dust and fine particles created during the shredding or granulating process to maintain a clean and safe environment.
  31. Auto-Reverse Function
    A feature that automatically reverses the rotor’s direction if a jam occurs, preventing damage to the machine.
  32. Knife Holder
    The structure on the rotor that secures individual cutting blades in place.
  33. Edge Hardening
    A treatment applied to blade edges to improve durability and resistance to wear when cutting abrasive materials.
  34. Magnetic Separator
    A machine add-on used to remove ferrous metals from shredded or granulated materials, ensuring cleaner outputs.