Plastics Extrusion

In reading news and other content about various thermoforming processes, companies, and materials, one thing that has come up many times is the process of plastics extrusion. While most of us know what extrusion is and why that benefits a thermoforming, it doesn’t hurt to have a deeper understanding. Plastics extrusion is a high volume manufacturing process in which raw plastic material is melted and formed into a continuous profile. This makes the rolls or sheets of plastics used for thermoforming consistent and durable for packaging products. The extrusion process is capable of producing items like pipe or tubing, weather stripping, fence, deck railing, window frames, plastic films and sheet, thermoplastic coatings, and wire insulation.

extrusion

The whole thing starts with raw thermoplastic material in the form of small beads, aka resin. The resin is then gravity fed into the barrel of the extruder. If there are additives, they would be used before this point. The material enters through the feed throat and comes into contact with a rotating screw that forces the plastic beads into the heated barrel (heated to melting temperature). Plastic beads melt gradually as they push through the barrel, if the material overheats, the polymer degrades. The melted plastic will them travel through a screen to remove unwanted particles such as contaminants. Finally, the molten plastic will enter the die. The die gives the final product its shape, and it is imperative the flow is steady- if not, the product will be made with unwanted stresses that cause a warping effect upon cooling. The product then needs to be cooled, and in our case we need plastic sheeting so the material would be cooled by being pulled through cooling rolls.

There you have it- a thorough explanation of the extrusion process. Extrusion is the very first step in creating custom thermoformed products. If you think about it, it can be considered the most crucial. The integrity of a clamshell or blister package lies heavily in the plastic that was used to make it- if the extrusion process was done right, the plastic should be consistent and durable.

How Jewel Cases are Made

Jewel cases were introduced in the early 1980s when Compact Discs (CDs) were first launched into the market. Since then the jewel case has remained fairly unchanged from the original design and still manufactured based on standard specifications. Jewel cases have been the main form of CD packaging because it is designed to protect and secure CDs.

So how are jewel cases made? They are made by a process called injection molding. This is the most widely used manufacturing process in the world. Injection molding requires an injection molding machine, raw plastic material, and a mold. The process starts by taking plastic resin that comes in the form of plastic pellets, and then melting them with heat and pressure. The molten material is injected into a mold that is held under high pressure. Once the plastic is cooled, the mold can be opened up and the parts are removed. Injection molding allows for many parts to be produced simultaneously. The process is fairly short, typically lasting at most 2 minutes, which allows for many parts to be made.

Which DVD Case is Best for You?

It is Friday night and you are gazing at the DVD shelf trying to decide which movie to watch for the night, but I doubt you are thinking about all of the different kinds of DVD cases that are available. DVD cases come in a variety of different sizes, grades, and colors. If you need to purchase DVD cases for your business or personal use, it is good to consider the different factors to decide which cases best meet your needs.

DVD cases are available in many different sizes. Typically, the standard DVD case has a depth of about 14mm. Some people may like the look of a smaller case better, or they may want to save on space or shipping. For those, there are options of 7mm or 5mm in depth.

There are also different grades of quality for DVD cases. There is a standard grade made out of recycled materials or a premium grade made out of 100% raw materials, which would last longer. There is even the option of cases made from a mixture of recycled and raw materials. Your choice depends on if you want to focus on price or durability. Some DVD cases are also machine grade, which means that they are machine loadable. This could save an enormous amount of time if you have a machine that can load the DVD’s in the cases for you.

The majority of DVD cases come in black, but you may want to invest in color to stand out on the shelf. Special occasions, such as weddings may prefer white cases over black cases. DVD cases may come in a variety of different colors, such as red, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, clear, frosted clear, white, or the traditional black. There is also the option of Blu-Ray cases if you would prefer that for Blu-Ray discs. Some video game cases may break easily, so there is the option of buying these DVD cases to replace them. Standard DVD cases are compatible with many video games, such as the Nintendo Wii.

Injection molding also allows suppliers to provide high-quality, durable DVD cases at a reasonable price. There are more options in choosing DVD cases than one might think. It is important to determine your needs and then figure out which DVD cases best suit your needs at a reasonable price.

What is Injection Molding?

The term, “injection molding”, is often thrown out in reference to packaging and storing DVDs, but many people do not understand the concept of injection molding.

The following information is a brief explanation of what injection molding is and how injection molded products like lawn furniture, thermal coffee cups and even DVD cases are made?

Injection molding is a manufacturing process used to produce parts from thermoplastic pellets and is similar to making candles from a mold.

Some of the common types of thermoplastic are: polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These different thermoplastics vary in durability, resistance, and flexibility

First, a mold is custom designed from metal and detailed to form the desired finished product. Molten plastic is then injected at high pressure into this mold that is the inverse of the product’s shape. Hydraulic or mechanical pressure is applied to make sure all the cavities within the mold are filled. The plastics are allowed to cool and then removed with ejecting pins. There may be excess material, which is then trimmed off and recycled.

So the next time you consider purchasing a plastic product, you will have a much better idea of just what it takes to make it!

Watch this video if you are also interested in how thermoforming works: