News Release - Injection Compression Study

CAE Services Conducts Successful Injection Compression Study

BATAVIA, IL: December, 2004 — CAE Services Corporation, a leading injection mold analysis and structural finite element analysis (FEA) firm, today announces the completion of a successful study that compared standard injection molding versus injection compression processes. The purpose of the study was to help a client determine which process would be the best option for generating a specific plastic part. The determination would assist in decision making regarding molding equipment investments.

Injection compression involves injecting a shot of plastic into a mold that is slightly open. Once the shot is completed, the mold closes and thereby forces the plastic material to the outer extremities of the part. In doing so, the initial injection takes less pressure to fill the mold than if done by standard injection molding.

According to Tim Lankisch, principal engineer at CAE Services, “In today’s competitive marketplace in which part specifications call for thin walled and low pressure molding, injection compression is a perfect match.” He used Moldflow Plastic Insight software to simulate both practices. The mold used for the study was a six-cavity mold with a wall thickness of 0.030 inches. The parts to be molded were plastic plates. The initial injection clamp force was greater than 900 tons using standard injection molding. Using injection compression, CAE Services’ simulation results predicted that a 450-ton machine was possible.

By conducting this study, CAE Services’ customer can determine what size molding machine will achieve the best results. “This study shows that trial and error methods can be quite costly,” Lankisch adds. “When customers are making capital expenditures on injection molding equipment, making an error on an expensive piece of equipment is serious business.”