Feature Articles - Ventura Plastics

Gas Evacuation Technology reduces reject rates.

Situated in the heart of Ontario’s thriving automotive industry, injection molder Ventra Plastics seeks out innovative production solutions to ensure that its major automotive clients benefit from improved quality, efficiency, cost and control.

Ventra process engineer Frank Massimino successfully reduced reject rates from 15% to less than 1% by using a highly-effective gas evacuation system from CAE Services, a leading consulting firm of advanced solutions for the plastics industry. Massimino was introduced to the Mold-Vac Gas Evacuation System through a magazine article. After reading that Motorola had used CAE’s Mold-Vac to successfully maintain their legendary Six Sigma quality standards in molding thin-wall telecommunications components, he quickly called CAE for a consultation.

Massimino was working with a filled TPO material to mold an interior automotive trim component. The challenge? The operation parameters-the heat profile of the barrel, the mold temperatures and the fill speed profiles-required a narrow molding window, which resulted in unacceptable gas burns and knot lines on the part.

CAE Services had the answer. CAE’s industry-leading evacuation systems have been helping molders reduce part defects and increase productivity for more than 15 years. The latest addition to the series, the Mold-Vac 10,000 has been specifically designed for parts with fast fill times, high cavitation molds and large automotive applications.

CAE’s engineering staff evaluated the Ventra part and determined that because of the gas trap location it was indeed a candidate for the Mold-Vac 10,000. The Mold-Vac system has been running in Ventra’s Ontario plant for one year with impressive results. CAE’s gas evacuation technology successfully opened up the molding window, and Ventra’s product quality problems were eliminated. Reject rates have declined from 15% to less than 1% following the Mold-Vac installation.

An additional benefit of the Mold-Vac System is a substantial reduction in mold maintenance. Mold-Vac’s unique blow-back control feature ensures that vented pins are cleaned and purged after every cycle. “After installing Mold-Vac, we immediately noticed less buildup of volatiles on ejector pins and around part periphery. The vents on the mold required less cleaning-therefore, we’ve been able to cutback on our monthly preventative maintenance,” says Massimino.

Gas Evacuation Technology Cuts Injection Mold Scrap by 85%

To begin using Mold-Vac, a slight modification of the mold is required. Ventra Plastics installed a rubber seal around the parting line, and both an inlet and outlet for complete elimination of gases from the cavity and core. The cost of the modification varies depending on the size of the mold, and the size and geometry of the part.

Massimino foresees many other applications for Mold-Vac inside Ventra’s 115,000-square foot production facility. Ventra is currently modifying a new front grille that Massimino suspects could encounter some gas trapping problems. Because Mold-Vac is a portable, self-contained system, it can be easily used on other machines.

“Having the system in the plant enables me to troubleshoot new programs,” he says. “I can identify blind areas in the design process, which are difficult to see until you make a first shot.”

Massimino advises other injection molders to stop living with high reject rates and expensive downtime. “We experience gas trapping problems with only 5% of all jobs in our plant, but they involve approximately 80% of our workforce. With resources like the CAE’s Mold-Vac available, there’s no reason to put up with the headaches!”