FYI
What does Peliton mean?
Peliton is a term that comes from bicycle racing. It means a team of highly motivated individuals working together to accomplish a common goal. In bicycle racing it is when the team joins together in close formation drafting on one another to power though the air resistance toward the finish line. In manufacturing it is our team working closely with your team overcoming any adversity to bring your product to market.
What is injection molding?
It is a process of forming a thermoplastic material into a desired shape that requires an injection molding machine and tooling (also called mold or die).
The injection machines or presses are generally referred to by the amount of clamping force they can generate (i.e. We have 80 to 500 ton presses.)
The steps in the injection molding process or cycle are:
Clamping - The press closes the two mold halves together with great force to withstand the injection pressure of the molten plastic.
Injection - During this phase, plastic material usually in the form of pellets, are fed into the cylinder where they are heated until they reach a molten form. As they are being melted, they are worked to the front of the cylinder by a rotating screw/plunger. When a "shot" has been made in front of the screw, it moves forward to inject the plastic into the mold.
Holding - This is the last of the injection phase; it "holds" the plastic under pressure until it can solidify.
Cooling - This is the time that the part cools to its solid form, during this time the screw in the injection unit begins to rotate to build the next "shot".
Mold Open - The clamping unit is opened, which separates the two halves of the mold.
Ejection - The clamping unit has an ejection plate that physically connects to the ejection system that is designed into the mold. It strokes forward to eject the finished part from the mold.
- The cycle is complete; return to step #1.
What will the tooling for my part cost?
The answer to this question has slowed many start-up projects. The fact is that it can be very expensive and it depends on several factors. How complex is the part, how many parts per cycle, how big is the part, how many parts are required to make your product? Also how long will the tool need to last? This determines what type of material will be required in the tools construction. How fast do you need it? All of these factors come into play on tooling cost. Here is an example; we had a flying disk mold built for our promotional products line. It makes one 9.5" disk, tool steel, and no rush -- ten thousand dollars. But DO NOT lose hope; just about every thing that you see in the world today is made from some form of plastic part. You need a good prototype, maybe some investors, and a good marketing strategy. Inventiveness and creativity has gotten you to this point, don't stop now.