Who should attend

The course is particularly suitable for those who have completed the Module 1 programme, but is also suitable for anyone with extensive injection moulding experience but who may not have completed that programme.

Such candidates will need to be competent in installing & removing moulds, setting up basic parameters for mould and ejector movements, as well as setting injection, holding, plasticising and decompression settings. They should be able to safely start up and shut down a moulding machine, and should understand the basics of troubleshooting common moulding faults

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course trainees should be able to:

• Competently troubleshoot common moulding faults such as flash, sinks, short shots, burn marks, weld lines, voids, bubbles, jetting, drag marks, splay, warpage and dimensional issues
• Clearly follow logical and systematic steps to find root cause and eliminate defects
• Make logical adjustments to process parameters and variables and predict the likely impact of making such adjustments.
• Fully understand and work competently with injection speed/pressure/stroke curves.
• Set up and optimise injection speed profiles and holding pressure profiles
• Understand the different processing requirements for various thermoplastic materials, and take account of each materials specific handling and preparation requirements.
• Understand the difference between crystalline and amorphous materials, how these differences affect shrinkage/dimensional and mechanical properties, and their implications for process settings
• Record machine outputs as a data bank to aid future troubleshooting work (IE. Record data from the optimised process)

Course Content

• Detailed analysis of the moulding cycle – injection, holding, plasticising and decompression.
• Process variables and how they influence part quality and consistency
• Detailed focus on specific variables including material & mould temperature settings, screw speed optimisation, injection speed profiles and holding pressure optimisation.
• Reading and understanding pressure curves
• Systematic troubleshooting. Using machine data to help determine defect root cause and drive decision making
• Basic mould design & construction. Cooling, venting, gate position & size. Clamp requirements and calculation of projected area
• Part design. Wall thickness, flow ratios, ribs & bosses.
• Plastics materials. How preparation and processing parameters vary between material types. Understanding the difference between amorphous & crystalline materials.
• Multiple case studies from troubleshooting work the trainer has completed in Irish moulding companies.

Much of the course time is spent on practical sessions on our moulding machines – defect correction and troubleshooting, optimising speed/ pressure/ stroke curves, and cycle time optimisation

Trainer Profile

Steve O’ Leary has delivered training in Injection Moulding for First Polymer Training since 2000, initially joining FPT Skillnet as the Training Center Manager. Previous to this he worked as an Extrusion/ Injection Moulding Engineer with Boston Scientific in Galway, Extrusion Technician and Extrusion Supervisor with Sherwood Medical in Tullamore (currently Medtronic Tullamore) and as an Injection Moulding Technician with Tubex in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. He graduated from Athlone IT having studied Plastics Engineering from 1988 to 1992.