The first injection molding machine was invented in 1872. Over the years the plastic industry has grown tremendously. It is estimated that over 30% of the products used in UK are made through injection molding. It has helped to grow the UK economy has durable and cheap industrial and consumer items are made possible.
An injection molding machine is designed to convert pellets or granular raw plastic into the molded parts by the use of a melting, injecting, packing, and cooling cycle for thermoplastics. The machine can be classified into the following major categories: general purpose machines, high speed machines, precision machines. All the machines need auxiliary equipment for improved performance. Such equipments include material handling equipment, chillers, and part-removal robots.
A simple injection molding machine is normally composed of an injection system, mold system, hydraulic system, control system and clamping system. The shot size and clamping tonnage are used in identifying the right dimensions of the thermoplastics.