Duval Precision Grinding recently worked with a manufacturer of eco-friendly, single-serve coffee containers used in home brewing systems. The manufacturer needed to refine the injection molds used to produce the hard plastic rings that hold each filter in place.The original mold was causing issues that resulted in excessive product damage. The customer came to Duval to talk to the precision experts about refining the mold with precision grinding. The mold needed to be snug and secure but with an increased clearance gap to prevent the mold from locking up and damaging the product.

Imprecise Tolerances Create Serious Production Issues

The client uses hardened steel to produce the molds which create disposable, single-serve coffee containers. In injection molding, two halves of a mold are pressed together and pressure is applied. During this pressing, the material being molded—in this case, plastic—is injected into the precise space between them. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough clearance between the two molds, which was causing the product to stick to the mold and subsequently pull apart when the pressure was released.

Expert Precision Grinders Provided an On-Site Consultation

For injection molds to work successfully, everything must be “just right.” It is not uncommon for injection molding to require refinement via surface grinding and finishing to achieve optimal product results. In order to widen the space between the two halves of the mold, our expert grinders had to perform an OD grinding operation with minimal stock removal of .0005 on a diameter. This was not a lot of material to remove, so the parts had to be processed precisely by an experienced grinder.

Precision Grinding Provides High-Quality Product Results

Our expert grinding team visited the client at their facility to provide an on-site review of the injection molding process and to consult with the customer’s engineering team to determine the best possible solution. Our team collaborated continuously with the customer and examined the existing parts and equipment diagrams to guarantee optimal results. Once complete, we performed a visual and manual inspection on the clearance dimensions. With some fine-tuning by the experts at Duval Precision Grinding, the customer’s injection molding equipment was up and running with excellent product results.

For more information about precision grinding services for injection molding equipment, contact the experts at Duval Precision Grinding today.

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