Medical injection molding can produce complex and highly-precise components with part-to-part integrity across high production volumes. Whether the material is plastic, silicone, or another polymer or elastomer, medical injection molders need to avoid warping, sink marks, short shots, and residual stresses that can cause defects. Molders also want to minimize flash or flashing, excess material […]
Rubber deflashing is the process of removing excess material called flash, or flashing, from the surfaces of molded rubber parts. The causes of flash are numerous and include parting line mismatches, improper venting, inadequate clamping pressure, poor sprue bushing support, and excessively low viscosity. No matter what the cause, old or worn tooling is often […]
Medical silicones can be molded into parts such as distal handles for surgical instruments and dental tools. There are many types of silicone rubber, but medical grade silicones need to meet biocompatibility requirements such as USP Class VI or ISO 10993. Then, after they are molded, medical silicone parts need to have a finish that’s […]
What’s the difference between dry ice deflashing vs. cryogenic deflashing? Both are used to remove mold flash from plastic or rubber parts. Dry ice deflashing uses compressed air to propel a stream of solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) particles that blast away surface defects. Cryogenic deflashing uses gaseous nitrogen to freeze parts so that mold […]
Cryogenic deflashing for plastic parts is an automated batch process that removes mold flash, excess material that affects surface quality and can cause problems with sealing and assembly. During cryogenic deflashing, molded parts are put in a perforated drum, subjected to cryogenic temperatures, and blasted with plastic media. The cryogen, a gaseous nitrogen, embrittles the […]
