10 Q&A About Injection Molds_Technology_GuangDong SWITEK Technology Co., Ltd.

10 Q&A About Injection Molds

Author:SWITEK

Release Date:2026.08.25

Q&A 01 1. What material is commonly used for mold bases?

A: Mold bases commonly use "Wangpai steel" (a Hong Kong term), which is medium carbon steel, also known as 45# steel.

Q&A 02 2. What is the difference between working in model space and layout space in CAD drawing?

A: Model space is the space for drawing entities, while layout space is the space for drawing sheet layout.

Q&A 03 3. What is polishing? What are the common polishing methods?

A: The action of improving the surface finish of the mold core is called polishing. Common polishing methods include mechanical polishing, chemical polishing, electrolytic polishing, ultrasonic polishing, fluid polishing, and magnetic abrasive polishing.

Q&A 04 4. What is the function of cooling channels?

A: The function of cooling channels is to control the temperature of the mold core.

Q&A 05 5. What is a mold?

A: In industrial production, various press machines and specialized tools mounted on them are used to form metal or non-metallic materials into parts or products of the required shape through pressure. Such specialized tools are collectively referred to as molds.

Q&A 06 6. What are the classifications of molds?

A: Molds can generally be divided into plastic molds and non-plastic molds:

Non-plastic molds: casting molds, forging dies, stamping dies, die-casting molds, etc.
Plastic molds (by process): injection molding molds, blow molding molds, compression molding molds, transfer molding molds, extrusion molding molds, thermoforming molds, rotational molding molds, etc.
Plastic molds (by gating system): large gate molds (two-plate), pin-point gate molds (three-plate), hot runner molds.

Q&A 07 7. What is reverse engineering?

A: Reverse engineering uses a high-speed 3D laser scanner to accurately and rapidly scan an existing sample or model to obtain its 3D contour data, which is then used with reverse engineering software for surface reconstruction. The reconstructed surfaces undergo online precision analysis and construction effect evaluation, ultimately generating IGES or STL data, which can then be used for rapid prototyping or CNC machining.

Q&A 08 8. What is a vent groove? What is its function?

A: Grooves used for venting on the shut-off or sliding surfaces of the mold core are called vent grooves.

The vent groove has two main functions:

To expel air from the mold cavity during injection of molten material;
To expel various gases generated by the material during the heating process.

Q&A 09 9. What is a gating system?

A: The plastic flow channel from the injection nozzle to the cavity is called the gating system. The gating system includes the sprue, runner, gate, and cold slug well.

Q&A 10 10. Pros and Cons Analysis of Hot Nozzles (Hot Runner Systems)

✓ Main Advantages

Automation & Efficiency Improvement: No runner scrap, no post-processing required, making the entire molding process fully automated, saving working time and improving work efficiency.
Low Pressure Loss: Better able to maintain injection pressure.
Raw Material Savings: Repeated use of runner scrap causes plastic property degradation. With a hot runner system there is no runner scrap, reducing raw material waste and lowering product cost.
Good Interchangeability: Hot nozzles adopt standardized, serialized design, equipped with various selectable nozzle tips.

✕ Main Disadvantages

Increased Mold Height: Due to the addition of a hot runner manifold, etc., the overall mold shut height increases.
Heat Loss & Difficult Control: Thermal radiation is difficult to control, and heat loss in the runner is a major issue that needs to be resolved.
Thermal Expansion Exists: Thermal expansion and contraction must be carefully considered during design and manufacturing.
Higher Manufacturing Cost: Standard hot runner system components are expensive, increasing the initial mold manufacturing cost.

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