July 14, 2022

Eliminate glass fiber marks on injection molded parts

blog aco mold

Table of Contents

There is virtually no way to completely eliminate the appearance of glass fibers at the surface of an injection molded part, particularly with this high a loading percentage.

As you probably know, the glass fibers are like logs floating in a stream of water, as long as the channel is wide enough and the flow through the channel is not turbulent, the logs will orient themselves axially, parallel to the stream flow. When the channel changes in depth or width to create turbulence the logs will begin to randomly orient themselves and get bunched into clumps of logs. If two streams of logs come together the collision of the two log flows will randomly orient where they come together jamming and restricting flow.

If you have followed this analogy so far, the trick to minimizing fiber exposure at the surface is to get the least turbulent flow of plastic in the cavities. In your case, increasing the mold temperature helps, increasing the injection speed makes it worse. Increasing holding pressure may force some of the resin to the surface, but if you’ve already log jammed the surface with fibers, there is little probability that you will force resin into the interstices of the fibers. Glass fibers will not bend when they go around corners, they will break into smaller fibers. Also high screw rpms will break fibers. Using a percentage of regrind has the same effect of dicing up the fibers so that can help. Use this knowledge with caution as you could be trading cosmetics for strength.

You may be forced to adding flow leaders to try and change the fill pattern and reduce turbulence in the melt stream. It is quite difficult to say without having a sample in hand to examine.

I can tell you this, that a properly designed part, gated correctly (size and location), vented correctly, with adequate runner channel cross sectional area, should not be difficult to mold with minimal exposed glass at the surface.

If this is a new part or new mold I’d start looking at the runner, sprue, gates and vents first to make sure that they meet material suppliers recommendations. Toolmakers hate to put in vents but there is one thing I’ve learned, you can’t have too many vents in a tool so long as they are properly sized.

Related Blogs

ejector pins injection molding
Ejector Pins Injection Molding: What you Need to Know
In today’s world, plastic products are a common sight everywhere you look. Whether you’re in the kitchen, at the office or other critical areas, they’re pretty much a staple. One...
blog aco mold
The reason causes mold with hot runner leakage
Is the leakage on the outside of the mold or internally. Possible causes for external leaks are worn probe seals or improper cleaning when being maintenance. Internal leakage may be...
Electronic Injection Molding
Prevent Injection Molding Defects with The Proven Strategies
Table of Contents   When it comes to injection molding, defects can be a significant hindrance to achieving a high-quality plastic part. These defects, including flow lines, short shots, and...
blog aco mold
Mold Ejection System
During each injection molding cycle, molded parts need to be released from the cavity by ejection system, it is also called de-molding system, design of ejection system affect product quality...
blog injection molding
Does your company make a right tooling buying decision?
In the contemporary business environment, a significant transformation is underway in the process of tooling buying decisions. An increasing number of companies are placing these crucial choices in the hands...
blog aco mold
Maintain injection mold cavity surface temp 200 degree C
I have processed many materials at these temperatures. You must make sure the plastic itself is at the right injection temperature and the time sequence is not too slow for...

Tell us your request right now and contact us today about getting started on your next project together!

Email:
sales@acomold.com

Or Fill Out The Contact Form Below:

Support Your Business with Better Molding Solution

Contact Info
Copyright © 2024, ACO Mold. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. All rights reserved.  Powered by ACO MOLD.
1 1.png

Join Our Network

Please email to sales@acomold.com
or fill out the contact form below: