Packaging Injection Molding Solutions

injection molding solutions

Packaging injection molding is a manufacturing process focused on the efficient and cost-effective manufacture of a variety of plastic packaging solutions. Its design flexibility, manufacturing precision and rapid production make it ideal for packaging solutions across a wide range of industries. The quality of your parts not only affects the performance and success of the final product, it also directly impacts production time and cost. Therefore, the stages including filling, packing and holding become particularly critical during the injection molding process. In this article, we’ll dive into the key points of each stage and how to optimize them.
food Packaging Injection Molding

Injection Molding Phases and How to Optimize Them

Just as a quick reminder, the injection molding process comprises three primary phases:

    • The Filling Phase: During this initial step, a substantial quantity of molten plastic material is forcefully injected into the mold.
    • The Packing Phase: At this juncture, pressure adjustments are made, and extra material is injected into the mold to compensate for material shrinkage and any potential backflow.
    • The Holding Phase: In this stage, the material remains under pressure equilibrium until gate freeze is achieved, signaling the commencement of the cooling process

The Filling Stage in Plastic Injection Molding


The injection mold filling process involves the introduction of the majority of the material into the mold and cavities, typically ranging from 95% to 98% of the required resin. During this phase, precise temperature control is crucial to ensure the material meets the specified requirements. Deviations in temperature, whether too high or too low, can introduce impurities or flaws in the final product. Moreover, maintaining the pressure at the recommended level is essential to achieve a smooth, uniform, and relatively rapid fill, typically taking just a few seconds.

Similarly, most materials come with recommended pressure settings that should be adhered to for optimal results. The subsequent phases, namely injection mold packing and holding, offer opportunities for testing and fine-tuning to achieve the desired outcome.

The Packing and Holding Phases in Plastic Injection Molding

Following the filling stage, a transition in pressure and timing is essential to effectively execute the packing and holding processes. As mentioned earlier, these phases are often combined and addressed with a single adjustment in pressure and timing. We will first delve into this process in greater detail and then outline scenarios where a single modification may not suffice.

Precise control of injection molding hold times, packing times, and pressure is vital for ensuring the correct formation and quality of the final product. Failure to optimize these parameters can lead to over-injection, resulting in flash and material wastage, or under-injection, leading to sink marks and other defects.

The most efficient method for optimizing pack time, hold time, and pressure is to conduct a gate seal study, which tracks product weight over time. Subsequently, you can fine-tune the timing and pressure until you achieve the precise product weight, ensuring the correct material quantity remains in the mold.

There are also instances where timing and pressure requirements differ between the packing and holding phases, particularly with:

    • Softer plastic materials.
    • Exceptionally large molds or gates.
    • Hot runner molds.
    • Valve gated molds.

In such cases, the solution involves conducting separate weight-versus-time analyses for each phase. Additionally, making a secondary adjustment for pressure during the holding stage is necessary to maintain consistent product weight throughout the process.

Packaging Injection Molding Manufacturer Around You–Sungplastic

Sungplastic is an experienced injection molding manufacturer, we provide a variety of injection molding services and have extensive expertise. Whether you need 3D printing, injection molding prototyping or rapid prototyping, we can meet your needs. During the production process, we strictly control each production step and optimize each injection molding process to ensure that the time and pressure of the filling, packaging and holding stages are accurately controlled to ensure the quality of the final product.

If you need in-depth information about injection molding, check out our comprehensive guide to find answers to all your questions.

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