Can The Same Mold Be Used in Molding 2 Different Materials
This is possible in some specific circumstances, but it is not replied upon on general rules. There are several concerns if you attempt to switch the injection material in the same mold.
The first concern is the shrink rate
Molds are designed for a certain plastic. In order to get the related close size molded part, the material’s shrink rate is considered and set into the mold. We will cut the mold cavity a bit slightly larger than the molded part, as different material has different shrink amounts, so it is unlikely to produce accurate parts when change a material which in large shrinks to a material which shrinks very little.
The second concern is the viscosity of the melted plastic
The various material lead major impacts on the design of the mold structure. The gate type and location, runner & cooling channels can probably in total different when switching from a free-flowing plastic to a viscous one.
If you really want to change the Injection Material and keep molding on the same mold, you may choose the alternative one in close shrink rate and properties. This should be possible achieved.
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