How to solve rubber injection machine maintenance issues?

How to solve rubber injection molding machine maintenance issues?

How can you maximize the uptime of your rubber injection molding machine? As the heart of rubber product production, 

the stable operation of the injection molding machine is directly related to product quality and production efficiency.

 But are problems like equipment breakdowns, reduced precision, and soaring energy consumption often a headache? 

Today, we'll share three core maintenance strategies and five common troubleshooting solutions to help you minimize downtime losses! 👇

I. Daily Maintenance: Follow these three steps to extend your equipment life by 50%!

1. Regular Cleaning and Lubrication: The Basics of the Basics

Cleaning: After daily production, clean the barrel and screw of residual rubber (using a specialized cleaner is recommended to prevent clogging caused by high-temperature carbonization).

 Check the mold parting surfaces and guide pins and sleeves weekly to prevent wear caused by foreign matter.

Lubrication: According to the equipment manual, apply specialized lubricant (such as high-temperature lithium-based grease)

 to the injection molding machine guide rails, tie rods, gearbox, and other components. Pay special attention to any abnormal noises from moving parts and relubricate them promptly.

2. Pre-production Condition Monitoring of Key Components:

Hydraulic System: Check the oil tank level and oil temperature weekly (maintained between 35-55°C), filter the hydraulic oil every three months, and r

eplace the seals annually (to prevent oil leakage and insufficient pressure).

Electrical System: Clean dust monthly and check for loose terminals. Regularly calibrate temperature controllers and pressure sensors to ensure parameter accuracy (deviations >±2°C require prompt calibration). Maintain a clean, tidy, and dry operating environment to prevent damage to electrical components.

3. Pre-production Coordinated Maintenance of Rubber Mold and Auxiliary Equipment

Clear the mold cooling water lines every six months to prevent scale from impurities that could affect heat dissipation.

Clean the raw material dryer and hopper daily to prevent impurities from entering and causing screw scratches.

II. Common Problem Diagnosis and Solutions: 5 Major Troubleshooting Guides

1. Unstable injection volume/part glue shortage?

Possible causes: Screw wear, poor check ring seal, uneven raw material plasticization. Solution: 

✅ Measure the screw diameter; if wear exceeds 0.3mm, replace it. ✅ Disassemble the injection nozzle and check the check ring for deformation, replacing if necessary. ✅ Adjust the barrel temperature gradient (the front section temperature can be reduced by 5-10°C to avoid over-plasticization).

2. Excessive flash on the product, insufficient clamping force?

Possible causes: Wear on the clamping mechanism, loose mold adjustment device, mold parallelism error.

Solution: ✅ Check the tie rod deformation (bend > 0.2mm/m requires straightening). ✅ Recalibrate the clamping force (calculated based on the projected mold area: 

clamping force = projected area x 40-60MPa). ✅ Repair the mold parting surface to ensure parallelism ≤ 0.05mm.

3. Is the hydraulic system noisy and experiencing pressure fluctuations?

Possible causes: Hydraulic oil contamination, pump ingestion of air, or a stuck relief valve. 

Solution: ✅ Take a sample to test the oil cleanliness (oil change is required for NAS level 8 and below); ✅ Check the oil suction filter for blockage and clean or replace the filter element; ✅ Disassemble the relief valve and use fine sandpaper to remove burrs from the valve core.

4. Is the mold opening/ejection process stuck?

Possible causes: Lack of oil in the guide rails, leakage in the ejector cylinder, mechanical limiter failure.

Solution: ✅ Clean the guide rails and apply high-temperature lubricant; ✅ Inspect the ejector cylinder seals and replace any worn parts;

 ✅ Adjust the travel switch position to ensure accurate signal triggering.

III. Secrets to Long-Term Efficient Operation: 3 "Counter-Common-Sense" Suggestions

Don't wait for a malfunction to occur before repairing! Create a "health record" for your equipment,

recording key parameters (such as daily injection pressure and oil temperature changes), and use trend analysis to detect anomalies in advance.

Emphasis on operator training: Over 40% of failures are caused by misoperation.

 Regular training on equipment principles and emergency response is more cost-effective than simply repairing the equipment! 

Choose genuine parts: Non-original seals, bearings, and other parts are prone to secondary failures, which can actually increase maintenance costs in the long run.

Conclusion: Maintaining a rubber injection molding machine is essentially about combating wear with regularity. 

Regular inspections, accurate fault diagnosis, and consistent preventive maintenance are essential to keeping your equipment in top working order.

What other challenging equipment issues have you encountered? Leave a comment in the comments section to share solutions! 🔧

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