Troubleshooting Guide for Injection Molding

Troubleshooting is the art and science of remedying defects after the process has
demonstrated the ability to produce acceptable production parts. Most defects respond to one
of a variety of process and/or material changes. The goal is to correctly identify which problem
is actually causing the defect and to know when a particular solution will work. When making
adjustments consider the following recipe:

 Create a mental image of what should be happening,

 Look for obvious differences,
 Make only one change at a time, and
 Allow the process to stabilize after any change is made.

Studies have determined that about 60% of defects result from machines and equipment, 20%
from molds and dies, 10% from material, and 10% from operator error. Software programs,
either already installed on the machine’s processor controller or available as a software
package, can provide some help.
With all types of equipment, materials, and products, troubleshooting guides are set up (usually
required) to take fast, corrective action when products do not meet their performance
requirements. This problem-solving approach fits into the overall fabricating-design interface.
To understand potential problems and solutions (and eliminate myths), it is important to
consider the relationships of machine and equipment capabilities, plastics processing variables,
and product performances. A distinction has to be made between machine conditions and
processing variables. Machine conditions could include operating temperatures, back
pressures, screw rotation speed, die temperature, etc. Processing variables are more specific,
such as melt conditions in the plasticator and die, melt flow rate versus temperature, etc.
When setting up troubleshooting guides, as well as reviewing any problems or even open
discussions on the subject of fabricating, it is important that the terms used to identify a
problem be understandable, clear, and properly defined.

Page 1 of 4
 Different terms are used throughout the industry to identify defects in plastic materials,
fabricating equipment, and products. They include adhesive stringing, air bubble, applesauce,
arrowhead, black speck, bleed, blister, blockage, bloom, blowhole, blush, burn line, chalking,
coating defect, cosmetic defect, compressive buckling, crazing, degradation, electrostatic
charge, fin, fines, fish-eye, flash, fracture, flaw mark, freeze-off, frosting, gas pocket, gel,
globule, hairline, migration, orange peel, paint framing, pimple, pin hole, pit, plastic pocket,
plate-out, pocket, pock mark, puckering, run, sag, scale, segregation, shark skin, sink mark,
speck, splay mark, stain, starved area, streak, stress whitening, striation, surface finish, trim,
void, weld line, yellowing, and so on.

Problem Possible Causes Possible Solutions

1. Short Shot Underfilled part  Increase shot size
 Inadequate cushion
 Increase fill speed, pack pressure, and/or injection time
 Increase melt and/or mold temperature
 Plugged gates, runners, or vents
 Inadequate melt flow rate (use higher MFR material)
 Undersized gates, runners, and vents

2. Sink Marks Part is underfilled or has  Increase shot size

excessive shrinkage in thicker  Increase cavity or hold pressure
sections  Melt or mold temperature too high (if gate freeze-off too
slow)
 Increase hold time
 Reduce fill rate
 Reduce wall thickness of intersecting rib or boss
 Improper gate locations or design

3. Shrinkage Volume decreases as plastic  Excessive shrinkage – increase cavity pressure and hold
cools and crystallizes or part is time
not fully packed out due to  Maintain adequate cushion
gates freezing off too soon or  Increase hold time
insufficient cooling time  Delay gate sealing to allow pack out (increase melt
temperature)
 Runners or gates too small
 Wall thickness variation

4. Flash Insufficient clamp force, mold  Decrease peak cavity pressure (decrease fill rate and/or use
surface is deflecting, mold profile injection)
shutoff surfaces not seating  Decrease melt temperature
properly  Increase clamp force
 Clean mold surfaces
 Check integrity of mold shutoff

Page 2 of 4
  Change gate location
 Use larger press

5. Warpage Non-uniform stress due to  Part ejected too hot (increase cycle time)
excessive orientation and/or  Mold at high temperatures, low pressures, and moderate
shrinkage fill rates
 Decrease injection fill rate
 Molded in stress due to low stock temperature and cold
mold
 Minimize hot spots in mold
 Flow too long, insufficient gates
 Change gate location

6. Burning Compressed air in the mold  Decrease peak cavity pressure (decrease fill rate and/or use
degrades resin profile injection)
 Clean vents, increase size or number of vents
 Reduce melt temperature

7. Poor Appearance Flow front slips-sticks on mold  Increase cavity pressure

(flow marks, low gloss, surface, jets, or pulsates  Fill speed and/or packing time too low
rough surface, jetting,  Increase melt and/or mold temperature
orange peel, etc.)  Cool more slowly
 Mold temperature non-uniform or too low
 Insufficient lubrication (internal lubricant or on tool
surface)
 Excessive mold lubricant
 Dirty mold surface (clean and/or polish)
 Poor pigment dispersion

8. Voids Part is underfilled or has  Incomplete mold fill (short shot)

excessive shrinkage  Maintain adequate cushion
 Improper gate location
 Injection rate too high
 Excessive part thickness (+ 0.64 cm)

9. Poor Weld Line The convergence of flow fronts  Increase peak cavity pressure (fill faster)
Strength past an obstacle or merging  Increase mold and melt temperatures
flow fronts in multi-gated  Increase hold pressure and time
molds results in a weak,  Change gate location
interfacial bond
10. Brittleness Excessive orientation,  Increase injection fill rate
degradation of resin, over  Increase melt temperature
packing, contamination, or  Increase mold temperature and cool time
improper design  Over packing (decrease hold pressure and time)
 Degraded material (excessive melt temperature or long
residence time in barrel)
 Contamination from other polymers
 Use of incompatible carrier resins in color concentrates or
other additives
 Unintentional nucleation from pigments
 Improper design; inadequate radii at corners, notches, or

Page 3 of 4
 threads

11. Nozzle Drool Excessive nozzle or melt  Reduce heating

temperature  Purge barrel

12. Sticking in Mold Over packing, excessive  Over packing, injection pressure too high – reduce
shrinkage, tool design causes  Under packing, excessive shrinkage – see solutions to short
physical attachment to the shot
core or cavity  Improperly balanced mold temperatures (colder on
movable half)
 Reduce cycle time (sticking on cores)
 Increase cycle time (sticking in cavities)
 Insufficient knockouts
 Increase draft angles
 Surface irregularities in the mold (polish cavity surfaces)
 Highly polished core surface (vacuum lock), polish to a
coarser finish, apply a surface coating

13. Black Specks or degradation  Excessive melt temperature or residence time in barrel
Discoloration  Improper venting
 Possible contamination
 Excessive screw RPM
 Excessive back-pressure
 Excessive shear created by the use of a mixing screw

14. Splay Streaks on surface caused by  Excessive moisture (dry resin)

volatiles such as moisture or  Reduce melt temperature
degraded material
15. Gate Blush, Melt fracture  Adjust injection speed (increase or decrease)
Delamination or  Modify gate geometry
Cracking at the Gate  Increase melt and/or mold temperature

16. Gate Stringing Plastic strings on parts located  Increase gate size (reduce orientation)
at the gates formed during  Decrease melt temperature, increase cooling time
ejection  Increase mold opening speed (break strings upon ejection)

Page 4 of 4