DIY Injection moulding by JR Hartley.

[Jonathan]

Aww I'd just finished typing a really long post then the webbrowser crashed :(.
Anyway....take 2

I've seen/used a 'manual' injection moulder at school. It requires a LOT of force to pull the lever to inject the plastic. As in hanging off the lever with my feet off the ground isn't enough (granted I was only about 15 at the time but you get the idea) .... so I'm not sure a Z-axis would be up to it. Then again you do get a huge mechanical advantage with a screw, but is it going to be fast enough? The machine you had a pot which you put the plastic pellets in, waited for it to melt... then squash so quite simple really. I could try and get a picture of it if you like?

I think your main issue might be making the mould. There are only two moulds for the one at school - both made by the teacher. He told me they were difficult and took a long time to make, especially since he used the surface grinder on the mating faces of the two parts. I guess it could be easier to CNC mill the mould, but still something to consider.

I don't mean to put you off, just thinking aloud that's all!

R.E. Bobbin making.
Couldn't you just cut them out of a sheet and use a T-slot cutter to do the undercutting? That way you could machine the lot in one go.....and tessellate lots onto a sheet of plastic.