What are the differences between standard and servo injection molding machines? The basic difference between the standard and servo injection molding equipment is the motors that they are using. The standard equipment uses standard motors, whereas the servo equipment uses servo motors. Because of the different motors that these machines are using, it makes the servo injection molding machine generally better than the standard equipment.
In this guide, you will learn about the differences between standard and servo injection molding machines, including their basic features and disadvantages.
Basic Features of Standard Injection Molding Machine
A standard injection molding machine is the general-purpose injection molding equipment that most injection molding services will use for their injection molding operations. This is the basic injection molding equipment used to produce various injection-molded products.
Here are some basic features of standard injection molding machine:
- Standard motors. The standard injection molding equipment uses standard motors for its operations. So, it will only process regular injection molding operations without any additional features.
- Production capability. The standard injection molding machine can handle regular production capacity based on the tooling or mold you are using. Some molds will allow you to produce low-capacity injection-molded parts, whereas others can produce medium to large-capacity injection-molded parts.
- Standard quality for the finished products. With the standard injection molding equipment, you will also get the standard quality for the finished products. There will be no enhanced features or improvements for your finished products when you use the standard injection molding machine.
- Various mold compatibility. You can use various molds in your standard injection molding process, and the equipment is also compatible with various mold or tooling materials. It supports the standard mold design and the standard design complexity, with standard accuracy and precision.
- Basic injection molding functions. The standard injection molding machine offers regular injection molding functions that will allow you to perform regular injection molding operations. Most standard equipment will have similar features and functions, regardless of their brands.
Basic Features of the Servo Injection Molding Machine
The servo injection molding machine offers various enhancements that are not available in the regular injection molding equipment. What are the basic features of the servo injection molding equipment?
Here are some basic features of the servo injection molding machine:
- More reliability and precision. A servo injection molding machine can offer more reliability and precision in the injection molding operations. It can provide more accuracy and precision for your injection-molded products, along with a more reliable manufacturing process for large production.
- Energy efficiency. A servo injection molding machine can also provide a better energy efficiency during each injection molding operation. It means lower energy use and lower energy costs for you.
- Lower maintenance and operational costs. You will also spend lower maintenance and operational costs for the servo injection molding machine, while keeping the machine to perform at its best. It can help lower your overall injection molding cost.
- Cleaner operations. A servo injection molding machine can also handle the injection molding materials better, so that you can get a cleaner overall operation in your production. It will also help lower the waste you produce during the injection molding process.
- The use of a servo motor. A servo injection molding machine uses a servo motor that allows you to enhance the machine’s capability and make it better when compared to the regular injection molding machine. The servo motor is also the component that allows the machine to have better efficiency, better precision, and lower operational costs in your manufacturing production.
Disadvantages of Standard Injection Molding Machine
The regular injection molding equipment might be good to use for the standard plastic molding operations, but there are some drawbacks for this equipment type, especially when you compare it to the servo machine. Here are some disadvantages of standard injection molding machine:
- Continuous power usage. With the standard injection molding machine, the motors will keep on working even when the machine is idle and has no operational tasks. This will result in continuous power usage, which can in turn make it more expensive for you to run the machine.
- Higher overall production costs. With less efficiency compared to the servo equipment, the standard injection molding machine will set you for higher overall production costs. You also need to handle more waste materials and potential product defects when you use the standard equipment.
- Loud noises during operations. Another disadvantage of the regular injection molding equipment is the loud noises it will generate during operations. Most of the noises come from the standard motors of the equipment, which keep on working continuously even when the machine is idle.
Disadvantages of Servo Injection Molding Machine
The servo injection molding machine has plenty of advantages that make it better than the standard injection molding equipment. However, there are also some drawbacks of the servo injection molding equipment.
Here are some disadvantages of the servo injection molding machine:
- More expensive equipment. The servo injection molding machine costs more when compared to the standard equipment because of the advanced features it offers. It offers improved or enhanced functionalities compared to the standard equipment, which is the reason for the higher price of the servo equipment.
- More expensive initial investment. You will also need to pay a more expensive initial investment for your injection molding process when you use a servo machine. This is because it will be ideal for you to also have some standard injection molding equipment ready aside from the servo machine. Thus, you will need to prepare more equipment at first, which can inflate the costs of production.
- The need to change the servo motor more often. When the machine is idle, the servo motor will stop its operations. So, sometimes, there will not be enough oil movements on the servo motor if your machine is idle for too long. Thus, at some point, the servo motor might break and you will need to change it. This is in contrast to the standard motors, which will keep on operating even when the machine is idle, stimulating oil movements for the motors and preventing it from damage.
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best result in your injection molding operations, the servo injection molding machine is the best equipment to use. However, with its bigger initial investment, it might not fit for the smaller or low-budget projects.
So, you can still use the standard injection molding equipment for the standard projects in your injection molding production or if your project doesn’t require high requirements for the injection-molded products.