Plastic injection molding industry has had a fascinating history. Plastic material was invented in Britain in 1861 by Alexander Parkes and he called the material as Parkesine. People found Parkesine to be extremely useful that it could be heated, molded, and made to retain its shape when cooled. In 1868, American inventor John Wesley Hyatt developed a plastic material he called Celluloid that was an improvement over Parkesine' as it could be processed into finished form.

 

Together with his brother Isaiah, Hyatt patented the first machine in 1872. This machine was however far too simplistic compared to the machines widely used today. The present day machines consist of a material hopper, an injection ram or screw-type plunger, and a heating unit. Also, some advanced machines have built-in sampling and approval process for stringent quality control.

 

The plastic injection molding industry began to boom in the 1940s as the World War created a demand for inexpensive, mass-produced products. Six years hence, American inventor James Watson Hendry constructed the first screw injection machine, which provided greater control over the speed of injection and the quality of articles produced.

 

During the ensuing decades, the industry has evolved and started producing a wide range of plastic goods ranging from combs and buttons to an array of technological products for several industries including automotive, medical, aerospace, consumer products, toys etc. Though there are several different methods used in the manufacture of plastic goods, injection molding is the most popular.

 

Plastic is durable, lightweight and unlike metals, plastic is resistant to corrosion and wear and tear. Some striking advantages of this technique are high production capability, repeatable high tolerances, low labor costs, minimum scrap losses, and hardly any need to finish parts after molding. Of course, this technique has its own share of demerits - the process entails high investment in equipment, potentially high operational costs, and the need to design moldable parts.