Double Color Injection Molding Machine (DCM) is a production process specifically designed to inject two different materials or colours of plastic into the same set of moulds to produce plastic products with two different colours or material characteristics.
This technology is also known as dual material injection moulding technology or dual shot film technology.
Bicolour injection moulding machines are used in a wide range of applications, including the automotive, packaging and high-end consumer goods industries.
Enhance the aesthetics and added value of your products.
Two-color injection molding
This technique is commonly used to manufacture multi-coloured or multi-material parts to add value to the product in terms of appearance, texture and functionality.
The basic principle is to use one mould component to carry out the moulding work in the mould and inject two different plastic materials into the mould cavity through two injection processes, resulting in a final product with two colours or materials.
In the two-colour injection moulding process, there are two common methods:
One is to inject one material first, and then inject the second material after it has cooled and solidified.
The other is to inject both materials at the same time, and to achieve uniform mixing by controlling the injection time and pressure.
In addition, two-colour injection moulding machines are usually equipped with two separate injection units and nozzles to handle two different materials separately.
Two-color injection molding machines
A two-colour injection moulding machine is a machine capable of performing two injection mouldings, often used to produce plastic products that require different colours or different materials. This process can significantly improve the aesthetics and functionality of the product compared to traditional single-colour injection moulding.
In its classification, it can be broadly divided into two types: clear two-colour and mixed two-colour.
Two-colour injection moulding machines are widely used for a variety of plastic products that require two-colour or multi-layer structures, such as automotive parts, electronic and electrical housings, daily necessities, etc.
Injection molding color mixing
In Injection molding colour mixing process, special mixing nozzles are often used, where both colours are placed in a special mixing nozzle before entering the mould, and the colour effect is created by mixing the two-colour components.
In addition, the dry colour powder method can also be used, in which a powdered colourant is sprinkled on top of pure granules, and then a mixer is used to blend the dry colour powder with the pure material.
Drthe process of colour matching, mastering the adjustment of shades, hues and colour differences is a crucial technical aspect.
Usually, the depth of the colour is adjusted first, then the hue is determined, and finally, the colour difference is fine-tuned.
Masterbatch is also a commonly used colouring method, which is manufactured by resin suppliers, where raw materials and pigments are perfectly blended to make coloured plastic granules.
Masterbatch blending requires the use of advanced technology and equipment to ensure its quality and stability.
Two color injection molding process
Double Color Injection Molding Machine (Two-color injection molding process) is a kind of process method to inject two different materials or colours of plastics into the same mould at the same time or successively to form products with two different colours or material characteristics.
This process usually requires the use of special two-colour injection moulding machines and special moulds.
Among them, there are two major categories of products: clear two-colour and mixed two-colour products, which are divided into two major categories based on the difference of the combined materials and the similarities and differences in the texture of the products.
Differences between two-colour injection moulding
In the clear two-colour injection moulding process, the first injected material is called the base material and the second injected material is called the cover material.
One side of the mould is used to inject the first material and the other side is used to inject the second material.
During the injection process, the mould may be rotated or moved to different positions to ensure that the two materials can be properly combined to form an integral two-colour injection moulded part. The product is characterised by a distinctive collection of parting lines in terms of colour.
Mixed two-colour injection moulding, on the other hand, combines two different coloured raw materials together in a special nozzle at the top of the machine’s injection part.
Where the product is chemically a pure substance, and the finished product has a large random pattern of colours, with no distinctive dividing line.
The finished product has a large random pattern of colours, with no obvious interface. It has a more natural look and feel.
Two color injection molding principle
In the production principle of two-colour injection moulding, two different plastics (usually the same raw material but formulated in different colours) are first heated and melted in two separate barrels.
These melted plastics are then injected into the mould through the same nozzle.
It is a technique whereby two plastics of different colours or materials are moulded in a single injection process using specific moulds and equipment.
This technique usually involves the use of two injection moulding machines or a two-colour injection moulding machine with two barrels and a mould capable of accommodating two different materials.
This often requires complex mechanics such as rotatable moulds or special nozzle designs to achieve efficient mixing and separation of the materials.
Differences in product application areas
Double-colour injection moulding technology is widely used in a variety of industries such as electronics, automotive, home appliances, medical, toys and daily necessities due to its ability to produce products with complex appearances and multiple material combinations.
The development and application of this technology demonstrate its importance and potential in modern manufacturing.
Double Color Injection Molding Machine Applications
Two-colour injection moulding technology is widely used in several industries, such as the following fields which are common to our industrial life.
1.Automotive industry:
In the automotive industry, two-colour injection moulding machines are used to produce interior trim parts such as steering wheels, instrument panels, door panels and other interior trim parts. These parts often require a combination of different colours or materials to meet aesthetic and functional requirements.
2.Home appliance industry:
Two-colour injection moulding machines are widely used in the production of home appliances, such as TV remote controls, telephone cases, rice cooker buttons and so on.
In addition, it can also produce TV sets, washing machine panels, refrigerator door handles and other household appliances.
3.Toys and daily necessities:
Two-colour injection moulding machines are also used in the production of a variety of toys and daily necessities, such as children’s toys, thermos cup handles and so on.
These products usually require a good hand feel and durability.
4.Electronics industry:
Two-colour injection moulding machines are also heavily used in the production of electronic products, such as computer keyboards, mice and mobile phone cases.
These products often require precise colour matching and high-quality surface finishes.
5.Medical products:
In the medical field, two-colour injection moulding technology is used to produce high-precision and high-performance medical devices, such as syringe casings and handles for surgical tools.
Two-color Injection Mold`s Characteristics & Why It Costs High?
The higher cost of double-colour injection moulding is mainly due to the need for special two-colour injection moulding machines and special moulds.
These equipment and technical requirements are more complex and expensive than for single-colour injection moulding.
Two-colour injection moulding machines are usually equipped with two identical machines plasticising the injection unit and capable of rotational change.
In addition, the design and manufacture of the moulds to ensure that the two materials combine correctly to form a complete two-colour part is also relatively complex.
As a result, these factors combine to make two-colour injection moulding more costly.
Components of a Two-color Injection molding production line
The components of a two-colour injection moulding line mainly include two-colour injection moulds, Double Color Injection Molding Machine, hot runner systems, cooling systems and control systems.
The components of a two-colour injection moulding line cover all aspects of the process from raw material handling to the production of the final product.
Each component has a direct impact on the quality and performance of the final product and must also be configured appropriately according to different product design objectives.
By optimising the design and operation of these components, the efficiency and quality of the two-colour injection moulding process can be significantly improved!
Our Successful Cases:
Analysis of products
This is an everyday comb that the client wanted to make in a dynamic mix of two colours.
We measured its dimensions and weight to start the mould design.
Melting process
Then different raw materials are mixed according to the colours required by the customer and put into the two injection units of our two-colour injection moulding machine to start the process of plasticising and melting.
Injection&moulding
After the required production parameters have been set, the two injection units begin to concentrate the appropriate amount of raw material in the fusion nozzles at the front of the injection platform for final mixing.
This is then injected directly into the mould.
Product Removal
After the mould was opened we found that 8 finished products were stacked and distributed inside the mould cavities.
After the automatic ejection, we manually started to remove the excess runner parts and got a successful product.
Finished product testing
We carefully inspected the pattern on the two-colour plastic comb formed by each chamber and checked its size, weight and geometry to confirm that each piece was within the tolerances allowed.
Follow-up process
The PLC of our mixed-double colour injection moulding machine saves complete information about the production parameters and starts automated production.
Summary & Company Profile
Two-colour injection moulding production technology is now more mature in the plastics industry.
And this technology has a wide range of applications, including medical, automotive, packaging, electronic products and household goods.
In terms of future development trends, two-colour injection moulding machines will develop in the direction of large-scale and precision.
In addition, with the increase in product complexity, multi-colour injection moulding technology has begun to be widely adopted.
With two-colour machines being the beginning of the development of multi-component injection moulding machines.
Haichen is a manufacturer of Double Color Injection Molding Machine and provides production lines for many international product manufacturers in the plastics industry.
We have more than 20 years of experience in this field. We have well-trained workers, experienced engineers and a service team for manufacturing moulding machines.
Our two-colour injection moulding machines are widely used, stable in operation, environmentally friendly and highly productive.
We are committed to providing quality service to every customer around the world.
