Set Up Sheet

What is a set up sheet?
Is this the guideline used to set up the process so that it runs within the parameters?
What are the parameters?
Is overall cycle time important?

There are all questions that I am asked when visiting or talking to people who may have a processing problem.

The ideal set up sheet would include all the information that is necessary no matter what machine.
The following may be three of the main areas:

The Job:
Part number, mold number, material type, color, letdown ratio, % regrind, overall cycle time, etc. Anything that has to do with the job. Even packaging requirements.

The Press:
This would include all the information to set up the press, and what press was originally used. Barrel set points,
speeds, profiles, hydraulic pressures, etc.

The Plastic Conditions:
The key to the set up:

   1.Melt temperature of material
   2.Fill time to 0.01 seconds
   3.Plastic pressure used
   4.Steel temperature and cooling rate
   5.Shot size and transfer point by volume.

The plastic conditions are what are critical. We can fill volumes with machine information and maybe you do, but the real key is what are the people on the floor using to set up the machine, and is it current.

Thanks for the time.
Steven L. Silvey
Sr. Technical Service
General Polymers