Also, there is a bolt hole in the middle of the platen as well as the middle of the heater. I put a low profile 3/8-16 SHCS, head diameter 0.557" in those bolt holes . The bottom of the heater has a specific clearance hole for that bolt head. If you machine the same bolt head hole in the bottom of your mold ,then you can stack up the mold heater etc passively and be on center with the nozzle. No manual alignment needed. I also use ~0.020"glass beads in a sand blast cabinet to finish aluminum molds. Rubber or duct tape for a bouncy mask. I cut the parting surface after bead blast
I was impatient and wanted to get the machine running, so I borrowed a piece of aluminum from another project while I waited for an order from Xometry for 2" thick stock. I just finished making a 2" high, 4" wide, by 8" long riser that screws into the heater for alignment, and has the 3/8" low-profile screw in the top. So moving forward, I'll be using that. As to the finish, the customer wants closer to a gloss finish, so I may have to polish the mold if milling with smaller stepovers doesn't work.
Hello John, thank you for sharing! I have been using a similar Morgan press quite a bit lately with some decent results. Using the included mold pre-heater has really helped me get a shiny and consistent surface finish on my parts. My press also has an additional regulator on the air line to the ram that controls injection pressure. The pilot pressure is typically left at 5, while the flow rate and ram pressure are adjusted to achieve a proper fill. The timer can also be adjusted to help regulate shot size, and the valve on the right side of the machine can help retract the ram to help refill the melt chamber between shots. I've been enjoying your videos, great job!
Thanks for the information. Mine also has another regulator, so it's time for me to read the manual again. Sometimes I have to read things, try out a few things, and then read again before I fully understand.
Yeah I cant quite figure out what the pilot valve actually does. I know it affects the injection pressure, but do you know if it's more of a fine tune rather than than coarse (via ram regulator)? and how does regulator pressure correlate to inj. pressure? sorry i'm still a bit new to the morgan
Oh, it wasn't the first, or the last. I have other desktop machines, an Arburg C4B, and an Arburg Allrounder 100. The last two machines will be the subject of future videos as I get them online.
@@DragonflyEngineering I run a makerspace and we NEED an injection molding machine! I left you a voicemail last Sunday. Give me a call back if you still have this PLEASE!
John down in the control panel in between the red knob and b Black knob there’s a small knob for the timing adjustment, this should be used in combination with the plunger speed adjustment for better results, great video John.
Thanks. I'm definitely going to use that when I start production. For the initial trials, which is as far as I've gotten, I did it by sound. I can hear when it finishes injection and is in the packing phase.
I’m not by any means an expert, but I have been working with this machine for around five years on short productions if you have any questions that I can help you with or if you need copy of the machine operating manual let me know. John Thanks for what you do.
For the sprue hole, I usually drill it first and then go in with a long ballnose endmill and use a bore operation to finish it, adding the taper as well. The only time that's an issue is with the taper opening the other way and the hole in the bottom of a cavity or between two core protrusions. The tapered reamer works OK, the Morgan book recommends a straight flute hand reamer. You have to be careful or you can get some unevenness just in how your hand tends to apply pressure differently as you twist. I like the results better from the ball end mill boring approach, I think I set the pitch to 0.01" and it runs pretty fast.
Good to know. I did think about drilling, but was concerned it might walk a little. I'll have to try that next time. I have two more molds to make this week (during my time off from work), so I'll be able to try.
Thanks John, interesting video, I am very early on learning, but I wonder if the speed control is to increase shear in the material so it flows better? Mine is just manual hand press, so it would be interesting to understand the logic behind the design choices on some of the more advanced machines
Good question, and I'll need to do some research into this. I know that larger machines have control over injection speed and many other parameters. What I did learn from this is that slowing down the injection decreases the pressure forcing the mold halves apart. I need to do more research and reading to understand more about how injection pressure and injection speed interact.
John, can you recommend a mold making company? I have a 17x8.5 inch, 3/4 inch thick, two part mold I made in fusion 360. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
John great video. Please keep more coming. I have been on the fence about getting one of these since about right when you posted your video about buying one. I have some flashlight body parts I would like to manufacture myself. These parts would be around 2oz of ABS., about 4" long 1 1/4" dia and hollow with threads on the end. What are your thoughts on one of these machines being able to get the job done? I need about 200 parts a year. Thank you for any information you can give me. I talked to the company salesman awhile back and he thought it would work. Just want to see what a real world person like me thinks. And again great informational videos. There just isn't much information out there on these presses.
I don't have any experience with parts like you describe, so I have no idea whether it would work. The guys at Morgan know what they're doing more than I do.
That's something I want to try at some point. For this mold, the customer would like more of a gloss finish. So it's either polish the mold, or try running another tool path with much smaller step overs.
Hi John, I need your advice. I have the option to buy the same Morgan Press for $3800.00 in extremely clean, almost like new condition. Does this sound like a good price?
Until I started watching your videos, I never considered injection molding in the shop but now I’m interested. There is a Morgan about 4 hrs away from me for $400. That seems cheap but I’m no expert.
That's very cheap. Assuming it's working. if it's not working, it still might be a very good buy, as Morgan Industries can refurbish machines for you. I covered some of that in this video: th-cam.com/video/0DscFFD8AKc/w-d-xo.html
@@JohnSL I don’t have a lot of money to spend on my hobbies, so I’m often getting pretty worn out stuff and making it serviceable again. FB Marketplace has been a good resource. If I’m looking for something, I try to think how an idiot would describe it and search for that. I would try "plastic press" or "plastic machine". I found my Hardinge Super Precision lathe on Craigslist. The listing was for "metal lath" with no picture. After a lifetime of being advertised to, you’d think people would be better at selling stuff.
When you're doing small pockets where the cutter diameter is very close to the hole diameter you have to really slow down the feed. I don't remember the correct calculation off the top of my head, but it's something like 1/10 of normal feed rate. That should help reduce chatter and tool deflection.
Also, there is a bolt hole in the middle of the platen as well as the middle of the heater. I put a low profile 3/8-16 SHCS, head diameter 0.557" in those bolt holes . The bottom of the heater has a specific clearance hole for that bolt head. If you machine the same bolt head hole in the bottom of your mold ,then you can stack up the mold heater etc passively and be on center with the nozzle. No manual alignment needed. I also use ~0.020"glass beads in a sand blast cabinet to finish aluminum molds. Rubber or duct tape for a bouncy mask. I cut the parting surface after bead blast
I was impatient and wanted to get the machine running, so I borrowed a piece of aluminum from another project while I waited for an order from Xometry for 2" thick stock. I just finished making a 2" high, 4" wide, by 8" long riser that screws into the heater for alignment, and has the 3/8" low-profile screw in the top. So moving forward, I'll be using that. As to the finish, the customer wants closer to a gloss finish, so I may have to polish the mold if milling with smaller stepovers doesn't work.
Hello John, thank you for sharing! I have been using a similar Morgan press quite a bit lately with some decent results. Using the included mold pre-heater has really helped me get a shiny and consistent surface finish on my parts. My press also has an additional regulator on the air line to the ram that controls injection pressure. The pilot pressure is typically left at 5, while the flow rate and ram pressure are adjusted to achieve a proper fill. The timer can also be adjusted to help regulate shot size, and the valve on the right side of the machine can help retract the ram to help refill the melt chamber between shots. I've been enjoying your videos, great job!
Thanks for the information. Mine also has another regulator, so it's time for me to read the manual again. Sometimes I have to read things, try out a few things, and then read again before I fully understand.
Yeah I cant quite figure out what the pilot valve actually does. I know it affects the injection pressure, but do you know if it's more of a fine tune rather than than coarse (via ram regulator)? and how does regulator pressure correlate to inj. pressure? sorry i'm still a bit new to the morgan
Great stuff as always, looking forward to seeing more from the Morgan!
Thanks. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of your machine.
Enjoyable video. I was on the edge of my seat when you opened the mold for the last time. Thanks and be well.
Thanks 👍
Good video sir. Enjoyed learning with you through trial and error. Parts are looking very good.
Thank you.
Looks like a great project. I think I have the same Morgan press. They have a tendency to be a catalyst for more equipment!
Oh, it wasn't the first, or the last. I have other desktop machines, an Arburg C4B, and an Arburg Allrounder 100. The last two machines will be the subject of future videos as I get them online.
@@JohnSL Cool, do you want to buy my Morgan 100?
@@DragonflyEngineering I run a makerspace and we NEED an injection molding machine! I left you a voicemail last Sunday. Give me a call back if you still have this PLEASE!
@@JohnSLI do also own a Arburg 100, cant wait for your video on it! Greetings from Germany
John down in the control panel in between the red knob and b Black knob there’s a small knob for the timing adjustment, this should be used in combination with the plunger speed adjustment for better results, great video John.
Thanks. I'm definitely going to use that when I start production. For the initial trials, which is as far as I've gotten, I did it by sound. I can hear when it finishes injection and is in the packing phase.
I’m not by any means an expert, but I have been working with this machine for around five years on short productions if you have any questions that I can help you with or if you need copy of the machine operating manual let me know. John Thanks for what you do.
Amazing quality channel! Thanks for your passion.
I appreciate that!
Thanks for another great video John.
You are very welcome
Hi john sanding and polishing works well for a very smooth finish for your tool marks!
Yup. But if I can get the machine to do that, it means I don't have to :-).
Another great informative video John
Thanks 👍
Great info, your presentations improve and give dignity to TH-cam. Thank you
Hey John, thank you for the video ! Our Morgan Press is missing the sprue :( Did you the sprue youself ? Can we buy one from you?
The injection mold machine looks to be fun to use.
Thank u for sharing. I am learning a lot and being entertained with things u do and say. 👍🏿
Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy it.
For the sprue hole, I usually drill it first and then go in with a long ballnose endmill and use a bore operation to finish it, adding the taper as well. The only time that's an issue is with the taper opening the other way and the hole in the bottom of a cavity or between two core protrusions. The tapered reamer works OK, the Morgan book recommends a straight flute hand reamer. You have to be careful or you can get some unevenness just in how your hand tends to apply pressure differently as you twist. I like the results better from the ball end mill boring approach, I think I set the pitch to 0.01" and it runs pretty fast.
Good to know. I did think about drilling, but was concerned it might walk a little. I'll have to try that next time. I have two more molds to make this week (during my time off from work), so I'll be able to try.
Thanks John, interesting video, I am very early on learning, but I wonder if the speed control is to increase shear in the material so it flows better? Mine is just manual hand press, so it would be interesting to understand the logic behind the design choices on some of the more advanced machines
Good question, and I'll need to do some research into this. I know that larger machines have control over injection speed and many other parameters. What I did learn from this is that slowing down the injection decreases the pressure forcing the mold halves apart. I need to do more research and reading to understand more about how injection pressure and injection speed interact.
Please give some more details about the morgan press if possible thank you
www.morganindustriesinc.com/products/morgan-press.php
Very cool and insightfull.
Great video, thank you for making it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
John, can you recommend a mold making company? I have a 17x8.5 inch, 3/4 inch thick, two part mold I made in fusion 360. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Maby some sandblasting is enough to smooth the mold surface?
That's something I plan to try in the future. For these molds, the viewer wanted more of a glossy finish.
John great video. Please keep more coming. I have been on the fence about getting one of these since about right when you posted your video about buying one. I have some flashlight body parts I would like to manufacture myself. These parts would be around 2oz of ABS., about 4" long 1 1/4" dia and hollow with threads on the end. What are your thoughts on one of these machines being able to get the job done? I need about 200 parts a year. Thank you for any information you can give me. I talked to the company salesman awhile back and he thought it would work. Just want to see what a real world person like me thinks. And again great informational videos. There just isn't much information out there on these presses.
I don't have any experience with parts like you describe, so I have no idea whether it would work. The guys at Morgan know what they're doing more than I do.
Great video John!
How much did the Morgan run you? I'm trying to ballpark a set up but I'm not sure how much this runs.
I got a better than normal deal on mine. My understanding is that ones in good condition range from $5,000 to $10,000.
Great viewing, thanks for sharing!
Thanks.
Sandblast the surfaces?
That's something I want to try at some point. For this mold, the customer would like more of a gloss finish. So it's either polish the mold, or try running another tool path with much smaller step overs.
Hi John, I need your advice. I have the option to buy the same Morgan Press for $3800.00 in extremely clean, almost like new condition. Does this sound like a good price?
Yes, it is a good price.
Until I started watching your videos, I never considered injection molding in the shop but now I’m interested. There is a Morgan about 4 hrs away from me for $400. That seems cheap but I’m no expert.
That's very cheap. Assuming it's working. if it's not working, it still might be a very good buy, as Morgan Industries can refurbish machines for you. I covered some of that in this video: th-cam.com/video/0DscFFD8AKc/w-d-xo.html
@@JohnSL I don’t have a lot of money to spend on my hobbies, so I’m often getting pretty worn out stuff and making it serviceable again. FB Marketplace has been a good resource. If I’m looking for something, I try to think how an idiot would describe it and search for that. I would try "plastic press" or "plastic machine". I found my Hardinge Super Precision lathe on Craigslist. The listing was for "metal lath" with no picture. After a lifetime of being advertised to, you’d think people would be better at selling stuff.
Wicked! Great content.
Thanks.
What is the part for?
It's an overmold of a handle onto a brush. I believe it has something to do with musical instrument maintenance.
When you're doing small pockets where the cutter diameter is very close to the hole diameter you have to really slow down the feed. I don't remember the correct calculation off the top of my head, but it's something like 1/10 of normal feed rate. That should help reduce chatter and tool deflection.
Oh, right. I totally forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. I'll slow down the feedrate next time and see if that helps.
Love it !!
Can l injection of peeks