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Injection molding defects chart

An injection molding defects chart is a troubleshooting reference for the defects found on molded plastic parts. For each defect it shows what it looks like, what usually causes it and what to check before anyone changes a setting. This one covers 16 defects, from short shots, flash and sink marks to splay, jetting and parts out of size. For each it splits the likely causes into the 4M (machine, material, mold and method), lists the first checks in the order a process tech would make them, names the setting to adjust once the checks are done, and says when to stop adjusting and tag the mold or the lot instead. A second page of 24 first checks works for any defect, and the Excel file adds a defect log by shift, mold and cavity with scrap cost and a Pareto chart that sorts the week's defects from biggest to smallest. It is general guidance for thermoplastics: the resin supplier's data sheet and the documented process for each mold come first.

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Page 1 of the injection molding defects chartA table with a row for each defect, starting with short shot, flash, sink marks and voids, and columns for what it looks like, causes by machine, material, mold and method, first checks and when to stop.
16 defectsCauses by machine, material, mold, methodFirst checks in orderSetting to adjustWhen to stop and tag24 first checksDefect log with scrap costPareto chartWorked week
Filled-in Injection molding defects chart: one week of rejects on a 4-cavity mold
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 4 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use an injection molding defects chart

  • At the press, when a defect appears, before anyone touches a setting.
  • To train new process techs and setup people on what each defect looks like and where it usually comes from.
  • At the end of the week, to log rejects by defect, mold and cavity and see which two or three defects cost the most.
  • When writing the reaction plan in a mold's control plan or a defect catalogue entry.
  • Not for a new mold that has never made a good part: that is mold qualification, done with the toolmaker and the resin data.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Name the defect

    Compare the part with the chart and pick the defect. Photograph it and note the cavity number: a defect in one cavity points at the mold, a defect in every cavity points at the machine, the material or the process.

  2. 2

    Compare the press with the process sheet

    Read the actual setpoints and the cushion against the documented process for the mold before changing anything. Many defects that come and go are drift from the sheet.

  3. 3

    Work the first checks in order

    Go down the chart's checks for the defect, then the 24 first checks on page 3 if the cause is still not clear. They run from the quickest and most likely to the slowest.

  4. 4

    Change one setting at a time

    Once the checks are done, adjust the setting the chart names, let the process settle, check the parts and write the change down. If you went back to the documented process, note what had drifted.

  5. 5

    Stop and tag when the chart says so

    Damage, a water leak, a blocked vent or gate, wet resin that will not dry or contamination are not fixed with settings. Stop, tag the mold or the material, hold suspect parts and raise an NCR.

  6. 6

    Log rejects and review the Pareto weekly

    Enter every reject by date, shift, mold, cavity and defect in the Excel log. The Pareto sorts the week by defect and scrap cost; take the top one to a root cause analysis.

The chart

16 injection molding defects: causes, first checks and when to stop

Read across each row: what the defect looks like, the likely causes split by the 4M, the first checks in order with the setting to adjust once they are done, and the point where you stop adjusting and call the toolroom, maintenance or quality. The same chart is pages 1 and 2 of the PDF.

  • Short shot

    What it looks like
    The part is not completely filled: a missing corner, rib end or thin section.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Shot size too small, low injection speed or pressure, worn check ring. Material: Melt too cold or too viscous, wrong grade. Mold: Blocked vents or gate, mold too cold, flow length too long for the wall. Method: Settings changed and not written down, transfer set too early.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Cushion and shot size against the sheet: a cushion near zero means the screw bottoms out. 2. Which cavity: one cavity points to a blocked vent or gate. 3. Melt and mold temperatures. Then: Shot size first, then injection speed, then pressure, one at a time.
    Stop and tag when
    A gate or vent is blocked and needs the toolroom to clear it.
  • Flash

    What it looks like
    A thin film of plastic at the parting line, round ejector pins or at slides.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Clamp force too low for the part, platens out of parallel. Material: Melt too hot or too thin for the mold. Mold: Worn or damaged parting line, debris on the mold face, vents cut too deep. Method: Pack pressure raised to chase a short shot or sink.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Mold faces for debris, flash residue and damage. 2. Clamp tonnage against the sheet. 3. Pack pressure and melt temperature against the sheet. Then: Lower pack pressure or transfer earlier, then check clamp tonnage.
    Stop and tag when
    The parting line or a shut-off is damaged: flash will grow with every shot.
  • Sink marks

    What it looks like
    Shallow dents on the surface, often opposite ribs, bosses or thick sections.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Too little hold pressure or hold time, cushion running out. Material: Resin with high shrinkage, melt too hot. Mold: Thick walls, gate too small so it freezes early, a hot spot in the mold. Method: Cooling time cut to save cycle.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Hold pressure and hold time against the sheet. 2. Cushion at the end of hold. 3. Mold temperature near the sink. Then: Raise hold pressure, then hold time until the gate freezes, then cooling time.
    Stop and tag when
    A cooling circuit near the sink has no flow.
  • Voids

    What it looks like
    Bubbles or empty pockets inside thick sections, seen in clear parts or when a part is cut open.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Low hold pressure, hold time too short. Material: Moisture in the resin, too much regrind. Mold: Thick sections, gate freezes before the section is packed. Method: Drying skipped or cut short.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Hold pressure and hold time. 2. The drying record for the lot. 3. Cut a part to see where the voids sit. Then: Raise hold pressure and time, as for sink.
    Stop and tag when
    Voids sit in a load-bearing area of a safety or structural part.
  • Warpage

    What it looks like
    The part twists or bows after ejection and does not sit flat.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Uneven packing, part ejected too hot. Material: Glass fiber or molecular orientation, high shrinkage resin. Mold: Uneven cooling between the halves, uneven wall thickness. Method: Parts stacked or bagged while still hot.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Mold temperature on both halves. 2. Water flow on each circuit. 3. Cooling time and how parts are handled after ejection. Then: Balance mold temperatures, then add cooling time.
    Stop and tag when
    A water line leaks or a circuit is blocked.
  • Weld lines

    What it looks like
    Visible lines where two flow fronts meet, often round holes. The part can be weak there.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Low injection speed or pressure. Material: Melt too cold where the fronts meet. Mold: Poor venting at the meeting point, gate position. Method: Melt or mold temperature set below the sheet.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. The vent nearest the line. 2. Melt and mold temperature. 3. Injection speed. Then: Raise injection speed, then melt or mold temperature.
    Stop and tag when
    The line falls on a part of the part that must carry load and fails a test.
  • Burn marks

    What it looks like
    Black or brown scorch marks, often at the end of fill or in deep corners.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Injection too fast at the end of fill. Material: Resin held too long or too hot in the barrel. Mold: Vents blocked or too small, so trapped air heats up. Method: Vents not cleaned at mold change.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Clean the vents where the burn shows. 2. Injection speed at the end of fill. 3. Residence time in the barrel. Then: Slow the last stage of injection.
    Stop and tag when
    Vents need recutting by the toolroom.
  • Splay

    What it looks like
    Silver streaks on the surface, pointing in the direction of flow.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Screw speed too high, sucking in air. Material: Moisture in the resin most often, also resin degraded by heat. Mold: Condensation on a cold mold face. Method: Undried material added to the hopper, dryer alarm ignored.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Dryer temperature, dew point and drying time against the resin data sheet. 2. Hopper level and what was added this shift. 3. Melt temperature. Then: Dry the material properly first; settings will not fix wet resin.
    Stop and tag when
    The dryer cannot reach its dew point: hold the material and call maintenance.
  • Jetting

    What it looks like
    A snake-like squiggle on the surface that starts at the gate.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Injection too fast at the start of fill. Material: Melt too cold to stick to the wall. Mold: Small gate pointing into open space. Method: First injection stage set faster than the sheet.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Speed of the first injection stage. 2. Melt temperature. 3. Gate position. Then: Slow the start of injection.
    Stop and tag when
    It comes back at the right speed: the gate needs moving or opening.
  • Flow lines

    What it looks like
    Wavy lines or rings near the gate or across thin sections.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Injection speed or pressure too low. Material: Melt cooling as it flows. Mold: Mold too cold, sudden changes in wall thickness. Method: Temperatures set below the sheet.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Injection speed against the sheet. 2. Melt temperature. 3. Mold temperature. Then: Raise injection speed, then melt temperature.
    Stop and tag when
    The lines fail the cosmetic standard at every setting in the window.
  • Delamination

    What it looks like
    The surface peels or flakes off in thin layers.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Melt too cold, shear too high. Material: Mixed or contaminated resin, two grades that do not blend. Mold: Mold release built up on the cavity. Method: Wrong material or regrind added at the loader.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Hopper label and loader against the job. 2. Regrind source. 3. Mold release use. Then: Purge, load the right material and clean the cavity.
    Stop and tag when
    Contaminated material reached the hopper: hold every part since the change.
  • Brittle parts

    What it looks like
    Parts crack or snap at assembly or in testing.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Melt too hot or held too long in the barrel. Material: Wet resin, degraded material, too much regrind. Mold: Sharp corners and stress points. Method: Drying skipped, regrind ratio not followed.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. The drying record. 2. Melt temperature and residence time. 3. The regrind ratio. Then: Fix drying and regrind first, then lower melt temperature.
    Stop and tag when
    Parts already shipped may be affected: raise an NCR and hold stock.
  • Black specks

    What it looks like
    Dark specks or foreign particles in the part, worst in clear and light colors.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Degraded material hanging up in the barrel, nozzle or hot runner. Material: Dirty regrind, dust in loaders. Mold: Hot runner dead spots. Method: Poor purging at color or material change.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Purge practice at the last change. 2. Regrind and loader cleanliness. 3. How long material sits in the barrel. Then: Purge, then lower residence time or barrel temperature.
    Stop and tag when
    Specks keep coming after purging: pull the screw or hot runner for cleaning.
  • Gate blush

    What it looks like
    A dull, cloudy or rippled area round the gate.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Injection too fast through the gate. Material: Melt too cold. Mold: Gate too small, cold gate area. Method: Profile changed at the start of injection.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. First stage injection speed. 2. Melt temperature. 3. Gate size and condition. Then: Slow the first stage, then raise melt or mold temperature.
    Stop and tag when
    The gate is worn or damaged.
  • Sticking and ejector marks

    What it looks like
    Parts stay in the cavity, or show raised or white marks at the ejector pins.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Ejection too fast, too much pack pressure. Material: Too little mold release in the grade. Mold: Poor draft or polish, worn ejector pins. Method: Cooling time cut to save cycle.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Cooling time and pack pressure. 2. Ejector speed and stroke. 3. Cavity polish where the part sticks. Then: Lower pack pressure, add cooling, then slow ejection.
    Stop and tag when
    A part is stuck in the cavity: lock out the press before anyone reaches in.
  • Out of size

    What it looks like
    Dimensions are outside the drawing tolerance even though the part looks good.
    Likely causes by 4M
    Machine: Pack, hold or cushion drifting from shot to shot. Material: A new lot or grade with different shrinkage. Mold: Mold temperature off setpoint, worn inserts. Method: Parts measured hot instead of after the conditioning time.
    Check first, then adjust
    1. Cushion and hold pressure trend. 2. Mold temperature. 3. When and how the part was measured. Then: Return to the documented process, then adjust hold pressure.
    Stop and tag when
    The dimension is out on every setting in the validated window.

Before you change a setting

The 24 first checks for any molding defect, by 4M

Six checks each for the machine, the material, the mold and the method. Use them when the chart's three checks for a defect have not found the cause; on the sheet each one is ticked OK or not OK with a note.

Machine

Compare the press with the process sheet before you change anything

  1. 1The setpoints on the press match the documented process sheet for this mold
  2. 2Cushion is steady from shot to shot and not close to zero
  3. 3Barrel and nozzle zones read at setpoint, with no heater band or thermocouple alarm
  4. 4Injection speed, pressure and transfer position match the sheet
  5. 5Clamp tonnage matches the sheet and the mold closes fully
  6. 6The check ring holds: the screw does not creep forward during hold

Material

Most splay, brittle parts and specks start here

  1. 7The resin grade and color on the hopper label match the job
  2. 8The dryer is at the set temperature and dew point for this resin, and the drying time was met
  3. 9The hopper did not run empty or get topped up with material that was not dried
  4. 10Regrind is clean, sized and kept at or below the ratio the process allows
  5. 11Colorant or masterbatch runs at the right ratio and the doser is working
  6. 12The material lot is recorded, so a bad lot can be traced

Mold

A defect in one cavity only points at the mold

  1. 13Mold faces and the parting line are clean, with no flash residue or damage
  2. 14Vents are clean and open, above all where the defect shows
  3. 15Water is connected to every circuit as the mold setup sheet shows, with flow on each
  4. 16Mold temperature on both halves is at setpoint
  5. 17Ejector pins, slides and lifters move freely
  6. 18The defect is in one cavity or in all of them, and the cavity number is noted

Method

How the job was run this shift

  1. 19The defect was named from the chart and photographed with its cavity number
  2. 20Nobody changed a setting this shift without writing it down
  3. 21The press restarted after a stop, color change or purge the way the process sheet says
  4. 22Cycle time is steady, with no delays holding the mold open
  5. 23Suspect parts made since the last good check are held and tagged
  6. 24The first parts after a fix are checked against the drawing before the run goes on

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example (illustrative): one week of rejects on a made-up 4-cavity mold for a PC/ABS electrical cover on press 7, three shifts, 48,000 parts molded at a cost of $0.85 a part. The same week is page 4 of the PDF and the Example sheets of the Excel file.

The example week's 1,000 rejects by defect

  • Splay: 410, 41% of the total, cumulative 41%.
  • Short shot: 260, 26% of the total, cumulative 67%.
  • Sink marks: 150, 15% of the total, cumulative 82%.
  • Flash: 95, 10% of the total, cumulative 92%.
  • Black specks: 60, 6% of the total, cumulative 98%.
  • Weld lines: 25, 3% of the total, cumulative 100%.

Scrap rate, % of parts molded

Example week
2.08%
Next week
0.80%

$850.00 of scrap became $323.00, from a dryer check at start-up and the vent on the mold change checklist.

Rejects by defect: Splay 410, Short shot 260, Sink marks 150, Flash 95, Black specks 60, Weld lines 25. Splay and short shot together are 67 percent. Scrap fell from 2.08 percent to 0.80 percent the next week.

Illustrative. Splay and short shot are 67% of the rejects, so the chart's first checks for those two came first: the dryer record (385 of the splay on second shift) and cavity 3's vent (230 of the short shots).
  • The defect log has 17 lines and 1,000 rejects: splay 410, short shot 260, sink marks 150, flash 95, black specks 60 and weld lines 25.
  • Scrap rate 1,000 ÷ 48,000 = 2.08%, and scrap cost 1,000 × $0.85 = $850.00 for the week.
  • The Pareto puts splay and short shot first: 670 of the 1,000 rejects, 67%.
  • Splay: 385 of the 410 came on second shift. The chart's first check, the dryer record, showed the dew point alarm had been acknowledged and the hopper topped up with resin that had not dried for long enough.
  • Short shot: 230 of the 260 were in cavity 3. One cavity points at the mold, and its end of fill vent was blocked with residue; the toolroom cleaned it at the next mold change.

With a dryer check added to the shift start-up and the vent added to the mold change checklist, the next week had 380 rejects in 47,500 parts: 0.80% and $323.00. Both fixes came from the chart's first checks, not from new settings.

Common mistakes

  • Changing settings before reading the sheet

    When a defect appears, the quickest move is to turn a pressure up. Compare the press with the documented process first: most defects that come and go are drift, and a new setting on top of drift leaves the next shift guessing.

  • Two changes at once

    If you raise hold pressure and mold temperature together and the defect goes, you do not know which one fixed it. Change one setting, let the process settle and check the parts.

  • Tuning out wet resin

    Splay and brittle parts from moisture cannot be fixed with settings. Dry the material to the resin data sheet first.

  • Ignoring the cavity number

    A defect in one cavity of four is almost always the mold: a vent, a gate or a water line. Record the cavity on every reject so the log can show it.

  • Trimming flash at the press

    Knifing flash off hides a parting line that is getting worse with every shot. Log it, look at the mold faces and tag the mold if it is damaged.

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FAQ

Injection molding defects chart: common questions

  1. Short shots, flash, sink marks, voids, warpage, weld lines, burn marks, splay, jetting, flow lines, delamination, brittle parts, black specks, gate blush, sticking and parts out of size. This chart covers all 16, each with its usual causes, the first things to check and when to stop.

  2. Flash is plastic forced out where the mold halves or moving parts meet. The usual causes are clamp force too low for the part, a worn or damaged parting line, debris on the mold face, too much pack pressure or a melt that is too hot. Look at the mold faces before you change a setting, and tag the mold if the parting line is damaged.

  3. Sink marks form where a thick section keeps shrinking after the skin has set and not enough plastic was packed in to make up for it. Check hold pressure and hold time, whether the gate freezes too early, and the mold temperature near the sink. A cooling circuit with no flow near the sink is a reason to stop.

  4. Name the defect, note which cavity it is in, and compare the press with the documented process before you touch a setting. Then work through the checks in order, change one setting at a time and check the parts after each change. Log every reject by defect and cavity so the weekly Pareto shows which defect to fix for good.

  5. Use it to find the cause, not to set a new process. It is general guidance for thermoplastics: the resin supplier's data sheet and the documented process for each mold come first, and on automotive or medical parts a process change may need your customer's approval before it runs.

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