In 1872 American inventor John Wesley Hyatt and his brother Isaiah created and patented the first injection moulding machine. This was a simple machine that used a plunger to push plastic through a hot cylinder into a mould. The initial use for the machine was to mass-produce products like buttons and combs.
When World War II began the need for mass produced, inexpensive products grew. The first screw injection moulding machine was created by James Watson Hendry. This style of injection moulding machine is the most commonly used machine even today. Its popularity is due to the the amount of precision and control, thus a higher quality of production.
Hendry went on almost 25 years later and developed the first gas-assisted injection moulding process. This enabled the production of complex pieces that could quickly be cooled. This creation greatly improved flexibility and strength of manufactured parts while reducing production time and cost.
The injection moulding industry has revolutionized the way we create products over the years. It is used in countless industries around the globe including automotive, aerospace, medical, packaging, toys and much more.
