A Brief History of Injection Molding
Plastic injection molding has an interesting story!

1. 1861-1868
 Alexander Parkes invented the first man-made
commercial plastic in 1861.
 In 1868, an American inventor named John Wesley Hyatt
developed a plastic material called Celluloid made by
combining cellulose nitrate and camphor.

2. 1872-1909
 John Wesley Hyatt and his brother
Isaiah patented the first injection
molding machine in 1872. It
basically worked like a large
hypodermic needle.
 In 1909, Leo Hendrik of Belgium
discovered phenolformaldehyde
plastic and was the first to control
it and make it usable on a large
scale.

3. 1930-1939
 During the 1930s, major vinyl
thermoplastics still used today
like polystyrene, PVC, and the
polyolefins were in the initial
development stage.
 In 1938, polystyrene (a plastic still
used widely today) was officially
invented. The following year,
WWII brought a huge demand
for cheap, mass-produced
materials. Polystyrene plastic

4. 1941-1946
 Developed by Du Pont as a fiber in
the 1930s, nylon was first used as a
molding material in 1941.
 In 1946, an American inventor
named James Watson Hendry
built the first extrusion screw
injection machine. The rotating
screw made the injection speed
easier to control and it helped
produce higher quality results.

5. 1946-1955
 During these particular years, polyethylene, polystyrene,
and other materials that had been more expensive in the
past, were starting to be produced more cheaply.
 They also started to replace not only other plastics, but
also more traditional materials like wood, metal, leather,
and glass.
Made from
polyethylene plastic

6. 1956-1965
 In 1956, W.H. Willert developed the reciprocating
injection molding machine. In this machine, the screw
moves backwards and forwards during the mold cycle.
 After mixing, the screw stops turning and the whole screw
pushes forward, plunging the material into a mold.
 This time period also brought forth many useful new
thermoplastics like high-density polyethylenes and
polypropylene.

7. 1960-1980
 In the 1960s, polysulphones,
aromatic polyesters, and
polyamides were introduced.
 In the 1970s, James Watson
Hendry went on to build the first
gas-assisted injection molding
process. This made producing
complex, hollow products that
cooled quickly possible.
 His new design improved the
strength and finish of
manufactured parts and
reduced production time, cost,
weight, and waste.

8. Today
 Now (in 2015) there are plastic
injection molding companies whose
sole purpose is to make virtually
anything (car parts, tools, toys, décor)
by using electric injection molding
machines.
 Most anything can be made out of
plastic these days, and businesses are
taking advantage of this by
outsourcing their large scale injection
molding projects to injection molding
companies.

Call Streamline Plastics Today
 If you own a business and you’ve been looking for a
plastic injection molding company to make your 3-
dimensional designs a reality, call Streamline Plastics
today.
 Finding injection molding companies that are as efficient,
accurate, and timely as us is difficult. Don’t try to design
a product, create a prototype, and use an injection
molding machine on your own.
 We can do that for you if you contact us today by calling
801-782-3660 or by visiting streamlineplastics.com.