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Thermoplastic Resins
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Valve parts are injection molded with thermoplastic resin compounds from quality producers. Bargain, off spec, or "just as good as" compounds are never used by Hayward.
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Silos
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Resin is received and stored in large silos to protect it from the danger of environmental contamination.
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Pneumatic Equipment
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Special pneumatic equipment distributes the resin from the silos throughout the plant and never exposes it to contamination.
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Overhead Piping
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A system of overhead piping carries the resin to the molding department. The resin is now on its way to becoming a quality Hayward valve component.
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Dryer
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In the molding department resin enters a Dryer before going to the molding machine. This is an extra step Hayward takes to eliminate any moisture in the resin that could compromise the molding process.
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Molding Machine
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From a Dryer the plastic resin goes to a Molding Machine. It's here the actual valve part is made. The Molding Machine melts the solid resin and injects it into a mold to form the valve part.
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Control Panel
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The Molding Machine control panel allows the operator to set and monitor all of the parameters of the molding process.
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Inside of a Mold
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This is what the inside of a mold looks like. This mold has two "cavities" and can produce two valve bodies with each molding cycle.
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Molding Machine
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When the molding machine ejects the part it is too hot to be handled and goes to a conveyer that takes it to...
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Cooling Water Tank
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....the cooling water tank where it's cooled before further processing.
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The First Look
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This is how parts look after they come out of the cooling tank. The rods connecting the parts are called "runners". The runners direct the path the liquid resin takes when it is injected into the mold cavity. At this point the parts are removed from the runners.
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Machining Centers
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Machining Centers in the molding department are used to finish critical sealing areas of the part to the tight dimensional tolerances required by Hayward.
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Computerized Controls
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The entire machining process is computer controlled and monitored for precision and conformance to specifications.
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Parts Inspection
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After machining a technician inspects the part to ensure that it conforms to all tolerances and specifications and is ready to be assembled into a quality Hayward plastic valve.
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Computer Monitoring
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The entire injection molding operation is computer monitored. This facilitates statistical process control, part of Hayward's continuing quality improvement process, that helps Hayward produce the best plastic valves and flow control products available today.
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