Sandwich injection molding of thermotropic copolyesters and filled polyester

Mold filling studies have shown that thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyesters of p-hydroxybenzoicacid (PHB) and polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) fill by an advancing front mechanism similar to flexible chain polymers. The structure and orientation developed during filling as determined on solid specimens by an etching method, X-ray diffraction, and shrinkage study on thin microtomed samples appear to be most pronounced at the surface. Based on this information copolymers of 60 and 80 mole percent PHB/PET were co-injection molded with filled PET under various processing conditions. Because of the low viscosity of the copolyesters, they readily coated filled PET under most processing conditions to give a sheath/core structure. The bending modulus of co-injection molded bars with as little as 35 percent PHB/PET was as high as the sample consisting of 100 percent liquid crystalline copolyester. Electron micrographs of fracture surfaces revealed excellent adhesion between the two polymers.     

Reaction injection molding process of glass fiber reinforced polyurethane composites

Structural reaction injection molding (SRIM) was used to produce polyurethane composites containing random continuous glass fiber mats. A long rectangular mold was used to carry out the SRIM experiments. 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate and poly(propylene oxide) triol were used to formulate a thermoset polyurethane system. Dibutyltin dilaurate was used as a catalyst. A second order Arrhenius equation described the PU polymerization kinetic data obtained from the adiabatic temperature rise measurement. A viscosity as a function of temperature and conversion was developed using rheometer data. The pressure rise at the gate was measured during filling. The flow behavior within the mold was described by Darcy's law and the Kozeny's equation. The temperature profile within the mold measured by thermocouples during filling and curing coincided fairly well with the simulation results. The thermal transient problem at the wall was solved using the overall heat transfer coefficient, and it was analyzed as a function of Biot number. The dimensional stability of the fiber reinforced PU parts was excellent compared to the pure PU parts.     

Advanced process control for injection molding

This paper deals with the application of advanced control strategies to an injection molding process. Of particular interest is the control of one variable during the cooling phase of the molding process. Due to the cyclic dynamic nature of injection molding, the controlled variable must be regulated over a short cycle; the full process is completed within 10 seconds. Therefore, a key control objective is rapid setpoint regulation. A closed-loop strategy has been implemented for the regulation of pressure within the mold during the cooling cycle. First order plus dead time models of the process have been identified from plant step responses. The performance of several control algorithms for this process are compared in simulation studies. These algorithms have given comparable regulatory and servo responses. Finally, the effectiveness of the closed loop controi system has been demonstrated experimentally using the PI algorithm. Simulated and experimental results are in excellent agreement.     

纤维增强塑料注射充模过程中纤维对模具的冲蚀磨损模拟

针对塑料模具在玻璃纤维冲蚀下造成的表面磨损问题,运用有限元软件ANSYS/LS-DYNA建立了模具材料多颗粒冲蚀有限元模型,进行三维显式冲击动力学计算,研究纤维在不同冲蚀速度和冲蚀角度下对模具的冲蚀规律,分析冲蚀机理。结果表明,玻璃纤维对模具的冲蚀过程以微切削为主;玻璃纤维对模具的冲蚀磨损率随着冲蚀速度的增加而增加,随着冲蚀角度的增加而呈现先增加后减小的趋势。     

Modeling of mold filling process for powder injection molding

The mold filling process has been modeled for the injection molding of different polymer-based binders and powder-polymer mixtures. It is essentially a two dimensional non-Newtonian fluid flow analysis in a non-isothermal environment. A complete analysis is accomplished by combining a finite element method and control volume technique to describe an increment of flow front movement, whereas a finite difference method is used to solve the energy equation to characterize the temperature distribution. Numerical results are compared to exact solutions for a circular ring cavity using a power law fluid model under an isothermal condition. Comparison of computed results against published data for a simple circular disk shows good agreement between the two analysis methods. After making selected comparison studies, it is demonstrated that the filling process in Powder Injection Modeling with different combination of powder-polymer mixtures is markedly dependent on specific combinations of powder; and polymer based binders. Computed flow front results for a rectangular cavity also compared favorably against the data for a power law fluid model under non-isothermal conditions.     

塑料杯成型工艺及注塑模设计

本文对水杯的技术要求和工艺结构进行了分析,确定了工艺方案及模具形式。而且对水杯进行了相关数据的分忻与计算,根据分析结果选注塑机和注塑工艺,从而确定聚丙烯水杯设计思路及方案,最后在设计过程中运用Pro／E、Auto CAD软件进行注塑模结构设计与计算并绘制出模具总装图以及部分非标准图形。     

Injection molding of glass fiber reinforced phenolic composites. 2: Study of the injection molding process

This study of injection molding of glass fiber reinforced phenolic molding compounds examines fiber breakage and fiber orientation with key material and processing variables, such as injection speed, fiber volume fraction, and the extent of resin pre-cure. The fiber orientation, forming discrete skin-core arrangements, is related to the divergent gate to mold geometrical transition, the extent of pre-cure and injection speed functions of the melt viscosity. Transient modifications to the melt viscosity during mold filling produce variations in skin/core structure along the flow path, which are correlated to the mechanical properties of injection moldings. The melting characteristics of the phenolic resin during plasticization impose a severe environment of mechanical attrition on the glass fibers, which is sequentially monitored along the screw, and during subsequent flow through runners and gates of various sizes. Differences found between the processing characteristics of thermosets and thermoplastics raise questions concerning the applicability of thermoplastic injection molding concepts for thermosets.     

Polypropylene–glass fiber/basalt fiber hybrid composites fabricated by direct fiber feeding injection molding process

Hybrid composites of polypropylene reinforced with glass fibers and basalt fibers were fabricated by vented injection molding machine which is named the direct fiber feeding injection molding (DFFIM) process. Polyamide 6 and maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene has been used as a coupling agent to improve the interfacial bonding between the fibers and matrix. Two types of vented injection molding machines with a different check ring and mold were used for making specimens. The fiber lengths were analyzed to identify the most suitable check ring and mold for the DFFIM process. The mechanical properties of the hybrid composites were investigated by tensile, flexural and Izod impact tests. The interfacial morphology of the fractured tensile specimens was studied by using scanning electron microscopy and showed that there is a fiber agglomeration phenomenon that occurs in the hybrid composites, and it has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of hybrid composites. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45472.     

Visualization of in‐mold shrinkage in injection molding process

This article presents an experimental investigation on the visualization of (material/mold) separation development during the in‐mold shrinkage of injection molded parts. The purpose is to correlate the separation times with the shrinkage values. Two cavity designs were studied: (i) a simple rectangular plate (nonconstrained plate) and (ii) a rectangular plate with an obstacle pin (constrained plate). Separation development was recorded using a high speed camera on a designed and manufactured visual mold. The results indicate that although there is a meaningful correlation between shrinkage value and separation time in the nonconstrained mold, this correlation is highly disturbed in the presence of a constraint (here, an obstacle pin). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:750–756, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Fabrication and characterization of novel zirconia filled glass fiber reinforced polyester hybrid composites

Novel hybrid glass fiber reinforced polyester composites (GFRPCs) filled with 1‐5 wt % microsized zirconia (ZrO₂) particles, were fabricated by hand lay‐up process followed by compression molding and evaluated their physical, mechanical and thermal behaviors. The consumption of styrene in cured GFRPCs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The potential implementation of ZrO₂ particles lessened the void contents marginally and substantially enhanced the mechanical and thermal properties in the resultant hybrid composites. The GFRPCs filled with 4 wt % ZrO₂ illustrated noteworthy improvement in tensile strength (66.672 MPa) and flexural strength (67.890 MPa) while with 5 wt % ZrO₂ showed 63.93% rise in hardness, respectively, as compared to unfilled GFRPCs. Physical nature of polyester matrix for composites and an improved glass transition temperature (T_g) from 103 to 112 °C was perceived by differential scanning calorimetry thermograms. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the thermal stability of GFRPCs was remarkably augmented with the addition of ZrO₂. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43615.     

Establishing a rapid cooling complex mold design for the quality improvement of microcellular injection molding

Injection molding is one of the most widely-used processes for the production of plastic parts, due to the utilization of diverse materials, the complex product-shape moldability, and the rapid mass production. In relation to the environmental issues, light-weight technology and green molding solutions are becoming more important. Microcellular injection molding technology is one of the green molding solutions for saving materials, as well as reducing the weight of molded parts. However, the molding process brings about some defects, including a sliver flow mark on the surface and uneven mechanical properties that are caused by the uneven cell size and their distribution within the part. Dynamic molding temperature control technology seems to be an effective way of improving the product quality. Until recently, there has been very little discussion about high-efficiency cooling methods. A new complex mold for a cooling system has been designed. The basis cooling ability of different materials was investigated. The complex mold design has a faster cooling rate, and it has a greater surface temperature uniformity. This cooling technology was used to improve the quality of microcellular injection molded parts, which improves the glossy finish by about 73%. The results show that the faster cooling rate brings about the more uniform cell size with higher cell density from 9.43E+11 to 1.92E+12 cells/cm³. Otherwise, the cell size reduced from 192.92 to 84.97 μm.     

玻纤增强酚醛注塑料的制备技术和性能

研究了玻纤增强酚醛注塑料制备过程中基质树脂的选择、固化作用与交联结构的控制及玻纤分散技术,考察了不同基质树脂制备的酚醛注塑料的固化成型结构形态和固化流变特性.进一步采用热固性与热塑性酚醛树脂相复配的基质树脂体系,经配方和制备工艺的优化,制备了高填充量玻纤增强酚醛注塑料.该注塑料具有良好的注塑成型性能,注塑制品具有高强度, 冲击强度达到4.3 kJ•m^-2,弯曲强度137.4 MPa,同时热变形温度为 245 ℃,阻燃性通过美国UL 94 V-0级认证,并具有优良的尺寸稳定性、电绝缘性能和低成本优势.     

Dynamic modeling of the mold filling process in an injection molding machine

This paper presents the development of a nonlinear mathematical model for the study of the mold filling process in an injection molding machine. The model is formulated by the Reynolds transport theorem which is applied to describe the polymer flow dynamics. The mold filling process can be approximated by the transient phenomenon of the non-Newtonian fluids flowing through a closed conduit. The comparison between the experimental results and the theoretical simulation indicate that the nonlinear model is a reasonable representation of the mold filling dynamics when the acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is injected into a disk shape mold. The actuation system dynamics of an injection molding machine are also investigated. The results indicate that the nonlinear model can also adequately predict the transient behavior of the actuation system.     

Effects of mold surface conditions on flow length in injection molding process

In this study, to clarify the influence of a mold on thin‐wall molding, the effect of different mold surface conditions on the flow length and mobility (i.e., ease with, which melted plastics can be filled into the mold) in an injection molding process was investigated. Three different coatings were used for the mold surface. Several degrees of roughness were also selected for the mold surface. The results were evaluated by comparing flow length with interfacial tensions, which were derived from Young's formula. Although the interfacial tension exhibited different values, the influence on flow length was generally found to be small. On the other hand, in the mold that gives surface roughness, though the change of interfacial tension was small compared with coatings, the flow length increased linearly with the surface roughness when the roughness exceeded a certain level roughness. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The rheology and mold flow of polyester sheet molding compound

Flow properties of sheet molding compounds (SMC) were measured by several rhemeters. Shear viscosities of SMC paste can be fitted by the Carreau viscosity equation and reduced to a single master curve by plotting the reduced shear viscosity (η/η₀) against reduced shear rate (\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \dot \gamma $\end{document} η₀/T). The deformation fo glass filled compounds under extensional forces. When the shear forced was applied, the compound defomed like a deck of cards being slid. It behaved essentially like a laminate of many layers. On the other hand, SMC compounds elongated much less before sample failure occurred under the extensional flow. The extensional viscosity was much higher than the shear viscosity. This phenomenon was explained by a solid composite theory and theories developed from local shear flows between adjacent fibers. The flow of SMC compounds during molding showed that the surface layers flowed further than the inner layers when the mold surfaces were hot. This casued inner plies to show through at the surface and resulting in some wavy glass orientation. This phenomenon was explained equalitatively by a heat penetration model.     

A comparison of short glass fiber reinforced polypropylene plates made by conventional injection molding and using shear controlled injection molding

This paper describes a comparison of the fiber orientation structures and resulting elastic properties of samples of short glass fiber filled polypropylene made by conventional injection molding and by the SCORIM (Shear Controlled Orientation in Injection Molding) process developed at The University of Brunel. The 3D fiber orientation distributions of the composites were measured using a unique transputer based image analysis system developed at The University of Leeds. The mechanical properties of the samples were characterized using an ultrasonic velocity technique, which allows a full set of elastic constants to be determined for each material. The link between fiber orientation distributions and measured elastic properties was then investigated using theoretical models developed in this laboratory.     

The study of short-shot water-assisted injection molding of short glass fiber reinforced polypropylene

water penetration length and fiber orientation (along the melt flow direction) are important indicators for water-assisted injection molding products of the fiber-reinforced polymer. The effects of melt short shot size, water injection delay time and water injection pressure on these two important indexes are analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The study found that with the increase of the melt short shot size, the extension of the water injection delay time and the increase of the water injection pressure, the water penetration length changed from 216 to 96 mm, 170 to 210 mm, and 215 to 180 mm, respectively. Therefore, it can be known that melt short shot size has the greatest influence on water penetration length, followed by water injection delay time, and finally water injection pressure. Meantime, due to the fiber orientation and change degree of water-assisted injection-molded products along the melt flow direction, the fiber orientation in the water channel layer along the melt flow direction has the highest and lowest change degree, followed by the wall layer and finally the core layer. It can be known that the melt short shot size has the greatest influence on the fiber orientation and the degree of change along the melt flow direction, followed by the water injection delay time, and finally the water injection pressure.     

Mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene injection molded with a rotation mold

A special mold (Rotation, Compression, and Expansion Mold) was used to impose a controlled shear action during injection molding of short glass fiber reinforced polypropylene discs. This was achieved by superimposing an external rotation to the pressure‐driven advancing flow front during the mold filling stage. Central gated discs were molded with different cavity rotation velocities, inducing distinct levels of fiber orientation through the thickness. The mechanical behavior of the moldings was assessed, in tensile and flexural modes on specimens cut at different locations along the flow path. Complete discs were also tested in four‐point flexural and in impact tests. The respective results are analyzed and discussed in terms of relationships between the developed fiber orientation level and the mechanical properties. The experimental results confirm that mechanical properties of the moldings depend strongly on fiber orientation and can thus be tailored by the imposed rotation during molding. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:1598–1607, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Adaptive model following control of the mold filling process in an injection molding machine

This paper is concerned with the practical application of the adaptive model following control (AMFC) theory on the cavity pressure control of the mold filling process in an injection molding machine. The experimental results indicate that the AMFC technique based on the modified Popov-Landau method is very useful for the cavity pressure control. Two kinds of control algorithms are implemented on a 16 bit microcomputer to control the cavity pressure. The results also show that the AMFC algorithm is superior to the classical PI control in this system when the acrylonitrile-butadiene-stryrene (ABS) is injected into a test specimen mold which is designed according to the ASTM code.     

The unique flow of polypropylene at the weld line behind an obstacle in injection molding

In this article, a weld line placed behind an obstacle in an injection‐molded plaque made of metallic mold‐in‐color polypropylene (PP) was investigated. A broad uneven glossy section was visually observed along the weld line after the v‐notch weld disappeared. Although disk‐shaped metallic pigments were oriented parallel to the wall according to laminar flow, the pigment particles at the weld behind the obstacle were ordered vertically at the center of the depth direction. In PP molded without pigment, a black line was observed at the same position in the metallic weld. Based on a measurement of the crystal structure, the black line was caused by the rapid cooling of molten PP. Elongational flow occurred along the weld line after the diminishing v‐notch weld. The unique flow ordered the pigments obliquely at the advancing flow front and disturbed the subsequent flow of hot PP which transferred heat to the crystallizing mass. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers