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.     

Cavity Pressure Response and Melt Flow Length During Dynamic Injection Molding

Employing a spiral channel mold and a set of cavity pressure measurement equipments from Kistler, the cavity pressure response and the maximum flow length during dynamic injection molding were studied. The processing conditions include injection velocity, injection pressure, mold temperature, vibration frequency, and vibration amplitude. The result shows that the maximum flow length can be improved by the dynamic injection molding. Especially at the lower injection pressure, the maximum flow length can be improved about 15%. From the curves of cavity pressure, we found that the cavity pressure undulated regularly in the dynamic filling phase, which is conduced by the screw vibration. During dynamic injection molding, the viscosity of the polymer flow reduces, and the capability of mold filling improves.     

气体辅助注射成型充填过程的数值模拟

描述了气体辅助注射成型的工艺过程及熔体充填和气体穿入的数学模型,采用有限元/有限差分/控制体积法计算充填阶段的压力场和温度场,确定熔体前沿和熔体/气体界面两类移动边界,并对典型制件充模过程进行了模拟.     

Thin‐wall injection molding of polypropylene using molds with different laser‐induced periodic surface structures

In injection molding, high pressure is required to completely replicate the mold geometry, due to the viscosity of thermoplastic polymers, the reduced thickness of the cavity, and the low mold temperature. The reduction of the drag required to fill a thin‐wall injection molding cavity can be promoted by inducing the strong slip of the polymer melt over the mold surface, which occurs within the first monolayer of macromolecules adsorbed at the wall. In this work, the effects of different laser‐induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) topographies on the reduction of the melt flow resistance of polypropylene were characterized. Ultrafast laser processing of the mold surface was used to manufacture nano‐scale ripples with different orientation and morphology. Moreover, the effects of those injection molding parameters that mostly affect the interaction between the mold surface and the molten polymer were evaluated. The effect of LIPSS on the slip of the polymer melt was modeled to understand the effect of the different treatments on the pressure required to fill the thin‐wall cavity. The results show that LIPPS can be used to treat injection mold surfaces to promote the onset of wall slip, thus reducing the injection pressure up to 13%. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1889–1896, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Rheology studies of foam flow during injection mold filling

This work studies the flow behavior of a developing two‐phase gas‐polymer suspension during injection into the instrumented mold cavity of an injection molding machine. In the experiments, blowing agent type and concentration were varied along with processing conditions, to generate controlled cell structures in two different polymers, low density polyethylene and thermoplastic polyolefin. Experimental results indicate that the rheological properties of two phase gas‐polymer suspensions were sensitive to shear rate, blowing agent concentration, melt temperature, and mold temperature. The viscosity of all gas‐polymer suspensions revealed a reduction compared with neat polymer melt in the presence of gas bubbles, because of the reduced volume fraction of polymer matrix. A two‐phase rheological model has been used for fitting with our experimental results for estimating the shear viscosity of two‐phase flow in the mold cavity of the injection molding machine. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:522–529, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

注塑成型保压阶段的分析

本文主要研究二维矩形模腔的非等温、可压缩无定形聚合物的保压阶段。流体是广义牛顿型的，可压缩行为服从Ｔａｉｔ的ｐ—ｖ—Ｔ状态方程。本文在展示保压阶段速度、压力的分布，密度沿着厚度方向的变化的基础上，讨论了保压阶段压力和密度的分布对最终产品的内应力、收缩和翘曲的影响。研究结果表明，保压阶段是注塑成型过程中一个非常复杂的阶段，其压力、温度、速度、密度的变化强烈地依赖于熔体的粘度和模腔的边界条件     

Experimental Results of Low Thermal Inertia Molding. I. Length of Filling

In injection molding, complete mold cavity filling is a design goal that has to be met 100% every time. Mold cavity filling is a complicated process which depends on many variables such as mold cavity surface temperature, injection pressure, injection speed, melt temperature, flow index of material being molded, etc. The aim of experimental investigation of the low thermal inertia molding (LTIM) [1] process is to demonstrate the feasibility of molding completely filled, thin parts at low injection pressure and injection speed without sacrificing part quality. The evaluation of the new molding concept consists of comparison of a conventionally molded thin rectangular part with an identical part molded by the LTIM process. The length of filling in the conventional cavity and in the LTIM cavity are compared at different injection pressures and injection speeds. The mold design, experimental procedure, and results of the molding are discussed in the following sections.     

皇冠轿车前保险杠注塑模设计和熔体动态充模研究

就日本丰田皇冠轿车前保险杠注塑模的总设计方案及所用原料进行了分析和确定；对型腔压力、熔体温度及动模垫板的形变选用了微机监控；对模具结构，包括浇注系统、成型零件和导向装置、侧向分型抽芯机构、模温控制装置等的设计进行了介绍；对浇注系统的冷热流道及浇口的开设采用Ｃ－ｍｏｌｄ软件进行了熔体充模流动的动态模拟分析。由模拟分析的结果表明，采用计算机Ｃ－ｍｏｌｄ软件对浇口充模进行动态模拟，可直观地了解皇冠前保险杠制品所需充模的最大压力和锁模力的真实情况，并能确知熔融前锋料流速度和熔接痕的牢度，它为指导大型注塑模具浇口的开设和最终尺寸的确定提供了科学依据，有极高的应用和研究价值。     

PP注射成型中的压力及熔体流动过程

讨论了聚丙烯在注射成型中充模、增密、保压、冷却各个阶段的压力变化情况和熔体流动过程，以及二者对制品成功质量的影响。认为在聚丙烯注射成型过程中，要保证制品成型质量，不应以升温的办法来降低熔体的粘度，而应以提高注塑压力和剪切速率为主。     

Determination of the heat transfer coefficient from short‐shots studies and precise simulation of microinjection molding

The filling process of a micro‐cavity was analyzed by modeling the compressible filling stage by using pressure‐dependent viscosity and adjusted heat transfer coefficients. Experimental filling studies were carried out at the same time on an accurately controlled microinjection molding machine. On the basis of the relationship between the injection pressure and the filling degree, essential factors for the quality of the simulation can be identified. It can be shown that the flow behavior of the melt in a micro‐cavity with a high aspect ratio is extremely dependent on the melt compressibility in the injection cylinder. This phenomenon needs to be considered in the simulation to predict an accurate flow rate. The heat transfer coefficient between the melt and the mold wall that was determined by the reverse engineering varies significantly even during the filling stage. With increasing injection speed and increasing cavity thickness, the heat transfer coefficient decreases. It is believed that the level of the cavity pressure is responsible for the resulting heat transfer between the polymer and the mold. A pressure‐dependent model for the heat transfer coefficient would be able to significantly improve the quality of the process simulation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Molding of reprocessed thermoplastics with preplastication injection molding

The injection molding of reprocessed plastics with a preplastication plunger injection‐molding machine was investigated with a focus on the processing conditions. The process of the filling of the resin into the mold is much better controlled with preplastication than with processing in a conventional injection‐molding machine. Reprocessing of the resin leads to a reduction in molecular weight due to drastic changes in the resin morphology, thereby causing a reduction in melt viscosity. Direct experimental evidence for reduced viscosity was obtained from measurements of the filling pressure recorded on the machine and also with a melt‐flow indexer. The results of this study provide a practical solution for reducing the resin temperature when reprocessed resin is used in the injection molding of plastics. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1455–1461, 2001     

黏弹特性对模内微装配成型热流固耦合变形的影响

建立了综合考虑二次成型黏弹性熔体充填流动约束环境影响的模内微装配成型过程黏弹性热流固耦合变形机理的理论模型,并通过有限元数值模拟,研究了二次成型熔体黏度对模内微装配成型过程黏弹性热流固耦合变形的影响规律。结果表明,黏弹性热流固耦合作用诱导的预成型微型轴变形的驱动力来源于微装配界面形成的热流固耦合压力和黏性拖曳剪应力,而二次成型熔体流动的弹性正应力对耦合变形具有抑制作用,微装配界面的热流固耦合载荷和微型轴的变形均随着二次充填熔体的黏度增大而增大,减小二次成型熔体黏度有利于提高其微装配加工精度。     

Simulation of cavity filling and curing in reaction injection molding

This report describes a procedure to stimulate the reaction injection molding process. The analysis considers the conversion that occurs during cavity filling with reactive fluids and the subsequent cure in the mold based on initial conditions derived from the filling analysis. Extensive conversion can occur during cavity filling when highly reactive resins are used. High conversion material with attendant high viscosity can be found in the cavity during filling without flow seizure because the conversion is non-uniform. The overall cycle time can be decreased by promoting conversion during cavity filling as long as flow seizure is avoided. Temperature and conversion profiles during cure in the mold elucidate thermal runaway and its importance in reaction injection molding. The simulation can be used to explore material and process parameter sensitivity, predict the cycle time and the maximum exotherm temperature, and evaluate moldability.     

聚合物熔体流变性能对气辅注塑工艺的影响

应用ＨｅｌｅＳｈａｗ物理模型和改进的Ｃｒｏｓ流变模型及有限元算法对５种聚丙烯的气辅注塑过程进行模拟,研究不同聚丙烯材料在充模速度相同的条件下的压力及锁模力变化规律。结果表明,气辅注塑在气体注射后与传统注塑有较大差异,所需压力、锁模力均比传统注塑有显著降低,且聚合物的熔体流动速率越小,气体注射后产生的压力降越大,表明在生产中应尽可能选用高熔体流动速率树脂以利于气辅注塑工艺。     

Development of stress birefringence and flow patterns during mold fillin and cooling

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the development of stress birefringence patterns of molten polymer during the mold filling and cooling operation. For this study, a rectangular mold cavity with glass windows on both sides was constructed, which permitted us to record on a movie film the changes in stress birefringence patterns in the mold cavity during the molding operation, using a circular polariscope. The mold was equipped with an automatic relay system which closes the shut-off valve when the pressure in the mold cavity reaches a predetermined value. The mold was also equipped with both heating and cooling devices, so that either isothermal or non-isothermal injection molding could be carried out. The mold temperature was controlled by thermistor regulated controllers. During the entire cycle of the molding operation, the mold cavity pressure was continuously recorded on a chart recorder, using a melt pressure transducer. The present study shows how molding conditions (namely, injection pressure, melt temperature, mold temperature) influence the distribution of stress birefringence patterns in a molten polymer while it is being injected into, and cooled in, a rectangular mold cavity.     

Injection mold flashing of liquid crystalline polymers

Thermotropic polyesters, such as Vectra (Hoechst Celanese), have excellent moldability for intricate parts that require high precision of form, such as electronic connectors. Two apparently contradictory aspects of molding behavior contribute to the moldability. On the one hand, the low viscosity of the liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) at high shear rates favors ease of filling molds that contain long, thin paths. On the other, parts molded from LCP have little or no flash to interfere with the functioning of the parts. There has apparently been little work on the rheological aspects of flash formation. An approximate analysis is made by considering that the flash is the result of melt being extruded from the mold cavity into a slit at the mold parting line. The driving force for the extrusion is the injection pressure. The flow is assumed to be isothermal until solidification occurs, at a time that depends on the thickness of the slit, on the thermal diffusivity of the melt, the melt and mold temperatures, and on the solidification temperature of the material. The viscosity is assumed to have power-law dependence on shear rate. It is found that when the aspect ratio (length to thickness) of the flash is small, its length is strongly dependent on the magnitude of the pressure drop at the contraction from the cavity to the slit. At the minimum pressure required to fill a mold, the flash length is predicted to be independent of the rheological and thermal properties of the melt, except for the power-law exponent. Differences in end correction can, however, account for different tendencies to flash at equal moldability. Comparison of the model with Richardson's analysis of freezing in a cavity suggests a correlation of the thermal properties of the melt with his parameter c, which is related to mold filling ability. Tests of the model and possible refinements are suggested.     

Automated Design for the Runner System of Injection Molds Based On Packing Simulation

Multiple injection cavities are automatically balanced by adjusting runner and gate sizes based on an iterative redesign methodology integrated with computer-aided engineering (CAE) packing simulation. For runner balancing, each cavity must be filled simultaneously at uniform pressure. In addition, the time-pressure history of the polymer melt over the entire molding cycle should be considered. Based on the proposed methodology, a multicavity mold with identical cavities is balanced to minimize entrance pressure differences among various cavities at discrete time steps of the molding cycle. The results have shown more than a 95% reduction of the entrance pressure differences over other related studies, and also have demonstrated increased searching performance over other optimization techniques. A family mold with different cavity volumes and geometries is also balanced to minimize pressure differences at the end of the melt flow path in each cavity on a basis of discrete time steps of the molding cycle. The methodology has shown uniform pressure distributions among the cavities during the entire molding cycle.     

Numerical and experimental investigations on polymer melt flow phenomenon in a vario‐thermal mold cavity

Mold temperature is one of the key factors affecting the morphology and quality of plastic parts. This article explores the melt flow phenomena in a vario‐thermal mold cavity. A coupled numerical method, considering the conjugate heat transfer between the mold and melt, is developed for the melt flow simulation. Mold temperature variations and melt flow phenomena for short shot injection in an electrical heated mold cavity are numerically studied and verified by experiments. The results indicate that the melt flow length and cavity filling ratio increase significantly with the elongation of the preheating time before injection. Melt filling ratio increased nearly linearly with the increasing of electric heating time. The smaller the injection pressure is, the bigger the relative filling ratio increment is. Therefore, polymer melt can flow much longer or the mold cavity can be filled up with a smaller injection pressure when the cavity is preheated. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45193.     

Measurement and Analysis of Cavity Pressure and Melt Filling Capacity During Injection Molding

Using an online measure system consisted of a high sensitivity pressure sensor, a spiral channel mold and a data collecting/analysis series. The cavity pressure and flow length response under different injection pressure, injection velocity, mold temperature and different vibration condition was measured and analyzed in this study. The results show that the cavity pressure and flow length increased with the increase of injection pressure, injection velocity and mold temperature. In vibration assisted injection molding (VAIM), the cavity pressure and flow length increased as a result of imposing vibration. The change of amplitude and frequency in VAIM had more distinct effect on flow length than injection pressure. The results also indicate that the measure system established in this study can accurately monitor and record the changes of cavity pressure, and could be used in the study of melt's filling capacity in injection molding process.