Effects of processing conditions on birefringence development in injection molded parts. II. Experimental measurement

The birefringence of injection molded parts was measured using a digital photoelasticity system, which combines a digital image analysis technique and the half-fringe photoelasticity (HFP) method The effects of processing conditions, including melt temperature, mold temperature, filling time and packing pressure, on the birefringence development in the molded parts were investigated. It was found that temperature and pressure are the two dominant factors that determine the birefringence development in the parts during the molding process. Frozen-in birefringence of the molded parts decreases with increasing melt temperature, mold temperature and injection speed. Birefringence of the parts also increases with increased packing pressure, especially around the gate area. Numerical simulations using the Leonov viscoelastic fluid model predict similar dependence of birefringence of parts on processing conditions. Simulated results are also consistent with measured values.     

High-precision molding simulation prediction of glass lens profile for a new lanthanide optical glass

Precision glass lens molding (PGLM) is a recently developed method for fabricating glass optical components with high precision in large volumes. Lanthanum optical glasses are extensively used as optical materials owing to their superior optical properties, such as high refractive index, low dispersion, and high transparency. However, the transformation temperature of currently available high refractive index glass is generally above 650 °C and poses a challenge in manufacturing ultra-hard molds, durable coatings, and high-temperature molding equipment using PGLM. In this study, a preparation method for obtaining high refractive index, low -melting -point lanthanide optical glass (B-ZLaT198) used in PGLM was developed to reduce the transformation temperature. The developed method also characterizes the glass refractive indices and thermal-mechanical properties. To achieve the high-precision prediction of a molding shape in a simulation, a viscoelastic constitutive model of glass was established based on a micro-deformation uniaxial compression creep test. Moreover, by solving the Tool-Narayanasway-Moynihan model parameters based on the specific heat capacity fitting of optical glass at different heating and cooling rates, the input parameters of the structural relaxation model (SRM) for simulation prediction of aspheric glass lens profile deviation in the annealing stage were obtained. Finally, the profile deviation of the aspheric lens was predicted using a finite element model simulation. The results showed that the simulation’s predicted profile of an aspheric lens using the SRM model was in good agreement with that of experimental molding profile. In addition, using the SRM provided a higher prediction accuracy than that of the thermal expansion model in the annealing stage. Adopting the SRM was necessary for the annealing simulations of molding pressing and also verified the accuracy of the proposed viscoelastic characterization method for calculating the thermomechanical parameters of optical glasses.     

Experimental investigation of contact heat transfer coefficients in nonisothermal glass molding by infrared thermography

Nonisothermal glass molding has recently become a promising technology solution for the cost-efficient production of complex precision glass optical components. During the molding process, the glass temperature and its temperature distribution have crucial effects on the accuracy of molded optics. In nonisothermal molding, the glass temperature is greatly influenced by thermal contact conductance because there is a large temperature difference between the glass and mold parts. Though widely agreed to be varied during the molding process, the contact conductance was usually assumed as constant coefficients in most early works without sufficient experimental justifications. This paper presents an experiment approach to determine the thermal contact coefficient derived from transient temperature measurements by using infrared thermographic camera. The transient method demonstrates a beneficially short processing time and the adequate measurement at desirable molding temperature without glass sticking. Particularly, this method promises the avoidance of the overestimated contact coefficients derived from steady-state approach due to the viscoelastic deformation of glass during the inevitably long period of holding force. Based on this method, the dependency of thermal contact conductance on mold surface roughness, contact pressure, and interfacial temperature ranging from slightly below-to-above glass transition temperature was investigated. The results reveal the dominance of interfacial temperature on the contact conductance while the linear pressure-dependent conductance with an identical slope observed for all roughness and mold temperatures. The accurate determination of the contact heat transfer coefficients will eventually improve the predictions of the form accuracy, the optical properties, and possible defects such as chill ripples or glass breakage of molded lenses by the nonisothermal glass molding process.     

Temperature and rate dependent debonding behaviors of precision glass molding interface

The glass-to-mold adhesion in precision glass molding could severely degrade the quality of molded optics and shorten the lifespan of the precious molds. Since the consequences of adhesion take effect during the separation between glass and molds, it is important to investigate the debonding behaviors of a typical glass molding interface. To this end, here we perform a probe tack test procedure for borosilicate glass BK7, where debonding is conducted at molding temperature and specific velocity. We fully characterize the debonding behaviors using the peak adhesion stress σ_max and the work of debonding W_deb. Experiments show that when temperature is decreased from 690°C to 655°C at 10 μm/s, σ_max continuously increases, while W_deb first increases but then sharply decreases. When the debonding velocity is increased from 10 to 50 μm/s at 680°C, σ_max also increases while W_deb overall decreases. Therefore, the debonding behaviors are highly temperature and rate dependent. More importantly, depending on the debonding conditions, three debonding types are identified, that is, the cohesive bulk deformation, the cohesive-interfacial transition and the interfacial fracture. The cohesive type can be converted into the interfacial fracture, by either decreasing temperature or increasing the debonding velocity. Based on the W_deb criterion, the three debonding regimes can be clearly distinguished. Finally, analyses on the temperature and velocity experimental results are unified by incorporating the reduced crack velocity a_Tv_c. The dependences of both viscoelasticity and W_deb on a_Tv_c qualitatively explain the transition condition for different debonding types. Concerning these findings, the work of debonding not only supplements the characterization of adhesion strength, but also throws insightful light on revealing the debonding mechanisms.     

注射成型聚苯乙烯制品双折射的光弹测试与分析

分析了无定形聚合物注射成型双折射行为及其产生机理,利用光弹法测试了不同工艺条件下聚苯乙烯(PS)平面内双折射分布,考察了熔体温度和保压压力变化对制品双折射和流动残余应力的影响。结果表明,PS制品残余双折射值在流动方向上从浇口附近至流动末端逐渐降低,并且最大双折射值随保压压力增加和熔体温度降低而升高;保压压力对浇口附近双折射分布影响明显。根据双折射的光弹测试结果分析了P制品分子取向和流动残余应力的分布趋势。     

Study on shape deviation and crack of ultra-thin glass molding process for curved surface

The demands towards high precision and surface quality of ultra-thin glass for curved screens are continuously rising in the field of smart mobile terminals. Although the ultra-thin glass molding process (UTGMP) has the advantage of the shorter production cycle and higher efficiency, there are still typical forming defects in the molding process, namely crack, shape deviation, and large surface roughness. This paper aimed to investigate the influence mechanism of UTGMP molding temperature and pressure on the shape deviation, crack area, and surface quality of ultra-thin glass. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) was established to study typical forming defects of curved surfaces, and the effects of molding temperature and pressure on the shape deviation and crack area for ultra-thin glass were studied by the FEM simulation method. The simulation results revealed the molding temperature has a significant effect on the shape deviation, crack area and surface quality, while the molding pressure is only strongly correlated with shape deviation and crack area. In addition, the reliability of the model was verified by a series of five-level single factor experiments, and the shape deviation and crack area of ultra-thin glass were discussed in detail. Under the appropriate molding pressure and temperature range (0.45 MPa, 802–806 °C), the accuracy of curvature was improved by 33%, the roughness was reduced by 21%, and the probability of crack was also reduced. Thus, this study contributes to improving UTGMP's molding accuracy and reducing molding defects, and plays a positive role in reducing production costs and improving production efficiency.     

注射成型熔接线区域流动诱导双折射行为

带有熔接线的透明聚苯乙烯平板制品通过带嵌件的模具注射成型,利用光弹测试考察了不同工艺条件下的制品双折射行为,探讨了嵌件造成的相邻熔接线区域熔体流动行为及对制品双折射分布的影响。结果表明,保压压力和熔体温度对制品双折射整体分布影响明显;嵌件后熔接缝区域与制品其他区域的双折射行为有较大差异,其变化与熔体相遇后流动行为和熔接部位分子取向分布有关;制品最大双折射值出现在嵌件后一定距离处。热收缩实验进一步验证了上述结果。     

用于精密模压的低熔点玻璃

光学玻璃直接模压成型技术带动了低熔点光学玻璃的发展。模压成型技术对所使用的光学玻璃材料提出了有别于传统光学玻璃的要求,要求开发出转变温度Tg低的环保型低熔点光学玻璃。分析了对低熔点玻璃的要求,介绍和对比各材料厂家最新的低熔点玻璃材料进展情况,并对用于精密模压的低熔点玻璃未来的发展方向作了展望。     

Study on the blackening phenomenon of leaded glass during microgroove molding using nickel phosphorous mold

Precision glass molding (PGM) is a recently developed method to fabricate glass microgroove components. Lead glass is commonly used as an optical material due to its high refractive index and low transition temperature. A nickel-phosphorous (Ni–P) plated mold is traditionally employed in the PGM process for microstructures optics. However, leaded glass is subject to color change and can blacken during the PGM process, reducing the light transmittance of microgrooves. In this paper, an equation for the redox reaction between Ni and Pb is proposed, which is based on the diffusion of inner Ni atoms to the surface of the mold and the standard electrode potential of the Pb ions in leaded glass. A viscoelastic constitutive model of the glass is established to simulate the compression stress distribution during molding. Finally, the effects of molding pressure, molding temperature, and mold material on glass blackening are studied. The results show that the blackening of leaded glass is caused by Pb enriching the surface. The rise in molding stress and temperature increases the deformation of Ni–P plating, which promotes the diffusion of Ni atoms. By adding a titanium incorporated diamond-like carbon (Ti-DLC) coating, the deformation of the Ni–P plating during molding is suppressed, and the diffusion of Ni atoms can be prevented. In this way, the blackening of leaded glass can be prevented.     

Fabrication of chalcogenide microlens arrays by femtosecond laser writing and precision molding

In this study, convex microlens arrays (MLAs) on chalcogenide glass (ChG) surface were fabricated through femtosecond laser direct writing and precision molding. Femtosecond laser writing was first employed to induce regularly arranged damage craters on the surface of silica glass. Then, the surface of silica was etched with hydrofluoric acid to obtain a smooth concave MLA. Finally, the concave microlens of silica was replicated on the surface of ChG by precision molding to obtain ChG MLA. The resulting ChG MLA had a uniform structure, clear image, and good focusing effect. By optimising the parameters of laser direct writing and chemical etching, we produced 1600 rectangular and hexagonal microlenses from As₂Se₃.The optical performances of MLAs were demonstrated by their excellent imaging and focusing capabilities. The method applied provides an efficient way to prepare large-scale MLA masks and MLAs.     

Modeling of thermo-viscoelastic material behavior of glass over a wide temperature range in glass compression molding

In glass compression molding, most current modeling approaches of temperature-dependent viscoelastic behavior of glass materials are restricted to thermo-rheologically simple assumption. This research conducts a detailed study and demonstrates that this assumption, however, is not adequate for glass molding simulations over a wide range of molding temperatures. In this paper, we introduce a new method that eliminates the prerequisite of relaxation functions and shift factors for modeling of the thermo-viscoelastic material behavior. More specifically, the temperature effect is directly incorporated into each parameter of the mechanical model. The mechanical model parameters are derived from creep displacements using uniaxial compression experiments. Validations of the proposed method are conducted for three different glass categories, including borosilicate, aluminosilicate, and chalcogenide glasses. Excellent agreement between the creep experiments and simulation results is found in all glasses over long pressing time up to 900 seconds and a large temperature range that corresponds to the glass viscosity of log (η) = 9.5 – 6.8 Pas. The method eventually promises an enhancement of the glass molding simulation.     

聚合物熔体密度在线测量在精密注射成型中的应用

基于超声波传播速度与传播介质物性参数密切关联和快速响应的特性,通过实验和理论分析得到了超声波传播速度与聚合物熔体密度存在单值对应关系的重要结论;根据精密注塑制品成型周期短的特点,在实验的基础上采用改进最小二乘法,即缩小自变量使其在0～1的范围内可以有效降低拟合阶数,提高运算速度的方法,建立了基于超声波速度单值变量的熔体密度在线软测量模型,并将该软测量模型应用于注射成型过程中对聚合物熔体注射重量的控制;即由该软测量模型得到的在线熔体密度与螺杆截面积的乘积对螺杆注射行程进行积分,可以精确计算出聚合物熔体注射重量,以此实现对注射机成型制品重量的精密控制;理论和实验都验证了基于熔体密度在线软测量的注射量重量控制方法优于传统的体积控制方法,是提高注射成型过程制品重量重复精度的有效方法。     

UV光固化注射成型工艺实验研究

在传统注射成型工艺的基础上,对模内“光化学制造”工艺参数进行实验研究,分析得到UV材料温度、保压压力对制品精度的影响。其中,利用成型制品平均质量评价UV光固化制品整体成型质量精度。此外,采用横截面图形比较法对制品微结构形态质量进行评价。结果表明,UV光固化注射成型具有替代热塑性材料注射成型方面的可行性。     

塑料光学制件精密成型技术的现状

本文对目前塑料光学制件精密成型技术进行了研究。传统的注射成型方法不能达到光学元件的性能要求，而注射成型与压缩成型结合在一起，则能克服注射成型中的部分问题，得到较高质量的产品，故发展了先注射后压缩的二次成型和注射压缩成型技术。超精模压成型能进一步完善注射压缩成型技术，得到更高质量的塑料制品。     

环氧树脂/玻璃纤维模压预浸料固化反应动力学研究

采用非等温DSC方法研究了一种模压预浸料(环氧树脂/玻璃纤维)的固化动力学,应用Kissinger和Crane方程拟合求得固化动力学参数,并建立了该预浸料固化动力学唯象模型.通过无转子硫化仪测试预浸料在不同温度下的凝胶时间,通过线性拟合得到固化温度与凝胶时间的函数关系,并对预浸料的固化工艺进行优化.结果表明,通过Kis...     

Multilayer injection molding of high-profile convex lens

The use of injection molding to produce a convex lens of a high thickness and a high proportion of the component thickness requires not only a long cooling time but also results in a low production efficiency and a low yield. In particular, the heat concentration in thick regions can create high shrinkage and create poor surface geometry in these lenses. Multilayer injection molding (MIM) has reduced the cycle time and also improved the geometrical accuracy of thick parts, and thus it has drawn attention in recent years. This study evaluated the feasibility of MIM to produce a convex lens having a high thickness and a high thickness ratio, in which a thick optical lens would be made of a plurality of thin layers. In this study, conventional injection molding (CIM), two-layer IM, and three-layer IM were evaluated empirically to explore the effects of various molding combinations on surface contours accuracy, cycle time, residual stress, and lens transmittance. In the comparison, the three-layer IM significantly reduced the surface profile error to 0.015 mm (CIM was 0.1 mm) and reduced the surface profile error to 30%. Moreover, uniformity of the shrinkage distribution and good surface profile accuracy can be obtained. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48600.     

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.     

注射成型中聚合物剪切诱导结晶行为的三维模拟

在考虑剪切导致分子链取向并升高其平衡熔点的基础上,建立了基于Nakamura方程的剪切诱导结晶动力学模型。在WLF-Cross黏度模型中引入结晶对黏度系数的影响,构建了考虑结晶的注射成型过程模型。采用改进的有限体积法对聚合物剪切诱导结晶行为进行了三维数值模拟,模拟中耦合了流动场、熔体压力、温度、诱导时间与结晶度。结果表明,本方法可清晰模拟出注射成型过程中聚合物的三维“喷泉”流动行为以及3层“皮-芯”结晶结构,同时,诱导结晶时间指数与相对结晶度的模拟结果与理论及实验结果吻合。     

塑料挤出成型过程的数值模拟研究

先简单介绍了常用数值计算方法（有限差分法、有限元法、边界元法、有限体积法），并将其运用于塑料挤出成型过程中。从螺杆挤出过程、口模的设计以及挤出胀大等方面综述了模拟技术在塑料挤出成型加工过程中的研究结果，号召业内人士主动使用CFD（Computational Fluid Dynamics）软件包进行优化设计，可提高国际竞争力。     

聚碳酸酯注射成型分子取向分布的双折射实验研究

运用楔块法研究了聚碳酸酯(PC)注塑平板不同位置处厚度方向上的双折射和分子取向分布,同时考察了注射成型工艺和退火处理对制品双折射分布的影响。结果表明,在制品侧壁处出现沿厚度方向上双折射非对称分布的现象;在靠近冷模壁侧,次表层出现双折射峰值或不连续分布;熔体温度和保压压力对厚度方向双折射影响较大;退火处理几乎不影响双折射和分子取向分布。