Injection molding of polymer micro- and sub-micron structures with high-aspect ratios

This work studies the injection molding characteristics of polymer micro- and sub-micron structures using demonstration mold inserts with micro- and sub-micron channels with high-aspect ratios. The effects of the injection molding parameters on the achievable aspect ratio of the micro- and sub-micron walls were investigated. Additionally, distinctive mold-filling behaviors and resulting defects were observed for various polymers, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Experimental results reveal that the mold temperature determines the success of the injection molding of micro- and sub-micron walls. The satisfactory mold temperature for micro-injection molding significantly exceeds that for traditional injection molding. Moreover, the main injection pressure and the main injection time substantially affect the achievable aspect ratio of the micro- and sub-micron walls. Furthermore, unusual flow behaviors occur and poor molding results are obtained when PP and HDPE are used for micro-injection molding.     

Development of high gloss plastic for injection molding by utilizing wollastonite(CaSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>) and talc fillers

The gloss of plastic products is an important factor with which customers rapidly and directly decide the value of product. In general, these high-gloss plastic molded parts are produced through the injection molding of glass fiber-added plastic resin using a high temperature mold with the fine surfaces like glass. However, making the mold temperature higher causes the cooling time of injection molding longer, and the prolongation of cooling time leads to the extension of whole cycle of injection molding process. In order to resolve this problem, we developed a resin which makes the high-gloss injection modeling possible at low mold temperature by replacing conventional glass fiber filler with wollastonite filler. The tensile strength, flexural strain, impact strength, flow rate, gloss level and so on of the developed resin were tested with respect to the content of wollastonite. The results show that most of the properties except for the flow rate and gloss level are reduced in the newly developed resin. However, the decline in these properties was not enough to limit the use of new resins. In the gloss level test, as for the equal gloss of injection molded parts, the mold temperature for the developed resin was 30 °C lower than the mold temperature for the conventional resin. The difference of gloss between two injection molded parts using two different resins has been confirmed from the surface inspection of injection molded parts by SEM (scanning electron microscope).     

Integrated simulation of the injection molding process with stereolithography molds

Functional parts are needed for design verification testing, field trials, customer evaluation, and production planning. By eliminating multiple steps, the creation of the injection mold directly by a rapid prototyping (RP) process holds the best promise of reducing the time and cost needed to mold low-volume quantities of parts. The potential of this integration of injection molding with RP has been demonstrated many times. What is missing is the fundamental understanding of how the modifications to the mold material and RP manufacturing process impact both the mold design and the injection molding process. In addition, numerical simulation techniques have now become helpful tools of mold designers and process engineers for traditional injection molding. But all current simulation packages for conventional injection molding are no longer applicable to this new type of injection molds, mainly because the property of the mold material changes greatly. In this paper, an integrated approach to accomplish a numerical simulation of injection molding into rapid-prototyped molds is established and a corresponding simulation system is developed. Comparisons with experimental results are employed for verification, which show that the present scheme is well suited to handle RP fabricated stereolithography (SL) molds.     

Development of an in-process Pokayoke system utilizing accelerometer and logistic regression modeling for monitoring injection molding flash

Today, using recycled materials is a common practice in plastic industries for the sake of saving material cost and pursuing sustainable manufacturing. The recycled materials may have some properties (for example, fluidity and viscosity) significantly different from the primary plastic resin, which may lead to quality problems. An in-process Pokayoke system was developed in this research to monitor injection molding parts’ flash caused by adding a foreign polymer in the lab test, which was used to simulate the recycled plastic. The proposed system employed an accelerometer to capture the injection molding vibration signals. The featured injection molding vibration signals were identified through data analyses, and they were then used as input variables through logistic modeling to predict flash in an injection molding process that utilizes pure polystyrene (PS) mixed with a small portion of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The testing results indicated that this Pokayoke system could monitor the injection molding flash status caused by the mixed material with approximately 95 % accuracy while the injection molding is in process. This Pokayoke system can help the injection molding machine take immediate actions to avoid wastes caused by flash.     

Multi-scale filling simulation of micro-injection molding process

This work proposes a multi-scale simulation method that can simulate filling during the micro-injection molding process. The multiscale simulation is comprised of two steps. In the first step, the macro-scale flow is analyzed using the conventional method. In the second step, the micro-scale simulation is conducted taking the slip and surface tension into consideration to investigate the filling of microcavity. Moreover, a conservative level set method is employed to accurately track the flow front. First, numerical tests have been done for circular micro-channels. The results show that slip and surface tension play important roles in the micro-regime. Second, to verify the multi-scale method, filling of a thin plate with micro-channel patterns has been simulated. The results show that the proposed multi-scale method is promising for micro-injection molding simulations.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation for plastic injection-compression molding

Compared with conventional injection molding, injection-compression molding can mold optical parts with higher precision and lower flow residual stress. However, the melt flow process in a closed cavity becomes more complex because of the moving cavity boundary during compression and the nonlinear problems caused by non-Newtonian polymer melt. In this study, a 3D simulation method was developed for injection-compression molding. In this method, arbitrary Lagrangian- Eulerian was introduced to model the moving-boundary flow problem in the compression stage. The non-Newtonian characteristics and compressibility of the polymer melt were considered. The melt flow and pressure distribution in the cavity were investigated by using the proposed simulation method and compared with those of injection molding. Results reveal that the fountain flow effect becomes significant when the cavity thickness increases during compression. The back flow also plays an important role in the flow pattern and redistribution of cavity pressure. The discrepancy in pressures at different points along the flow path is complicated rather than monotonically decreased in injection molding.     

[绿色制造工艺和系统]复合材料电池箱真空辅助树脂灌注快速成形工艺

分析了几种复合材料零部件常规的制作工艺,针对电池箱的结构特点,提出了材料和结构一体化的真空辅助树脂灌注（VARI）快速成形工艺,并且采用液体成形模拟分析软件PAM-RTM确定了工艺方案和工艺参数。VARI工艺与传统双面模具的树脂传递模塑(RTM)工艺相比,节省了大量的工装设备和工序,降低了成本。为了验证所采用的工艺方法的可行性,实际制作了样件,结果表明所采用的工艺方法实现了快速、低能量消耗且绿色环保的目的。     

金-塑微结构注射成型仿真与试验研究*

金属-塑料(聚合物)复合高强件具有强度高、质量小、易成型复杂结构等优点,在航空航天、汽车制造、通信等领域日益得到重视。介绍金-塑复合微结构注射成型原理,建立聚合物熔体在金属表面微结构填充流动的数值模型。采用两相流水平集方法追踪获得了微尺度下聚合物熔体在金属表面的流动前沿,研究金属表面微结构尺寸大小、注射速度和金属表面温度等参数对聚合物熔体填充微结构能力的影响规律,为实际产品的生产成形提供理论基础。根据金-塑复合件的成型理论与技术,构建金-塑复合成型试验装置,采用物理喷砂的方式制备了金属表面的微结构,并注射获得了金属-塑料成型的试验试样。通过对获得的试验试样进行拉伸剪切试验,验证了本文仿真结果的合理性。所取得的研究结果对优化金-塑成型工艺参数和改善产品质量有着重要的启发和指导意义。     

OPTIMIZATION STUDY IN MANUFACTURING PROCES SFOR PC／ABS BLENDS

The optimization of injection molding process for polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) blends is studied using Taguchi method and principal component analysis (PCA). Four controllable process factors are studied at three levels each in the manufacturing process. The L9 orthogonal array is conducted to determine the optimum process factor/leve! combination for single quality of mechanical properties. In addition, the principal component analysis is employed to transform the correlated mechanical properties to a set of uncorrelated components and to evaluate a comprehensive index for multi-response cases. Then the optimum process factor/level combination for multiple qualities can be determined. Finally, the analysis of variance is used to find out the most influential injection molding parameter for single and multiple qualities problems.     

Multiobjective optimization of injection molding parameters based on soft computing and variable complexity method

The objective of this study is to propose an intelligent methodology for efficiently optimizing the injection molding parameters when multiple constraints and multiple objectives are involved. Multiple objective functions reflecting the product quality, manufacturing cost and molding efficiency were constructed for the optimization model of injection molding parameters while multiple constraint functions reflecting the requirements of clients and the restrictions in the capacity of injection molding machines were established as well. A novel methodology integrating variable complexity methods (VCMs), constrained non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm (CNSGA), back propagation neural networks (BPNNs) and Moldflow analyses was put forward to locate the Pareto optimal solutions to the constrained multiobjective optimization problem. The VCMs enabled both the knowledge-based simplification of the optimization model and the variable-precision flow analyses of different injection molding parameter schemes. The Moldflow analyses were applied to collect the precise sample data for developing BPNNs and to fine-tune the Pareto-optimal solutions after the CNSGA-based optimization while the approximate BPNNs were utilized to efficiently compute the fitness of every individual during the evolution of CNSGA. The case study of optimizing the mold and process parameters for manufacturing mice with a compound-cavity mold demonstrated the feasibility and intelligence of proposed methodology.     

Experimental and numerical analysis of the temperature distribution of injection molded products using protruding microprobes

Injection molding has been one of the most important polymer processing methods for manufacturing plastic parts. In the process, the temperature is an important parameter that influences process features such as cycle times, crystallization rates, degree of crystallinity, melt flow properties, and molded product qualities. This study aims to, experimentally and numerically, examine the three-dimensional temperature distribution along the melt flow path of injection molded parts. A special experimental set-up, which includes an injection mold equipped with protruding microprobes for guiding embedded thermocouples, was designed and built to measure the temperature field along the flow path, i.e., inside the runner and the cavity, of injection molded products. The experimental results suggested that the disturbance induced by the probes remained negligible and precise temperature profiles could be measured at various positions inside the cavity. A significant increase of melt temperature was found to result from the viscous dissipation of the polymeric materials in the runner. Additionally, a commercially available code was employed to simulate and predict the temperature variation in injection molded parts. It was shown that the numerical simulation predicted better the temperature distributions inside the cavity than those along the runner.     

塑料注射成形过程仿真软件的开发和应用

智能型3维注射成形过程仿真系统HSCAE　3D解决了用3维实体／表面模型取代中性层模型的关键性技术难题，通过数值计算与人工智能技术的结合，使仿真软件由传统的被动式计算工具提升为主动式优化系统。实验和实践证明，HSCAE　3D为注塑制品与模具的虚拟制造奠定了坚实的理论和技术基础，构成了注塑制品成形质量全面控制的核心技术，已在模具行业中得到了很好的应用。     

金属注射成型技术在气相色谱仪复杂零件制造中的应用

气相色谱仪中涉及到很多机械加工的零件。而对比较复杂的结构零件,机械加工包括数控机床加工,不一定是最佳制做方法。因为机械加工的时间长,质量不能保证,统一性差,成本高。近年出现了一种新的制造工艺——金属粉末注射加工技术,特别适合批量生产小型、结构复杂及有特殊要求的金属零件。本文以安捷伦7890气相色谱仪为例,介绍了金属粉末注射技术在气相色谱仪复杂零件制造上的应用。     

Modeling and experiment of surface error for large-aperture aspheric SiC mirror based on residual height and wheel wear

Shaped metal deposition method using gas tungsten arc welding is a novel manufacturing technology that can be used for fabricating solid dense parts in layered manufacturing. This paper reports for the first time using the pulsed current shaped metal deposition technique for fabricating components using cold wire of AISI 308LSi stainless steel. The aim of this work was to investigate and compare the effect of pulse frequency and other deposition process parameters on the morphology aspects and microstructure characteristics of the manufactured components using pulsed and continuous current processes. The obtained results reveal that the structure of the deposited specimens produced via pulsed arc current is generally having finer grains, high residual ferrite, and absence of columnar grains. Pulse frequency and current ratio have a significant influence on the surface morphology and microstructure of the manufactured parts. Good metallurgical bonding with no sensitization effects can be seen in all tested specimens. The presented additive layered manufacturing method can be recommended for near net-shaped processing of austenitic stainless steel components, and it can be used as an alternative manufacturing method for fabricating metal components with free defects, higher corrosion resistance, and superior mechanical properties.     

Study of injection molding process simulation and mold design of automotive back door panel

Numerical simulation of the injection molding process of the outer panel of the automotive plastic rear door and mold design is presented here. Computer aided three-dimensional interactive application (CATIA) is employed to design the original automotive steel structure, and the modal and thermodynamic properties of the plastic back door outer panel are changed by changing the different injection materials of the back door outer panel. In order to efficiently design the panels, finite element analysis is used to verify whether the designed parts meet the mechanical properties requirements such as light weight, low fuel consumption, short production cycle, strong modeling design, high corrosion resistance and good recovery, the above main parameters have been evaluated, and the above main parameters are carried out evaluate. To simulate the injection molding process, computer aided engineering (CAE) software such as ANSYS and HyperWorks are used to analyze the back door of the selected material. After the numerical analysis, suitable material is selected, so that the modal and thermodynamic properties of the product could be satisfied as well as improved. Unigraphics NX (UG) is employed to design the convex and concave mold for the injection molding of the automobile’s plastic back door panel. Combined with the characteristics of the parts and the design requirements of the injection mold, the multi-scheme design of the pouring and cooling system is carried out. By comparing the effects of different gating and cooling systems on injection molding, the best gating and cooling system is selected. The artificial fish swarm algorithm is used to optimize the process parameters of the injection molding process, and the best combination of the injection molding process parameters of the outer panel of the rear door of the automobile is obtained.

     

Quality control of the injection molding process using an EWMA predictor and minimum–variance controller

This study presents an exponentially weighted moving average predictor and minimum–variance controller for the quality control of plastic injection molding processes. This is a slow drifting problem of quality control during plastic injection molding processes. In order to have good product quality for plastic injection molding process, a proposed approach was applied to achieve the desired process control quality during the control process. To simplify the process model and reduce system loads, design of experiments technique was adopted to analyze the important factors that had significant effects on the product quality and their relative correlations. The results of this research showed that the proposed approach was effective for a quality control of plastic injection molding process. This cannot only steadily control the manufacturing process to reduce product loss and maintenance time due to unforeseen malfunctions, but they can also increase the efficiency of the equipment and the process.     

浅析注射成型塑料件结构设计

从注射成型塑料件结构设计的角度出发,结合材料本身特性及注塑生产的工艺特点,总结了注射成型塑料件结构设计上的一些要点和注意事项,列举了若干设计中经常采取的结构形式和改进方法,为注射成型塑料件的结构设计给出了参考。     

Impact performance prediction of injection-molded talc-filled polypropylene through thermomechanical environment assessment

Due to the fact that different injection molding conditions tailor the mechanical response of the thermoplastic material, such effect must be considered earlier in the product development process. The existing approaches implemented in different commercial software solutions are very limited in their capabilities to estimate the influence of processing conditions on the mechanical properties. Thus, the accuracy of predictive simulations could be improved. In this study, we demonstrate how to establish straightforward processing-impact property relationships of talc-filled injection-molded polypropylene disc-shaped parts by assessing the thermomechanical environment (TME). To investigate the relationship between impact properties and the key operative variables (flow rate, melt and mold temperature, and holding pressure), the design of experiments approach was applied to systematically vary the TME of molded samples. The TME is characterized on computer flow simulation outputs and defined by two thermomechanical indices (TMI): the cooling index (CI; associated to the core features) and the thermo-stress index (TSI; related to the skin features). The TMI methodology coupled to an integrated simulation program has been developed as a tool to predict the impact response. The dynamic impact properties (peak force, peak energy, and puncture energy) were evaluated using instrumented falling weight impact tests and were all found to be similarly affected by the imposed TME. The most important molding parameters affecting the impact properties were found to be the processing temperatures (melt and mold). CI revealed greater importance for the impact response than TSI. The developed integrative tool provided truthful predictions for the envisaged impact properties.     

Morphology and mechanical properties of polypropylene micro-arrays by micro-injection molding

To study the effects of particular process conditions and micro size factor on microstructures manufactured by micro-injection molding, four types of polypropylene micro column arrays are fabricated. The filling performance, morphology, and mechanical properties of these column arrays are investigated by polarized light microscopic, SEM, X-ray microbeam diffraction, nanoindentation, and microindentation. The process parameters are optimized by analyzing the filling performance of these micro columns under different process conditions. These micro columns represent “skin-core” structure and spherulite size diminishes gradually with the decrease of diameter of micro columns. Micro columns contain both α and β phase. The hardness and modulus of the same micro column increase from core zone to skin layer. There is no obvious difference of hardness among the micro columns with different diameters.     

An economic analysis comparing the cost feasibility of replacing injection molding processes with emerging additive manufacturing techniques

Additive manufacturing (AM) has proliferated in recent years and is displacing traditional manufacturing methods in numerous applications due to improvements in process efficiencies and cost reductions related to the evolving AM processes. This study explores the cost structure and break-even points of AM versus traditional methods. The comparative analysis examined the cost requirements of AM versus injection molding to manufacture various lot sizes of parts. Break-even points based on lot sizes and the relationship to the overall cost structure were also calculated. This research concludes that break-even points may be calculated based on part mass, density, and lot size.