In-Mold Monitoring of Temperature and Cavity Pressure During the Injection Molding Process

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin Fetecau ◽  
Felicia Stan ◽  
Laurentiu I. Sandu
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Temperature Sensors ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Cavity Pressure ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Shear Rates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Two Temperature

This paper focuses on the in-mold monitoring of temperature and cavity pressure. The melt contact temperature and the cavity pressure along the flow path were directly measured using two pressure sensors and two temperature sensors fitted into the cavity of a spiral mold. Three melt temperatures and dies of different heights (1.0, 1.5 and 2 mm) were used to achieve a wide range of practically relevant shear rates. In order to analyze the extent to which the numerical simulation can predict the behavior of the molten polymer during the injection molding process, molding experiments were simulated using the Moldflow software and the simulation results were compared with the experimental data under the same injection molding conditions.

Polypropylene Based Piezo Ceramic Compounds for Micro Injection Molded Sensors

2017 ◽  
Vol 742 ◽  
pp. 807-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Doerffel ◽  
Ricardo Decker ◽  
Michael Heinrich ◽  
Jürgen Tröltzsch ◽  
Mirko Spieler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Ceramic Powder ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Conductive Filler ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Ceramic Particles ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ceramic Compounds

Polymer matrix compounds based on piezo ceramic and electrically conducting particles within a thermoplastic matrix show distinctive piezoelectric and dielectric effects which can used for sensor applications. The electrical and mechanical properties can be adjusted in a wide range by varying the ratio of active filling particles and the matrix materials. The sensor effect of the compound is generated by the ceramic particles. A large ratio of piezo ceramic powder facilitates a high sensitivity. The electrical permittivity of the otherwise insulating matrix polymer can be adjusted by the amount of conductive filler. An aligned permittivity leads to a stronger electrical field in the ceramic particles. In contrast, too many conductive particles create a conductive network in the compound which short-circuits the sensors. The piezo ceramic compounds can be processed via micro injection molding for application as ceramic sensors. This offers a wide range of new sensor design variants, notably three-dimensional and highly complex geometries. However, there are two main demands for a highly sensitive sensor, which are conflicting. On the one hand the filler content of piezo ceramic particles in combination with electrical conductive carbon nanotubes must be very high, on the other hand the wall thickness should be as thin as possible. For filling cavities with a high aspect-ratio in an injection molding process, low viscosity polymer melts are necessary. These process characteristics conflict with the increasing viscosity by filling the melt with the particles. The sensor measuring area has to be designed as thin walled as possible. In order to overcome this obstacle a dynamically tempered mold design is applied to avoid solidification of the melt, before the mold is completely filled. The mold can be tempered by Peltier elements. The fully electric tempering is cleaner, more precise and more reliable than conventional water or oil tempering.

Injection Molding Process Windows Considering Two Conflicting Criteria: Simulation Results

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia B. Rodríguez ◽  
Esmeralda Niño ◽  
Jose M. Castro ◽  
Marcelo Suarez ◽  
Mauricio Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
Process Window ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Multiple Criteria Optimization ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Main Ideas

In this work, two criteria in conflict are considered simultaneously to determine a process window for injection molding. The best compromises between the two criteria are identified through the application of multiple criteria optimization concepts. The aim with this work is to provide a formal and realistic strategy to set processing conditions in injection molding operations. In order to keep the main ideas manageable, the development of the strategy is constrained to two controllable variables in computer simulated parts.

scholarly journals Electricity Consumption Estimation of the Polymer Material Injection-Molding Manufacturing Process: Empirical Model and Application

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Elduque ◽  
Daniel Elduque ◽  
Carmelo Pina ◽  
Isabel Clavería ◽  
Carlos Javierre
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Injection Molding ◽  
Empirical Model ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Polymer Injection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Molded Parts ◽  
Polymer Injection Molding

Polymer injection-molding is one of the most used manufacturing processes for the production of plastic products. Its electricity consumption highly influences its cost as well as its environmental impact. Reducing these factors is one of the challenges that material science and production engineering face today. However, there is currently a lack of data regarding electricity consumption values for injection-molding, which leads to significant errors due to the inherent high variability of injection-molding and its configurations. In this paper, an empirical model is proposed to better estimate the electricity consumption and the environmental impact of the injection-molding process. This empirical model was created after measuring the electricity consumption of a wide range of parts. It provides a method to estimate both electricity consumption and environmental impact, taking into account characteristics of both the molded parts and the molding machine. A case study of an induction cooktop housing is presented, showing adequate accuracy of the empirical model and the importance of proper machine selection to reduce cost, electricity consumption, and environmental impact.

Evaluation of a Piezoelectric Energy Extraction Device for Cavity Pressure Sensing in Injection Molding

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles B. Theurer ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
David Kazmer ◽  
Robert X. Gao
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Mechanical Strain ◽  
Piezoelectric Element ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Transient Model ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Wide Range

This paper presents the design, analysis, and validation of a self-energized piezoelectric pressure sensor that extracts energy from the pressure differential of the polymer melt during the injection molding process. To enable a self-energized sensor design, an analytical study has been conducted to establish a quantitative relationship between the polymer melt pressure and the energy that can be extracted through a piezoelectric converter. Temperature and pressure are monitored during an injection molding cycle and the performance of the piezoelectric element is evaluated with respect to a mechanically static, electrically transient model. In addition to corroboration of the proposed model, valuable statistical information about the working temperature in the prototype sensor will prove very useful in the package design of molding cavity sensors. A linear model examining the energy conversion mechanism due to interactions between the mechanical strain and the electric field developed within the piezoelectric device is established. This model is compared to the functional prototype design to evaluate the relevance of the assumptions and accuracy. The presented design enables a new generation of self-energized sensors that can be employed for the condition monitoring of a wide range of high-energy manufacturing processes.

Simulation of Ceramic Injection Molding for Zirconia Optical Ferrule

2007 ◽  
Vol 336-338 ◽  
pp. 997-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Min Zhang ◽  
Bin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Melt Temperature ◽  
Ceramic Injection Molding ◽  
Rectangular Distribution ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Die Temperature ◽  
Ram Speed ◽  
Short Shot

Zirconia Ferrule is a key part for manufacturing fiber connectors. The ceramic injection molding (CIM) process of the optical ferrule was simulated with the commercial CAE software moldflow. In order to obtain the optimum results, the orthogonal method was introduced to discuss the influence of each parameter such as die temperature, melt temperature, ram speed and gate dimension with the two kinds of distribution layout system respectively. The simulation results show that the curved distribution runner system is more suitable than the rectangular distribution one in the optical ferrule molding. Moreover, the effect of gravity on the ceramic injection molding process was discussed for determining a more reasonable balanced runner system of the special designed two-plate mold with six die cavities. It was found that short shot occurred at the top of the die cavity while other five cavities were filled well in the original designed mold. And when the top die cavity’s round runner with section diameter of 4.0mm was increased to 4.17 mm, each cavity was balanced filled without short shot.

scholarly journals Novel Analysis Methodology of Cavity Pressure Profiles in Injection-Molding Processes Using Interpretation of Machine Learning Model

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 3297
Author(s):  
Jinsu Gim ◽  
Byungohk Rhee
Keyword(s):  
Injection Molding ◽  
Pressure Profile ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Injection Molding Process ◽  
Cavity Pressure ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Part Quality ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Molding Condition

The cavity pressure profile representing the effective molding condition in a cavity is closely related to part quality. Analysis of the effect of the cavity pressure profile on quality requires prior knowledge and understanding of the injection-molding process and polymer materials. In this work, an analysis methodology to examine the effect of the cavity pressure profile on part quality is proposed. The methodology uses the interpretation of a neural network as a metamodel representing the relationship between the cavity pressure profile and the part weight as a quality index. The process state points (PSPs) extracted from the cavity pressure profile were used as the input features of the model. The overall impact of the features on the part weight and the contribution of them on a specific sample clarify the influence of the cavity pressure profile on the part weight. The effect of the process parameters on the part weight and the PSPs supported the validity of the methodology. The influential features and impacts analyzed using this methodology can be employed to set the target points and bounds of the monitoring window, and the contribution of each feature can be used to optimize the injection-molding process.

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