MPI/InjectionCompression Training Manual

for Windows

MOLDFLOW Release 3.0 January 2002

Copyright January 2002 Moldflow Corporation All Rights Reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published by Moldflow Corporation While every effort has been made to avoid errors in the text, the author and publisher shall not be under any legal liability of any kind in respect of or arising out of the information contained herein. MOLDFLOW is a registered trademark of Moldflow Corporation and its subsidiaries. Moldflow Plastics Insight, and MPI are trademarks or registered trademarks of Moldflow Corporation and its subsidiaries. Other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

About this training

Conventions If you see ...
computer text

it means ...
This text displayed on the computer screen, or you should type this text. Perform this task according to the instructions you are given.

What you will need

The content of this training manual assumes that you are experienced with the use of MPI. You should have access to an MPI project directory containing the following key files: MPI 3.0 project file (extension .prj) compact_disc

MPI 3.0 study file (extension .sdy) disc_study

Contents
MPI/Injection-Compression Training Manual for Windows ....................................................................................................1 11 MPI/Injection-Compression Overview..............................................................6 11 MPI/Injection-Compression Overview..............................................................6 1 Definitions and Requirements..........................................................7 About this module......................................................................7 Introduction................................................................................7 Steps of the Injection-Compression Process in MPI.....................9 Specifics of Injection-Compression Analysis in MPI...................10 Specialized Inputs for Injection-Compression Molding Simulation .................................................................................................10 Standard Inputs with Different Interpretations for InjectionCompression.............................................................................12 Example: Comparing processes with a disc model......................................13 Example: Comparing processes with a disc model......................................13 Introduction to the example...........................................................14 Example analysis objectives.....................................................14 Traditional thermoplastic injection molding..............................14 2Process InputsThermoplastic Injection Molding.........................15 Setting up analysis inputs.........................................................16 03Process InputsInjection-Compression Molding.........................19 Model requirements specific to injection-compression analysis20 Model properties specific to injection-compression analysis.....20 Setting up analysis inputs.........................................................24 Comparing results .........................................................................29 Key results to compare.............................................................29 Example: Fine-Tuning the Optical Disk..........................................................35 Example: Fine-Tuning the Optical Disk..........................................................35 Using injection-compression results to fine-tune the process.........36

1.1.1.1.1.1.1 List of Figures

Figure 1. The two phases of injection-compression molding........................8 Figure 2. Sequential and simultaneous injection-compression processes. .8 Figure 3: The disc_study_tpim.sdy study.......................................................15 Figure 4: The disc_study.sdy study.................................................................19

11 MPI/Injection-Compression Overview

1 Definitions and Requirements

About this module

Objective

The objective of this unit is to provide you with preliminary definitions, and an outline of the input requirements, features, and results of an MPI/Injection-Compression analysis. At the end of the unit you should know the basic definitions and input requirements for MPI/Injection-Compression analysis. As MPI/Injection-Compression analysis provides detailed information on the benefits and results of using an alternate molding process. As with all simulations, the results are only as good as the input given to the simulation program. Using the appropriate inputs is essential to properly simulating the process. Additionally, knowing what to look for within the results is critical to streamlining the process, with the aim of creating consistent, highquality products through an economical production process. As a prerequisite to completing this unit, you should have completed the MPI/FLOW, MPI/COOL, and MPI/WARP training units.

Outcome

Why do it?

Prerequisites

Introduction
What is InjectionCompression Analysis? Because injection molding can produce net-shape products with good dimensional accuracy in a very short cycle time, it has become one of the most important polymer-processing operations in the plastics industry today. Thermoplastic polymers, however, are inherently difficult to process due to their high pvT characteristics and high viscosity. Conventional injection molding is unable to meet product design requirements in precision parts that require low residual stresses, such as optical discs and high-precision moldings. Injection-compression molding is often referred to as coining, stamping, compressive-fill, or hybrid molding. In injection-compression molding, the molding cavity initially has an enlarged cross-section that allows flow to proceed readily to the extremes of the cavity under low pressure and stress. At some time during or after filling, the mold cavity thickness is reduced by a compressive force, forcing the resin into the unfilled portions of the cavity and producing a more uniform packing pressure across the cavity.

How injection-compression molding works

For injection-compression molding, the cavity thickness is usually initially oversized by 0.5 to 10 mm more than the nominal thickness; later the thickness will be reduced. Plastic melt is injected into the cavity, and compressed by the press (also called the plunger, moving mold half, and moving platen) at a controlled speed until a maximum force is reached. The press motion is then gradually decreased. The press motion is determined by the maximum force and the pressure required to squeeze the plastic melt. After the cavity is filled and the material settles in the mold and cools down, additional press movement may be required to compensate for polymer shrinkage.

Figure 1. The two phases of injection-compression molding.

Injection Phase

Compression Phase

In the injection phase, the mold cavity thickness is designed to be larger than the target part thickness, in order to allow plastic to flow easily to the extremities of the cavity. Because the plastic flows easily, it can do so under relatively low pressure and stress. In the compression phase, during or after filling, a compressive force reduces the mold cavity thickness, forcing the resin into the unfilled portions of the cavity. This produces a more uniform packing pressure across the cavity, resulting in more homogeneous physical properties and less molded-in stress compared to conventional injection molding.

Sequential and simultaneous processes

In a sequential process, the injection unit (filling, packing) and the compression unit (speed control, force control) do not work at the same time. Compression begins only after filling and packing are done. In a simultaneous process, both the injection unit and the compression unit can work at the same time.

Figure 2. Sequential and simultaneous injection-compression processes

Sequential process

Simultaneous process

(F = fill time, P = pack time, C = cool time, O =mold open time)

Objectives of injection-compression molding analysis

Traditionally, in mold design for injection/compression, material selection and process control are developed on a trial-and-error basis that depends heavily on experience and intuition. This approach has become increasingly inadequate and inefficient when applied to the molding of larger, more complex and more precise parts, or to the processing of new materials. Using MPI/Injection-Compression analysis, you can explore alternative process conditions before molding trials, and the cycle time can be potentially reduced, resulting in substantial operational cost savings. Possible molding problems can be detected early in the mold-design stage, prior to mold-making. This can shorten product development cycles and speed up the introduction of new products or alteration of existing product designs to meet constantly changing demands in the marketplace. MPI Injection-Compression supplements MPI/FLOW by adding simulation of the compression movement of the press. The compression portion is integrated into the existing filling, post-filling, residual stress, and fiber orientation calculations and becomes part of the polymer melt analysis. MPI Injection-Compression can also be used as a supplement to MPI/COOL and MPI/WARP, to form a completely integrated analysis tool. Whether you use injection/compression with filling and post-filling or with cooling, shrinkage and warpage depends on the scope of your analysis and the Moldflow products for which you have licenses. The aims of an injection-compression analysis are: to minimize the press force (clamp force) for compression; to minimize the injection pressure; to minimize shrinkage, warpage, and residual stress.

Steps of the Injection-Compression Process in MPI

The steps of the injection-compression process are: Oversized cavity: The cavity is designed with an oversized thickness that is later reduced during the process. Injection: Plastic melt is injected into the cavity. Press waiting: During the injection, the press is moved to a pre-determined position, where it is stationary. It will stay in this position for a period of time called the press

waiting time. The press waiting time starts when the melt injection begins and ends when the press begins to move. Compression: The compression stage begins when the press (sometimes called the plunger, moving mold half, or moving platen) begins to move. The total press compression time includes the time during which compression is under speed control plust the time during which the press is under force control. Compression under speed control: In the press compression stage the movement of the press is initially under speed control, specified by the press compression speed at incremental distances profile. For each incremental distance, the press moves at a constant speed. This type of movement continues until it reaches a pre-set compression force. Compression under force control: After the press force reaches the pre-set tonnage, the press switches from speed control to force control. The press can keep moving forward; however, it will be in a constant force control mode (pre-set tonnage). Stationary press: After the press compression phase is complete, the press will stay in that position and remain stationary. Press return: When packing and cooling end and the mold opening phase begins, the press begins to move backward.

Specifics of Injection-Compression Analysis in MPI

There are a few assumptions and rules that govern injection-compression analysis in MPI. They are: The compression effect is applied only to the triangular elements of the model. Generally, press force control requires more computational time than press speed control. In MPI/FLOW, short shots cause the analysis to stop. However, in an injectioncompression process, short shorts may be valid, and they will not stop the MPI analysis. There are no constraints in an MPI injection-compression analysis for a sequential process or a simultaneous process in which the compression unit is under speed control. However, for a simultaneous process in which the compression unit is under force control, the analysis may take longer. Even when the press force exceeds the press tonnage specified, the analysis will continue.

Specialized Inputs for Injection-Compression Molding Simulation

As injection-compression molding is a specialized process, there are specialized inputs that you must make to control the process for accurate simulation.

Press compression force: This is the force used by the press to compress the plastic material without damaging the mold halves. It is also used to define the switchover point from the press compression stage (speed control) to the press packing stage (force control); when the specified press compression force is reached, the switchover occurs. This force is equal to or less than the maximum machine clamp force. Press waiting time: The time period between the beginning of injection and the movement of the press. Press open distance: There are three special press positions. At position one, the gap between the moving and stationary mold halves is equal to the final part thickness. At position two, the press remains stationary and waits for the melt injection to take place.

At position three, the finished part is ejected. The distance the press travels from position two to position one is defined as press open distance. Its value ranges from zero to three times the maximum part thickness (3h). In an ideal case, the press open distance can be completed in two stages (press compression stage and press packing stage). During the press compression stage, the movement of the press follows a few steps of constant speed process.

At the press packing stage, the press follows a constant force process. In the second stage the displacement is usually less than one-tenth. Press compression speed at incremental distances: In the injectioncompression process, the compression press moves at incremental distances. In each increment, the press moves at a constant speed. The total press movement distance during the press compression phase (from the position where the plastic injection is carried out to the position where the press packing ends) should be roughly equal to the press open distance. Press compression time: During the press compression stage, the press is under speed control. This is the first part of the press movement. During the press packing stage, the press is under force control. To compensate for shrinkage due to cooling, the press may move forward. This is the second part of the press movement. The time needed to complete both stages is the press compression/packing time. After the press compression/packing time expires, the press will remain stationary until the end of the process, when packing, cooling, and mold opening are complete (which is controlled by the post-filling time). Close injection location after packing: After the injection entrance packing stage ends (controlled by the variable timer for holding pressure), the injection entrance can remain open or can be closed. This option works independently of the valve gate open/close option. If the injection location is not closed after packing, it is possible for plastic to flow backward. This control is equivalent to assigning a valve gate at the injection entrance, which opens at time zero and closes at the end of injection entrance packing (which controlled by the timer for hold pressure). This option is useful when there is no valve gate used in the mesh, and it is not used when injection/compression analysis is not chosen. The packing/holding control in Flow Settings sets the time at which the injection location closes, which is the end of the packing phase.

Standard Inputs with Different Interpretations for InjectionCompression

Some of the input variables that you may use for other MPI analyses have different interpretations when they are used for injection-compression analysis. Injection time: Injection time is the estimated time to fill the entire cavity of the design thickness (not including the extra space created by the press open distance) under ram-speed profile control. Fill to pack switchover by % of volume filled: For thermoplastic injection molding, this value specifies the percent of the total volume filled before the machine switches from flow-rate (ram-speed profile) control to pack/hold pressure control. When injection/compression is used, this value indicates the percentage of the design part weight. Design part weight is defined as the density at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, multiplied by the cavity volume with the design thickness. This only controls the injection unit. Note that the total volume (including the extra space created by the press open distance) is updated at each time step as the press moves. That is, once the press moves, the total volume keeps changing and is different from the original total volume. Pack/hold control: This is the time to pack the material from the injection entrance. At the end of this time period, the injection entrance can either remain open or be closed when injection/compression analysis is carried out. If you assign zero to this variable, then there is no packing from the gate. That is, the timer zero will be carried out truthfully when the injection/compression analysis is chosen. Timer for open/close valve gate: This is used to assign te time to open and close a specific valve gate. The first input for this variable is the valve-gate ID. Parting plane: Parting plane is a variable in the finite element mesh file. For injection-compression analysis, it defines the direction of movement of the press.

Example: Comparing processes with a disc model

Introduction to the example

Example analysis objectives

In this example, MPI Injection/Compression is used to simulate the molding of a simple disc. This example illustrates the problems encountered in molding very thin parts. The thickness of the main part of the disc in this example is 1.27 mm. The objective is to fill the part and achieve consistent flatness.

Traditional thermoplastic injection molding

While tooling and molding machine costs are generally higher for injection-compression molding processes, you can achieve overall process cost savings and greater part quality. The best way to determine which process to use is to simulate molding of the same part through thermoplastic injection molding and using injection-compression molding. The first exercise is to create a baseline for comparison by simulating the molding of the optical disc part with a traditional thermoplastic injection molding process.

2Process InputsThermoplastic Injection Molding

Open the model
1. Start MPI from the Start menu or from the shortcut on your desktop. 2. Select File Objective Open Project. 3. Browse to the MPI project called optical_disk.prj and select Open. 4. Double-click on the study called disc_study_tpim.

Review the model

Figure (BOOKMARK) shows a simplified model of the part.

Figure 3: The disc_study_tpim.sdy study

The outer diameter of this disc is 240 mm. The general thickness of the disc is 1.27 mm, narrowing near the center.

Two cooling circuits, each with one manifold and with an entrance coolant temperature of 70 degrees C are placed in the upper mold half, and two are placed in the lower half. Coolant entrances and properties have been set. A center gate is used in the middle of the disc. The injection location has already been set at the end of the cold runner.

Setting up analysis inputs

Select the molding process
This is a regular MPI/FLOW analysis, in which the first step in setting up the analysis is selecting the molding process. Click Analysis Set Molding Process and choose Thermoplastics Injection Molding.

Set the analysis sequence

Next, you need to specify the sequence of specific analyses that MPI will perform for the model. Click Analysis Set Analysis Sequence, and choose Flow + Cool + Flow + Warp. If that sequence does not appear in the Analysis Sequence listing, select More and then choose Flow + Cool + Flow + Warp from the longer list.

Select the material

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Select Material icon ( ), or choose Analysis Select Material. In the Select Material dialog, go to the Specific Material area at the bottom of the dialog. Use the Manufacturer pull-down menu to choose EPL. Use the Trade Name pull-down menu to choose Lexan (Optical Grade). Click OK.

Set process settings

Specifying the exact conditions for the molding process is the most critical step in ensuring good results. In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Process Settings icon ( Process Settings. ), or choose Analysis

Process Settings Wizard page 1

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

In the Filling control area, use the pull-down menu to choose Injection Time. Enter 0.3 seconds in the field that appears. In the Velocity/pressure switch-over area, use the pull-down menu to select by % volume filled, and enter 99 in the percentage filled field. In the Pack/holding control area, select % Maximum machine pressure vs. time. Click the Set button. In the Pack/Holding Control dialog, enter 0 seconds in the Duration column and 50% in the percent of maximum machine pressure column. Click OK to close the Pack/Holding Control dialog. In the Cooling time area, select Specified. Enter 3 seconds as the cooling time. Click Next.

Process Settings Wizard Page 2

1.

The default, or preferred, mold and melt temperatures will be displayed, based on MPI material characterization. Change the mold temperature from 90 degrees C, the default value, to 70 degrees C. Change the melt temperature from 300 degrees C, the default, to 315 degrees C.

2.

The Mold-open time should read 5 seconds (the default). If it does not, enter 5 seconds.

Process Settings Wizard Page 3

1. 2. 3. 4.

From the Warpage analysis type pull-down menu, choose Automatic. In the Warp Settings dialog, use the pull-down list in the Stress result(s) to output area to select All stress results. If there is a checkmark in the Consider cold runners box, click it to clear the check. This will remove the cold runner from the warpage analysis. Click Finish.

Launch the analysis

In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Analyze Now! icon ( ).

After the analysis is finished, you will run an analysis with using the injection-compression molding process, and then compare the results. This should provide a broad indication of whether the injection-compression process is the right one to use for this model.

03Process InputsInjection-Compression Molding

Open the model
5. Start MPI from the Start menu or from the shortcut on your desktop. 6. Select File Open Project. 7. Browse to the MPI project called optical_disk.prj and select Open. 8. Double-click on the study called disc_study.sdy.

Review the model

Figure (BOOKMARK) shows a simplified model of the part.

Figure 4: The disc_study.sdy study

The outer diameter of this disc is 240 mm. The inner diameter is 35 mm. The thickness of the disc is 1.27 mm.

Two cooling circuits, each with one manifold and with an entrance coolant temperature of 70 degrees C are placed in the upper mold half, and two are placed in the lower half. Coolant entrances and properties have been set. A center gate is used in the middle of the disc. The injection location has already been set at the end of the cold runner.

Model requirements specific to injection-compression analysis

Models to be analyzed using MPI/Injection-Compression must be of midplane mesh. The model must be positioned in the XY plane, with the positive-Z axis pointing toward the machine nozzle. The press open distance must be in the Z direction. The model for this example meets these requirements.

Model properties specific to injection-compression analysis

Models to be analyzed using injection-compression molding simulation have two specific property assignment requirements. First, the compression surface property must be assigned to all elements that are going to be compressed. This indicates what parts of the pressing surface are and are not moving during the compression process. If this property is not assigned to the surface elements, the analysis will treat the surface elements as a conventional injection surface without compression.

Second, you must also specify whether frozen elements will stop the simulation. The compression surface property only needs to be assigned to the actual surfaces to be compressed. If your part has ribs or other features that are not on the compression surface, the property does not need to be assigned to them. In the optical disc example, the center diaphragm area is not compressed, and the property is not assigned to it. Normally, if an injection-compression molding analysis detected a frozen element on the compression surface, the analysis would stop. By specifiying that the analysis should continue, you can bypass this problem.

Select the molding process

As with a regular MPI/FLOW analysis, the first step in setting up the analysis is selecting the molding process. This will ensure that you can complete the compression surface property assignment. Click Analysis Set Molding Process and choose Injection-Compression Molding.

Assign the compression surface property

1. 2. Using the View Layers commend, turn off the layers called Node, NDBC, Channel, Tapered Runner, and Connector. Use the banding zoom tool ( ) to zoom in on the center of the part, so that you can see the entire center gate and surrounding elements:

Figure (#): Center gate and surround elements of the disc_study.sdy model

3. 4. 5.

Using the Select tool, click one of the elements to highlight it. Use Edit Select All or Ctrl + A to select all of the elements. Using the Select tool and holding down the Shift key, click each of the non-surface elements to deselect them:

Figure (#): Deselected center elements

6. 7.

From the Edit menu, choose Assign Property. In the Assign Property dialog, use the New pull-down menu to select Compression surface. Note: If Compression surface does not appear in the list of new properties, go to Analysis Set Molding Process and be sure that Injection-Compression Molding is selected. The Compression surface property dialog will open:

8.

Figure (#): Compression surface property dialog

Enter 1.27 mm in the Thickness field. In this field, always enter the final part thickness in this field. The press open distance, which you will specify as part of the injection-compression process settings, will be added to this part thickness value. Use the pull-down menu to choose No in the Frozen check for compression field. Selecting No will ensure that the compression process will continue even if the simulation detects some elements that have frozen. Selecting Yes will stop the compression if any elements freeze. 9. Click OK to dismiss the Compression surface dialog, and OK again to close the Assign Properties dialog. Note: If you have not selected an injection-compression analysis, the Compression Surface property cannot be selected in the Assign Property dialog.

Setting up analysis inputs

Set the analysis sequence
The next step in setting up the analysis is to specify the sequence of specific analyses that MPI will perform for the injection-compression model. Click Analysis Set Stress. Analysis Sequence, and choose Flow + Cool + Flow + Warp +

If that sequence does not appear in the Analysis Sequence listing, select More and then choose Flow + Cool + Flow + Warp + Stress from the longer list.

Select the material

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Select Material icon ( ), or choose Analysis Select Material. In the Select Material dialog, go to the Specific Material area at the bottom of the dialog. Use the Manufacturer pull-down menu to choose EPL. Use the Trade Name pull-down menu to choose Lexan (Optical Grade). Click OK.

Set process settings

Specifying the exact conditions for the injection-compression molding process is the most critical step in ensuring good results. In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Process Settings icon ( Process Settings. ), or choose Analysis

Process Settings Wizard page 1

1. 2.

3.

4. 5.

6. 7. 8.

In the Filling control area, use the pull-down menu to choose Injection Time. Enter 0.3 seconds in the field that appears. In the Fill/pack switchover area, use the pull-down menu to select by % volume filled, and enter 95% as the percent filled value. When you use the Automatic switch-over option, the flow simulation will determine the optimum time to switch from velocity to pressure control. The transition point is selected such that if the ram stopped instantaneously, there would be enough material decompression to just fill the cavity. In an injection-compression process, the compression will fill the remainder of the cavity, and the percentage filled is set slightly smaller to reflect the decrease in cavity volume during compression. The value is set at 95% instead of 99%, the setting in the thermoplastics injection molding process analysis, because of the decrease in cavity volume. If the volume were higher, overpacking would result during the compression phase. In the Pack/holding control area, select % Maximum machine pressure vs. time. Note that for injection-compression molding, this controls the injection unit, not the compression unit. Click the Set button. In the Pack/Holding Control dialog, enter 0 seconds in the Duration column and 50% in the percent of maximum machine pressure column. You will set the compression controls in the next step. Click OK to close the Pack/Holding Control dialog. In the Cooling time area, select Specified, and enter 3 seconds for the cooling time value. Click Next to go to the next page of the Wizard.

Process Settings Wizard page 2

The Compression Settings page controls the injection-compression components of the analysis. 1. The press open distance is the start position for the moving half of the mold. This distance is added to the part thickness, which was set as part of the compression surface property. The press open distance is added in the Z direction. Enter 0.6 mm as the press open distance. The press waiting time starts when the material injection begins and ends when the press begins to move. Enter 0.2 seconds as the press waiting time. Enter 2 seconds for the press compression time. Note that the maximum compression time can be shorter than the press compression time, depending on the press compression speed at incremental distances. If the maximum compression time is too low, however, there could be a short shot. If no press compression time is entered, only fill occurs, and there will probably be a short shot. The press compression force is the maximum available force. The press is under speed control, but that control will switch to force control if the press compression force limit is reached. Enter 30 tonnes as the press compression force. The press compression speed at incremental distances will start when the press waiting time has elapsed. It can be profiled. If the press compression speed is too slow, a short shot is likely. Enter the following values for the press compression speed at incremental distances: 0.6 mm, 0.3 cm/sec 0.6 mm, 0.3 cm/sec If there is a check mark in the Close injection location after packing box, leave it checked. If there is no check mark, click to put a check mark in the box.

2.

3.

4.

5.

3.

4.

If the injection location is not closed at the end of packing, plastic material can flow backward. It is usually best to close the injection location. Click Next.

Process Settings Wizard page 3

1.

The default, or preferred, mold and melt temperatures will be displayed, based on MPI material characterization. Change the mold temperature from 90 degrees C, the default value, to 70 degrees C. Change the melt temperature from 300 degrees C, the default, to 315 degrees C. Enter 5 seconds as the mold-open time.

Process Settings Wizard page 4

1. 2. 3. 4.

In the Warp Settings dialog, use the pull-down list to choose the Automatic warpage analysis type. Use the pull-down list in the Warp result(s) to output area to select All stress results. Ensure that the other boxes are not checked. Click Finish to close the Process Settings Wizard.

Launch the analysis

In the Study Tasks pane, double-click the Analyze Now! icon ( ).

Comparing results

Key results to compare

For thin parts such as this optical disc, the goal is to use the shortest possible cycle time to produce the narrowest possible range of volumetric shrinkage and the lowest possible amount of stress. To identify the right process to use, you should compare some key results that indicate the extent of volumetric shrinkage and stress, as well as more basic results that have a serious impact on part cost, such as cycle time.

Display the results side-by-side

1. Be sure that both the disc_study.sdy and disc_study_tpim.sdy files are open in MPI. Check to see if there are two display windows, one labeled disc_study and the other labeled disc_study_tpim. If a study is missing, you can open it by double-clicking on the study name in the Project pane. Place the windows next to each other and resize them so that they are approximately equal in size. Put the disc_study_tpim window on the left and the disc_study window on the right. Enter 10 10 5 in the rotation angle field in the View toolbar for each model. This will offset them a little bit and make the results easier to see. Click (View each window. Layers) and turn off the Node, Channel, and Connector layers in

2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Click (Fit to Window) on the View toolbar to fit each of the models to the available window space.

Compare the cycle times

One of the most immediate differences between traditional thermoplastics injection molding and injection-compression molding is in cycle time. Generally, injection-compression molding can make high-quality flat parts in a much shorter overall cycle time than can be achieved with traditional injection molding. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Click to highlight the disc_study_tpim window. In the Study Tasks pane, click the Screen Output checkbox under the Results icon to display the screen output generated during the analysis. Scroll through the screen output and find the cycle time. Repeat for the disc_study analysis. The cycle time for the traditional injection molding method of 18.32 seconds is quite long. The cycle time for injection-compression molding of 8.37 seconds is far more reasonable. Minimize the screen output windows so that you can access them later.

6.

Compare the clamp force

Another distinctive difference between traditional injection molding and injectioncompression molding is the drastically reduced clamp force that injection-compression molding requires. 1. 2. Highlight the disc_study_tpim window. In the Study Tasks pane, click the Clamp Force result checkbox. Examine the result:

3.

Repeat for the disc_study analysis:

Clearly, the traditional thermoplastic injection molding process uses a far greater clamp force.

Compare the Pressure result

The Pressure result as the part cools to the mold temperature gives a general indication of stress and deflection of the part. It is a good initial quality indicator; generally, higher pressure results in more stress. The Pressure result is generated from a flow analysis, and shows the pressure distribution through the flow path inside the mold at the time the result was written. Note: It is recommended that you look at either the time series or intermediate results at around 98% filled rather than 100% filled, as the end-of-fill results can be misleading. This is due to the way that this result is calculated. The calculation evaluates each of the nodes in turn, meaning that one node is the last to fill, even though in reality several of these locations would fill at the same time. This can affect the calculated pressure distributions and flow angles at 100% fill, since the final flow must be towards the last point to fill. The consecutive nature of the calculation generally does not affect the earlier results, such as 98% of fill. Set up the time scale so that the two process results are displayed at the same time. 1. Click in the disc_study_tpim window to highlight it. 2. In the Study Tasks pane, click to check the Pressure result to display it. 3. Click (Step Backward) on the Animation toolbar until you reach the last time step before fill/pack switchover. Since you specified an injection time of 0.3 seconds, this last time step should be .285 to .295 seconds. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the disc_study window.

4.

Next, set up the display scale on the injection-compression result display so that it and the thermoplastics injection molding display the same values. 1. Click in the disc_study window to highlight it. 2. From the Results menu, choose Plot Properties 3. In the Plot Properties dialog, click the Scaling tab. 4. In the Scaling window, click the Specifiedradio button. This allows you to specify the maximum and minimum range for the plot. 5. Enter 64.35 in the Maximum field, to match the maximum end of the pressure scale in the disc_study_tpim result display. 6. Click Apply and then click OK. To get a better idea of the difference in pressure between the two processes, query the pressure result. 1. Click in the disc_study_tpim window to highlight it. 2. From the Results menu, choose Query Results 3. Position the cross-hair within the light blue area to the left of the center gate area, and click. The result query will indicate the pressure:

4.

Now, follow the same steps for the disc_study result, clicking in the same spot:

The pressure just before the end of fill in the injection-compression process is markedly lower at approximately the same location.

Compare the volumetric shrinkage (at ejection) result

Volumetric shrinkage at the end of the process is the shrinkage that produces warpage. Looking at the volumetric shrinkage is a general indicator of potential warpage. A small percentage range of shrinkage indicates a smaller potential for warpage. In a part that is intended to remain flat, such as this disc, the percentage range of shrinkage from the center to the outer edges should be as small as possible. A range of less than one percent is ideal. 1. Equalize the display ranges for both results using the Scaling tab of the Results Plot Properties dialog. 2. The percentage range of volumetric shrinkage between the center and outer edge of the thermoplastics injection molding part is large:

However, the percentage range from the center to the outer edge of the injectioncompression molded part is much smaller:

Generally, it is clear that for a part of this design, injection-compression molding results in better flatness, less warpage, and a significantly reduced cycle time and clamp force. Using the same part model, the next example will describe the results specific to injectioncompression analysis.

Example: Fine-Tuning the Optical Disk

Using injection-compression results to finetune the process

Now that it is clear that injection-compression is a more efficient way of producing this part to a higher quality, the process should be fine-tuned to yield the best possible result. To do so, you will examine the MPI results that are specific to the injection-compression process: Press displacement Press force Press speed Cavity volume

Check the Press Displacement result

In injection-compression molding, when the process starts (when the plastic melt injection begins), the press is in its initial, or reference, location. When the compression phase starts, the press moves forward to a new position and the cavity space is reduced. The distance between the reference location and the new position is the press displacement. Note: Because the mold open stage is not considered in this analysis, there is no backward movement of the press. The minimum value of the press displacement result is zero, and the maximum value is the press open distance. When the press displacement reaches the maximum value, the press will not move forward any more and will stay stationary until the process ends. From the Results menu, choose Create New Plot. In the Create New Plot dialog, choose Press Displacement: XY Plot from the list box and click OK. In injection-compression molding, the objective is to keep press displacement equal (or as close as possible to equal) to the press open distance. When the press displacement and press open distance are equal, the final part thickness will be the same as the design thickness. Using the following formula, determine how closely the disc_study parts final thickness matches its design thickness: Add together the design thickness value and the press open distance value that you entered in the process settings. Subtract the press displacement result value. This will equal the final molded part thickness. In this case, a part design thickness of 1.27 mm and a press open distance of 0.6 mm add up to 1.77 mm. Subtracting the press displacement of 0.6 mm yields a molded part thickness of 1.27 mm, which is the best possible result. Looking at the press force result

Adjusting settings to gain a better press displacement result

There are input settings that can be changed to result in a better molded part thickness. In the case of parts that are too thick after compression, you can try: Reducing the press open distance. Reducing the press wait time; the press will close earlier, before too much material is injected into the cavity. Increasing the press speed; the press will close earlier. Increasing the press compression force; the material can be compressed further. Keeping the injection location open after packing; extra material will be squeezed out during compression. Reducing the velocity/pressure switchover point by percentage volume; less material will be injected into the cavity. Increasing the fill time; the flow rate will be reduced.