Injection Molding

Injection Molding
(with adaptations from C-MOLD manual)
Caroline Schauer
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Drexel University
© Caroline Schauer 2007

Inherent problems in early IM
• Ram injection molding
• Poor Plastication -due to inadequate mixing-thermal
gradients in melt cause inconsistent flow behavior
• Variable injection pressure-ram compresses the
mixture-varying from solid granules to melt-causing
significant pressure differences/cycle
• High pressure drops-due to presence of torpedo
• Difficult to measure shot size-any variation of the bulk
density of the feed will effect shot weight

Injection Molding
• Automotive industry
• Appliances
• Computers
• Communications-cell phones
• Industrial Equipment

Typical injection molded parts
• Automobile
parts
• Sail panel
• Radiator
end cap
• Fuel rails
with
injectors

Salaries for IM
• 97%
• $78,700/year

The machine
Among all the polymer-processing

methods, injection molding accounts
for 32% by weight of all the plastics
processed.

Parts of the machine
1. Injection system (Reciprocating screw in a heated barrel)

2. Driving motor (hydraulic - drives the screw -two motions)
3. The Mold (negative of the part - may include cooling)
4. Clamping System (keeps mold closed under pressure)
5. Controls
Important Parameters in IM
• Material Parameters
– Amorphous, Semicrystalline, Blends and Filled
Systems
– Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) Behavior
– Viscosity
• Geometry Parameters
– Wall Thickness of Part
– Number of Gates
– Gate Location
– Gate Thickness and Area
– Type of Gates: Manually or Automatically Trimmed
– Constraints from Ribs, Bosses and Inserts
• Manufacturing Parameters
– Fill Time
– Packing Pressure Level
– Mold Temperature © Caroline Schauer 2007
– Melt Temperature
Injection system
• The pellets are gravity-fed from the hopper.
• The barrel of the injection molding machine supports
the reciprocating “plasticizing” screw. It is heated by
the electric heater bands.
• The reciprocating screw is used to compress, melt,
and convey the material, (similar to extruder screw).
The difference is that:
– first, as the screw rotates it retracts to fill the shot
chamber
– then it pushes forward to feed the molten plastic
through the nozzle into the mold.

Nozzle and Mold
• Nozzle forms a seal between

the injection system and the
mold
• The mold forms the negative of
the part(s) and serves as a heat
exchanger (cooler).
• It may contain internal cooling
channels (with circulating fluid)
• It is held together under
pressure by the tie bars that
prevent leaking (bleeding) of
the molten polymer through
the “parting line”
Mold
• The sprue delivers the molten
plastic into the mold.
• The runners deliver the plastic
into the part cavities (usually
multiple).
• The gates determine the flow
field into the part cavity.
• The delivery system design has
a great influence on the filling
pattern and thus the quality of
the molded part.
• Part of the plastic in the mold
has to be recycled (sprue,
runners). Special designs (hot
runners) are used to minimize © Caroline Schauer 2007
recycling.
The injection molding cycle

Processing Conditions
• Key parameters: temperature Molding

– Melt temperature, region
i.e., the temperature
in the shot chamber
– Back pressure, i.e.,
the maximum
pressure applied
during the filling of
the mold cavity
pressure

Molding diagram
Setting Process Conditions
• Melt temperature: It should be as low as possible to minimize

energy cost and cooling time but high enough to allow easy
filling (typically there are three to five temperature zones or
heater bands on the cylinder. Set the zone closest to hopper
lowest, then increase the temperature gradually)
Mold wall
coolant wall
outlet
inlet coolant

Processing Conditions
• Mold temperature: The average cavity surface
temperature is higher than the temperature of
the coolant. Thus, set the coolant temperature
to be 10 - 20°C lower than the required mold
temperature. If the mold temperature is 40 to 50°C
or more, consider insulation plates between the
mold and the clamping plates, for energy savings
and process stabilization.
• Higher temperatures may be desirable for
improving part appearance. A higher mold
temperature produces a higher gloss and more
crystallization.

• Switch-over position: is the
ram position where the filling
(injection) stage switches to
the post-filling (packing, or
holding: compensates for
volume due to cooling) stage.
The cushion should contain
adequate material for post-
filling the part, and to prevent
the screw from hitting the
nozzle. The typical cushion
distance is about 5 - 10 mm.
• An insufficient cushion may
cause sink marks on the part.

• Screw rotation speed.
• Back pressure (about 5 to 10 MPa). The growing volume
of material in front of the screw will start pushing the
screw back once pressure within the melt (i.e., back
pressure) is built up to a preset level.
• Injection pressure to the machine maximum to completely
exploit the injection velocity of the machine, so that the
pressure setting valve does not limit the velocity.
• Injection velocity: With the highest possible injection
velocity, you can expect less flow resistance, longer flow
length, and improved strength in weld lines. However,
once you do this, you may need to create vents.
• Insufficient venting causes compression of air trapped in
the cavity. This results in very high temperatures and
pressures in the cavity, causing burn marks, material
degradation, and short shots.
• Holding pressure
• Holding time: The ideal holding time
setting is the gate freezing (sealing)
time or the part freezing time, whichever
is shorter.
• Cooling time: consists of the holding time
and the remaining cooling time (rough
estimate 20 times the filling time).
Mold open time: includes mold opening,
ejection of parts from the mold, then mold
closing.
The mold opening stroke should be
minimized
• Ejector stroke, start position, and
velocity.

Remember
• Injection molding is not a continuous

process like extrusion
• Considered a cyclic process

Polymers commonly Injection Molded
• Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) *
• Acetal
• Acrylic
• Polycarbonate (PC)
• Polyester
• Polyethylene
• Fluoroplastic © Caroline Schauer 2007
• Polyimide
• Nylon
• Polyphenylene oxide
• Polypropylene (PP) **
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Polysulphone
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Injection molding of Thermosets
• Rapid injection of a metered shot of relatively cooled
(~100°C) polymer thermoset into a hot (~200°C) closed
mold
• Held under pressure until solidification occurs
• Provides a more efficient feed plastication resulting in
faster cycle times , and a more efficient versatile
process
• Capable of rapid production of highly complex parts
within tightly controlled dimensional tolerances
• Injection molding cycle same as other polymers except
for during the cooling time thermosets have a curing
time.
• Constant temperature control in the barrel essential to
prevent curing of polymer before mold entry.

Material Selection
• Car bumper--polyurethane
• Bottle--high density polyethylene
(HDPE)
• Compact disc--polystyrene
• Car body panel--polyester
• Intake manifold--nylon 6,6

Injection Molding Additives
Additive Function Examples
calcium carbonate, talc,
Filler increase bulk density
limestone
improve processability, reduce phthalate esters, phosphate
Plasticizer
product brittleness esters
Antioxidant prevent polymer oxidation phenols, aromatic amines
provide desired part application oil-soluble dyes, organic
Colorant
color pigments
Flame retardant reduce polymer flammability antimony trioxide
stabilize polymer against heat or carbon black,
Stabilizer
UV light hydroxybenzophenone
E-glass, S-glass, carbon,

Reinforcement improve strength
Kevlar fibers

Specifications
• Clamping tonnage and shot size are

commonly used to quickly identify the
size of the injection molding machine for
thermoplastics.
• Other parameters include injection
rate, injection pressure, screw
design, mold thickness, and the
distance between tie bars.
Injection pressure
Injection Pressure

Injection Pressure Higher injection Lower injection
Pressure pressure

Basic Calculations
2 KL ⎛ 3n + 1 ⎞
n
ΔP = 3n +1 ⎜ Q⎟ Circular cross section

R ⎝ nπ ⎠
2 KL ⎛ 3n + 1 ⎞
n
ΔP = n 2 n +1 ⎜ Q ⎟ ? Rectangular cross section

W H ⎝ n ⎠
Assumes isothermal, constant cross section
Channel dimension the most important variable

Injection Pressure and Gate Location
• Multiple-gate system
reduces pressure
but may cause
visible weld lines
and require complex
runner systems.
• Computer
simulation can be
used to correct
these problems.

Weld lines can be eliminated by sequentially opening
and closing valve gates.
Center gate open only Other gates open later

Injection Pressure
• Viscosity
plays a role -
hence
temperature
is a factor in
pressure.

•Both injection temperature and mold wall
temperature are important since the plastic
partially cools during injection.

•Part thickness also a major parameter

Pressure vs. Fill Time
• Shorter fill time results
higher volumetric flow
rate, and higher
pressure requirements.
• However, high speed
generates viscous
heating that raises the
material temperature.
The combined effect of
high temperature and
high shear rate
reduces the melt
viscosity, and therefore
offsets the pressure
requirement.
Pressure vs. Fill Time
•Longer fill times result in a thicker frozen
(solidification) layer, which translates into a more
restrictive flow channel, requiring higher injection
pressure.
•Optimization with simulation

Melt Front Velocity
• The dynamics of the melt front are perhaps the
least well understood aspect of mold filling
• High melt front velocity results high surface
stress molecular and fiber orientation.
• Variable orientation within the part, (a result of
variable melt front velocity), leads to
differential shrinkage and, thus, part warpage.
• It is desirable to maintain a constant velocity at
the melt front
• If geometry and filling patterns result in non-
uniform velocity use variable injection speed.
The fountain flow effect

Sprue Design
•The dimensions of the sprue
depend primarily on the
dimensions of the molding and
especially its wall thickness.
• The sprue must not freeze
before any other cross
section in order to permit
sufficient transmission of
holding pressure.
• The sprue must de-mold
easily and reliably.

Runner Design and Balancing
We want to:
1. determine the number of cavities
2. deliver melt to the cavities,
3. balance filling of multiple cavities
4. balance filling of multi-gate
cavities
5. minimize scrap
6. eject easily,
7. maximize efficiency in energy
consumption, and
8. control the filling/packing/cycle
time.

Runners
• Should
exhibit low
flow
resistance
• Should
minimize
cooling
• Should be
“easily”
machined

Balancing is essential - vary dimensions

• Do not balance on the basis of geometry only.

• Precise flow patterns are difficult to “figure-
out” because they are the result of complex
interaction between channel geometry, mold
cooling and viscous heating.
• Simulation gives nice insight.
• Balancing is material dependent - i.e., what
works for PE may not be best for PS...

Hot Runners ($)

Gates
Gate design includes selection of type,
dimensions, location.
It is dictated by the part and mold design, the
part specs (appearance, tolerance,
concentricity, etc.), the material, the fillers,
and economic factors (tooling cost, cycle
time, scrap volume, etc.). Gate design is of
great importance to part quality and
productivity.
Unless it is necessary to use multiple gates, a
single gate is generally preferred. Multiple
gates create weld & meld lines.

Gates continued
• The cross section of the gate is smaller than that of
the runner and the part so that the part can be
separated from the runner.
• When gates freeze packing of the cavity ends. A
larger gate reduces viscous heating, permit lower
velocities, and allow the application of high packing
pressure.
• The gate location should be selected in such a way
that rapid and uniform mold filling is ensured and
the weld/meld lines (if any) and air vents are
positioned properly. The gate should be positioned
away from load-bearing areas.

Cooling
Cooling

Cooling

Injection Molding - 2007

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Injection Molding - 2007

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Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

(with adaptations from C-MOLD manual)

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

Among all the polymer-processing

© Caroline Schauer 2007

1. Injection system (Reciprocating screw in a heated barrel)

© Caroline Schauer 2007

• Nozzle forms a seal between

© Caroline Schauer 2007

• Key parameters: temperature Molding

© Caroline Schauer 2007

• Melt temperature: It should be as low as possible to minimize

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007

© Caroline Schauer 2007