Plastic Injection Technology

BMM 4843

Control

Wan Sharuzi Wan Harun

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Pahang
[email protected]
[email protected]
019 959 0039
09 424 6339
INTRODUCTION
• A control system on the IMM is required to
cause the clamp unit, the mold, and the
injection unit function properly with any
degree of automation.
• Essential elements of the control system are;
– Controlling
– Monitoring
Processing Functi ons
1. Clamp Unit Control
– Control over the speed of moveable platen (and
the mold) opens and closes without jerking.
– How far the platen opens and the amount of
clamp tonnage pressure exerted to hold closed
the mold.
– Controls some vital safety setting that prevent
the mold from closing under abnormal
conditions.
Processing Functi ons
2. Extruder (Screw) Control
– The speed of the screw rotation (RPM or % of
maximum speed) and the amount of back
pressure are determined with this control.
3. Temperature Control
– Controls the temp. settings of the heater bands
on the barrel and the nozzle.
– Each heater band zone and the nozzle may
independent set at the specific temp. desired.
Processing Functi ons
4. Injection Control
– Control of the shot size.
– The fill speed or velocity of the screw as it comes
forward during injection.
– The transfer point where the screw speed
reduces to commence the holding of the screw in
place until the sprue freezes off.
– The hold pressure setting that are required while
the part(s) are cooled and solidify.
Processing Functi ons
5. Core Pull
– The selection of the core pull sequence and the
positions required are determined by this
function.
6. Ejector Control
– The speed, position, and forward limits of
ejection are determined in this function.
– Multiple or pulsing ejection is also controlled as
is retraction speed and limits of ejectors
performing multiple ejection.
Processing Functi ons
7. Purge Control
– Control over the purging of the barrel of
unwanted plastic, whether to shut down, change
color or other purposes.
– The screw rotate speed, back pressure limitation,
purge time and number of purge cycles that are
normally controlled manually, may be controlled
automatically.
Control Functi ons
1. Manual mode
– Where the limits may be set to desired parameters, but the
machine will not perform any functions unless an activate
button engaged.
– This mode is typically used in starting up a mold or shutting
down and purging.
2. Semi-Automatic mode
– All the machine limits are preset but the machine stops at
the end of the cycle.
– Will not commence a new cycle until the machine safety
gate is opened and closed.
– Commonly used where ejection must be done manually or
with manual assist (by the operator) or when a mold is just
starting up.
Control Functi ons
3. Automatic mode
– All machine limits are preset and the machine
cycles repeatedly unless stopped by a safety
condition or by the operator.
• Indicating that the core sections, cavity
sections, and the runner system is contained
within two plates or three plates in the mold.
• The runner system includes the sprue (main
channel through which the molten plastic
enters the mold) and the runners (smaller
channels that carry the plastic from the sprue
to the cavities and cores).
• As the molten plastic between the cores and
cavities cool and solidify, so does the plastic in
the sprue and runners.
Figure 7.1 Two plate mold in a closed position
• As shown in figure 7.1, its referred to as a two
plate mold because the parts and the runner
system are all contained within two plates,
The A plate and B plate.
• Two plate mold is the most common types of
mold in use.
• Besides the two plates referred to as the A
and B plates, there are three other plated that
comprise the main element of the mold. All of
these plates, are referred to as the mold base.
• The gate is a small opening where the molten
plastic moves from the runner system into the part.
Figure 7.2 Two
plate mold in an
open.
• When the mold opens, where the movable
platen retracts, the parts and runner system
stay on the core half of the mold. The sprue
puller pulls the sprue out of the sprue bushing.
Figure 7.3 Two
plate mold shown
at ejection
• The runner systems needed to serve a mold that
is making a number of parts in one shot.
• Two common designs of runner.
– Circular
– Symmetrical
• All designs must be balanced, that is the distance
from the sprue to each part has the same length
and flow volume.
Figure 7.4 Illustration of two
balanced runner systems
Runner & Gate
 Runner Cross Section
Three conventional runner profiles
Parting line

Sometime calls
 Runner Cross Section
• All runner cross sections are focuses on
minimize liquid resistance and temperature
reduction when molten polymer flows into the
cavity.
– Too big
• Longer cooling time, more material, costly
– Too small
• Short shot, sink mark, bad quality
– Too long
• Pressure drop, cooling, waste
20
• The gates comes in variety of forms.
– Tab gate
– Fan gate
– Ring gate
– Submarine gate, etc
• The gate is always smaller in cross-section than the
runner so that the part may detach cleanly and easily.
• Because of the small size, gates also impart some
shear to the melted plastic as it enters the cavity.
• Excessive shear is not desirable and can cause
cosmetic and physical imperfections in the part.
• A closer look into Figure 7.4, a feature called a slug well.
• Because the initial surge of material will cool as it goes
through the sprue and runner, a ”slug” of this cooler
material may develop.
• The failure to “sidetrack” this slug could cause stresses
during injection.
• An extension to portions of the runner system, where a
corner exists, allows the slug to be “sidetracked” and
remain in this slug well.
• A large slug well is also designed just below the sprue to
accomplish the same purpose.
• The runner systems that have been discussed here
are “cold runner systems”, meaning that the
runner are not heated.
• The outer portion of the melted plastic in the
runner system develops a “skin” of semi-solidified
melt that insulates the center portion of the melt
flow in the runner.
• The “hot runner systems” are heated by an
external means to keep the plastic in the runner in
molten form. Theses system involve a different
type of mold design.
Cold Runner Molds
• The runner system is not heated and solidifies in the
same manner as the part.
• The runner system is then ejected along with the part.
• As shown in Figure 7.1, the two-plate mold requires
an external force to separate the parts from the
runner system. This type of cold runner mold is ideal
for parts requiring large gates.
• An alternative cold runner mold design is a three-
plate mold which allows top center gating and differs
from the two-plate mold by the addition of a third
plate referred to as a runner plate.
Figure 7.5
Three-plate
mold in a
closed
position. PL1
is parting line
when mold
first opens.
PL2 and PL3
are second
and third
parting lines
• Instead of the runner system being located in the “B” plate
as shown in Figure 7.1, it is contained in the runner stripper
plate, allowing the desired center top fating of the part.
• When the mold opens, the part are degated, leaving the
runner system the runner system in the runner stripper
plate.
• Continued movement of the core and cavity halves of the
mold, combined with some bolts (tie rods and stripper
bolts) that restrict the movement of the runner stripper
plate, result in stripping the runner system and sprue off of
undercut pins (sucker pins) located in the top clamp plate,
allowing the runner system and plastic sprue to fall down
out of the mold.
• The three-plate mold is unique in that it opens in three
places
1. PL1 – Between the runner plate and the stripper plate;
2. PL2 – Between the core and the cavity plates;
3. PL3 – Between the top clamping plate and the stripper plate.
• The mold opens first at P.L.1, breaking the gate and
leaving the runner attached to the stripper plate
because of the sucker pins.
• The mold then opens at P.L.2, leaving the part on the
core awaiting ejection.
• The final opening at P.L.3 occurs as the mold opens
further, stripping the runner off of the sucker pins.
• The three-plate mold in Figure 7.5 is shown with
ejector pins.
• A mold of this type would frequently utilize a stripper
plate rather than ejector pins.
Hot Runner Molds
• The runners are maintained in a heated condition
to keep the molten plastic in a fluid state at all
times.
• Sometimes the hot runner molds are referred to
as “runnerless” molds.
• Hot-runner molds are similar to three plate molds,
except that the runner system is contained in a
runner plate that is never opened during the cycle.
• This heated runner plate is insulated from the rest
of the cooled mold.
• Hot runner molds offer several advantages over cold
runner molds.
a) There is no runner system and sprue molded as a by-
product the must be ground up and reused.
b) Sprue pickers or special conveyors that separate the
runner system and sprue from the part are not
required.
c) A uniform melt temp can be maintained all the way
from the nozzle to the cavity, insuring fewer deviations
in part quality due to a melt that is not isothermal.
d) The shot capacity and clamp tonnage required in the
IMM are decreased.
• Some disadvantages to hot runner molds are
a) Difficulty in controlling their temp
b) Inability to purge
c) Making repair a time consuming process
d) Not able to change color easily.
• Two types of construction for hot runner molds
– Insulated runner molds
– True hot runner molds
• The insulated runner mold has runner that are very thick
and are contained partly in the top clamping (or backup
plate) and partly in the “A” plate.
• The size of the runner allows the development of a thick
“skin” of plastic around the outside perimeter of the
runners which insulates the molten plastic on the inside
of the runner.
• These molds are often assisted by heated torpedeos that
are inserted in each gate and are kept in a continually
heated condition.
• When started up, the cold runner system is removed by
separating the backup plate from the “A” plate and
reassembling them.
• For the true hot runner mold, the runner system is
kept not by heating the runner plate itself or by
using a heated manifold through which the runner
system moves (hot manifold mold).
• The distinction of the hot runner mold is the ability
to start up cold without intervention by an
operator.
• As shown in Figure 7.6, the electrically heated
manifold and insulated nozzle that are common to
this type of mold.
• The heated runner system within the manifold is
insulated from the rest of the cooled mold.
• The runner section of the mold does not open
during the molding cycle.
• The parting line of the mold is noted in the figure
and the part is held onto the core by undercuts as
the mold opens.
• As opening, the part is ejected off of the core by
ejector pins, a stripper plate or other ejection
mechanism.
Figure 7.6
Hot runner
mold in a
closed
position
Ejecti on
• The type of ejection discussed in the earlier
sections is described as hydraulic ejection.
• It offers several advantages;
i. It can be actuated at any point in the mold opening
stroke;
ii. It offers the possibility of multiple ejection when
operating in the automatic mode to insure complete
ejection of the molded parts;
iii. It allows for the sequencing of core pulls which may
require ejection before and after the core pull action;
iv. The length, velocity and pressure of the ejection
stroke can be regulated.
Assignment
• Air cylinder ejection is used to “blow” the part off
of the core.
• Find more information regarding Air cylinder
ejection system. The information should covers;
– Working principle
– Schematic diagram
– Applications (where and why to use this system)
Projected Area
• Is the area in the mold that will be filled with plastic
at the mold’s parting line.
• The parting line of a mold is the primary opening of
the mold where the core and cavity halves separate,
allowing the parts to be ejected.
• The projected area has also been defined as the area
of the shadow cast by the molded shot… on a plane
surface parallel to the parting line.
• This includes the runner system.
• The projected area of the mold is used to establish
the tonnage of an IMM that is required to run a
particular mold.
Projected Area
• Its important to understand how to calculate
the projected area of a mold.
Figure 7.7
Projected
area for a
four cavity
mold
Projected Area
• Assuming;
– Runner system occupies = 4 in2 (2580.64 mm2)
– Each part covers = 24 in2 (15483.84 mm2)
– Thus, total projected area = (4 + 96 = 100) in2 or 64,516
mm2)
• In general, every 1 in2 requires 2.5 to 3 tons clamp
force.
• Accordingly, the projected are of the mold in this
illustration should require 250 to 300 tons of clamp
force.
• Thinner parts typically require greater clamping
force that thick-walled parts.
Projected Area
• A higher clamping force is required when;
– Molding with a higher temp. melt
– A hotter mold
– Larger gates
– Faster rate of injection
• The steel molds can be crushed by too much
clamp pressure.
• Some authorities estimate that mold
destruction requires only 10 tons/in2.
Mold Venti ng
• Venting is the method of allowing the air that is
trapped inside the cavity space (and the runner
system) to escape.
• As plastic injected into the closed mold, it traps any
air that is in the cavity.
• If the air has no place to escape;
– It will be compressed and heated to a temp sufficient to
burn the plastic.
– Black and brown spots/streaks in the molded part.
• If there is sufficient air trapped in the cavity, the air
may prevent the part from being completely filled,
causing a rejected part.
Mold Venti ng
• Venting is accomplished by creating a very small
gap or opening at the edges of the cavity.
• The opening are small enough (0.00013 to 0.00038
mm) deep and (0.01 to 0.305 mm) long, to allow
the air to escape but not the molten plastic.
• In addition to vent gaps, there are vent grooves
into which the vents exhaust.
• The grooves are deeper than the gaps, 0.762 mm
deep, and 6.35 to 12.70 mm wide, and must
connected to atmosphere to permit release of the
trapped air.
Figure 7.8 Illustration of typical venting of a mold cavity.
Mold Cooling
• The function that is not controlled by the IMM, but rather by
an external source.
• It accomplished by the proper construction of cooling
channels in the mold itself and a Mold Temp. Controller
(MTC).
• The MTC is connected to the mold water lines and also to
either a chiller or water source.
• Its controls the temp. and velocity of the water that flows
through the mold.
• One of considerations in selection of the type of material
for a mold is the thermal conductivity (tc).
• Tool steel is twice the tc of stainless steel
• Beryllium copper is twice the tc of tool steel.
Mold Cooling
• Cooling channels are holes drilled through the
cores and cavities and they should be as close as
possible to the surface of the plastic.
• Typical channel diameter at least 6.35mm and
9.53mm is preferable.
• A well designed mold should have several cooling
channels that surround the cavities and intrude
into the cores to provide uniform and effective
cooling.
Figure 7.9 Illustration of the incorrect looping of mold
cooling lines.
Mold Cooling
• Multiple loops off of the same inlet source
decrease the cooling effect of the water
because of its repeated exposure to warm
cavities without a new cool water source.
• It is important that temp. of the water coming
out of the mold be no more than (2oC) greater
than the temp of the water coming in.
Figure 7.10 Illustration of preferred configuration of mold
cooling lines.