Pressure

Pressure Requirements

P1

P2

Flow Length
 What Influences Injection
Pressure?
• Part Design
• Mold Design
• Process Conditions
• Material Properties
 Part Design Impact
• Wall Thickness

Thin Part Thick Part

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Part Design Impact
• Surface Area

More Wall Less Wall

Cooling & Cooling &
Drag Force Drag Force

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Mold Design Impact
• Gate Size
Restrictive Generous
Gate Gate

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Mold Design Impact
• Flow Length (Gate Location)

Long Flow Short Flow

Length Length

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Process Impact
• Fill Time

Too Too Optimal

Short Long Fill Time

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Slow vs. Fast Fill Time

Thick Frozen Layer Thin Frozen Layer

Melt Melt

Long Fill Time Short Fill Time

Low Injection Speed High Injection Speed
Fill Time vs. Injection Pressure
80
Optimal Fill
Maximum Injection

60
Pressure (MPa)

Time Range

40

20

0 4 8 12 16 20
Fill Time (sec)
 Process Impact
• Melt Temperature

Colder Melt Hotter Melt

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
Melt Temperature Affects Resin
Viscosity
Viscosity for Polycarbonate

100
Viscosity (lb ft-s/ft^2)

590 F
640 F
10

1
1 10 100 1000 10000
Shear Rate (1/s)
 Process Impact
• Mold Temperature

Colder Coolant Hotter Coolant

Temperature Temperature

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
 Material Impact
• Resin Flow Properties
Low MFR Material High MFR Material
W W

Higher Lower
Pressure Pressure
Material Selection Affects
Injection Pressure
PMMA
120 PP
Maximum Injection

100
Pressure (MPa)

80

60

40

20

0 4 8 12 16 20
Fill Time (sec)
How Does Area Affect Velocity?
MFA @ time = t1
MFA @ time = t2

High MFV Low MFV

time = t1 time = t2
 Types of Runner Systems
Naturally Balanced Artificially Balanced
Types of Runner Systems
Cold Runners

1
1
2

2 3

2-Plate Mold 3-Plate Mold

 Types of Runner Systems
Hot Runners
Cartridge Shut-Off
Heater Pin
Nozzle
Frozen
Layer
Heater

Gate Melt
Cavity
Melt
Melt

Insulated Internally Externally

Heated Heated
 What is the Best Runner
Diameter?
• Allows the Mold to be Filled Quickly
• Minimizes Scrap in the Runner
• Delivers the Melt as Uniformly as Possible
 What is the Best Runner
Diameter?
800 For PS, ABS, SAN

700 G: Weight (g)

S: Nominal thickness (mm)
600 D: Reference diameter (mm)
500
G(g)

400

300
200
S=1

100
1.5

3.5

4.5
2.5

5
4
2

0
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5
D’
 When To Use a Hot Runner
System?
• Long Runner Lengths (High Pressure Loss
in Cold Runner)
• Reduce or Eliminate Scrap in the Runner
System
• Minimize Cycle Time for Thin Walled Parts
 Determining the Best Gate
Locations
• Should Allow Part to Fill Within Target
Pressure
• Must Properly Place Weld Lines
• Should Not Be Located in Structural Areas
 Determining the Number of
Gates Needed
• Dependent on Flow Length
• Dependent on Part Thickness
• Dependent on Resin Being Used
• Should Promote a Large Process Window
So What’s a Process Window?
GE Lexan 101 @ 624 (F)
650

640
Melt Temperature (F)

630

620

610

600

590
5000 10000 15000 20000

Injection Pressure (psi)

 Thickness Change Affects the
Process Window
Flow Length = 5” Flow Length = 10”
Center Gate End Gate
650 650
Melt Temperature (F)

Melt Temperature (F)

640 640

630 630

620 620

610 610

600 600

590 590
5000 10000 15000 20000 5000 10000 15000 20000
Injection Pressure (psi) Injection Pressure (psi)
 Cooling Design
• How Cooling Time Affects Cycle Time
• How Wall Thickness Impacts Cooling Time
• Considerations for a Good Cooling Design
How Cooling Affects the Cycle
Time
Reduce Cooling Time
Reduce Cycle Time
Increase profits! Injection

Mold Opening
and Ejection Mold
Cooling
 How Wall Thickness Impacts
Cooling Time
Cooling
CoolingTime
Time~~(Heaviest
(HeaviestWall
WallThickness)
Thickness)2
2

Thermal
ThermalDiffusivity
Diffusivityof
ofthe
theMelt
Melt

Original Design Better Design

Good Cooling vs. Bad Cooling

Proper Better Part

Cooling in Shorter Time

Poor Poor Part

Cooling in Longer Time
 Residual Stress
• What Causes Residual Stress?
• Unbalanced Residual Stress
What Causes Residual Stress?
Free
Contraction

Molten
Heat Heat
Polymer

Frozen
Layers
Early Cooling
Stage
What Causes Residual Stress?
Constrained
Contraction

Cooling
Polymer

Later Cooling
Stage
What Causes Residual Stress?
Thermal Induced
Residual Stresses
Tensile (+)

(-) Compressive

Post-Molding
Stage
 Unbalanced Residual Stress

Low Cooling High Cooling

Rate
Heat Rate

Heat
Cooling
Channel

Early Cooling Stage:

Uneven Cooling
Unbalanced Residual Stress
Tensile(+)

(-)Compressive

Post-Molding Stage: Asymmetrical

Thermal-Induced Residual Stress
Unbalanced Residual Stress

Warped Part
 Shrinkage and Warpage
• Why Does One Plastic Shrink Differently
Than Another?
• What Influences Shrinkage?
• What Causes Part Warpage?
• How to Minimize Warpage Problems
 What Influences Shrinkage?
Shrinkage

Melt Temperature

Mold Temperature

Injection Rate
 What Influences Shrinkage?
Shrinkage

Holding
Pressure

Holding Time

Part Thickness
What Causes Part Warpage?
Hot

Part

Part Warps Toward

Cold Hot Surface

Hot

Cold Part Warps Toward

Hot Surface

Unbalanced Cooling
 What Causes Part Warpage?
High High Cooling Rate
Shrinkage Low Crystallization Level

Low Cooling Rate Warped Part

High Crystallization Level

Non-Uniform Wall Thickness

 What Causes Part Warpage?
Unfilled
Materials

High Low Flow

Gate Pressure Pressure Direction
Low High
Shrinkage Shrinkage
Fiber
Differential Fiber-Filled Orientation
Shrinkage Materials

Molecular and Fiber Orientation

 How to Minimize Warpage
Problems
• Avoid Large Pressure Variations
– Wall Thickness Variation
– Long Flow Lengths
– Uneven Filling Pattern
• Avoid Large Temperature Variations
– Wall Thickness Variation
– Unbalanced Cooling