Processing of Plastics

Extrusion Injection molding Blow molding Compression and Transfer molding Casting Thermo forming

Polymer Processing
Forming Processes for Thermoplastics: Extrusion Blow Molding Injection Molding Thermoforming Forming Processes for Thermosetting polymers: Calendaring Spinning Compression Molding Transfer Molding

Extrusion

Continuous manufacturing process Endless semi finished products

Plastic is completely fused entire new shape Primary processing method

Products

Semi finished products like Tubes, sheets and films Can be complicated profiles also

Extrusion

Extrusion Equipment

Extruder
A common component for all methods based on extrusion To create a homogeneous melt from plastic (powder or pellets)

Functions

Force the melt through a die under required pressure

Melting (Transition) Zone

The melting or transition zone is the portion of the extruder were the material melts. Heat generated by friction and heat conduction from the barrel wall results in temperature rise downstream. When the temperature reaches the melting point of a crystalline polymer or the glass transition temperature of an amorphous polymer, a melt film forms at the barrel surface. Eventually a melt pool forms at the rear of the screw channel:

Solids Conveying (Feed) Zone

In most extruders, polymers in the form of pellets, powders or flakes are drawn from a hopper in the gap between a rotating screw and a heated barrel. They are transported forward, compacted, melted and eventually the melt is pumped through the die where it gets shaped into the desired form before solidification by cooling outside. The compacted bed of solid pellets is assumed to flow down the screw channel as a plug. The pressure build-up is expressed in the general form:

where Po: pressure under the hopper (usually very small) fb, fs : friction coefficients of the solid bed on the barrel and screw Zb: down channel distance For forward motion fb must be larger than fs Screws are POLISHED (low friction coefficient) and barrels are ROUGH (sometimes intentionally grooved) for higher friction

Extrusion

DIES

Extruder convert the material into a homogeneous melt Die determines the shape of the extruded product

Displacement die or spider die Spider dies used for the manufacture of rigid and flexible tubes and tubular films It has a displacer which assist the flow, connected to the outer wall by fins Spider die - advantage oncoming flow is well centered - disadvantage- Since melt flow around the fins- create flow marks To avoid flow marks spiral mandrel distributor dies are used

Extrusion

Slit distributor dies

Used to manufacture flat films & Sheets. It spread the flow of melt to a greater width (round in the fig) Shape it into a thin layer.
Slit distributor die

Calibrator

To fix dimension and shape of the melt

Use vacuum or compressed air. Extrudate is pressed against the wall of the calibrator and cooled to prevent further deformation in the subsequent cooling section. Takeoff device To draw the extrudate from the die through the calibrator and cooling sections, at constant a rate

Extrusion

Final stage

Cutoff & stacking device rigid tubes, sheets & profiles Winding device films, cables, filaments and flexible tubes

Co-extrusion
Used when Multi-layer material is required

Cost reduction by combining highly stress resistant outer layer with economical inner layer

Three layer melt manifold

Co-extrusion is used for multi-layer cable insulation, packing films and extrusion blow molding

Requirements for Effective Extrusion

The polymer must be completely melted before the end of the extruder The temperature must be kept lower than the degradation temperature The pressure must be high enough to push the molten polymer through the die.

Screw design is very important and many patented designs have been developed

INJECTION MOLDING

Thermoplastics : Polystyrene,PE, PP, ABC, PC,PMMA etc

Injection Molding

Thermosets : Unsaturated polyester resin, Phenol formaldehyde etc

Injection Molding

Injection Molding Cycle

Injection molding involves two basic steps: Melt generation by a rotating screw Forward movement of the screw to fill the mold with melt and to maintain the injected melt under high pressure Injection molding is a cyclic process: Injection: The polymer is injected into the mold cavity. Hold on time: Once the cavity is filled, a holding pressure is maintained to compensate for material shrinkage. Cooling: The molding cools and solidifies. Screw-back: At the same time, the screw retracts and turns, feeding the next shot in towards the front

Injection Molding

Mold opening: Once the part is sufficiently cool, the mold opens and the part is ejected
The mold closes and clamps in preparation for another cycle. Injection molding is the most important process used to manufacture plastic products. It is ideally suited to manufacture mass produced parts of complex shapes requiring precise dimensions. It is used for numerous products, ranging from boat hulls and lawn chairs, to bottle cups. Car parts, TV and computer housings are injection molded. The components of the injection molding machine are the plasticating unit, clamping unit and the mold.

Injection Molding

The total cycle time is: tcycle=tclosing+tcooling+tejection.

Injection Molding

The Injection Molding Window

The temperature must be high enough to melt the polymer but not too high to cause thermal degradation Pressure must be high enough to avoid short shots (i.e. partially filled cavities) but not too high (because of flash at the mold contact surfaces)

Injection Molding

Machine

The injection molding machine comprises of: The plasticating and injection unit: The major tasks of the plasticating unit are to melt the polymer, to accumulate the melt in the screw chamber, to inject the melt into the cavity and to maintain the holding pressure during cooling. The clamping unit: It s role is to open and close the mold, and hold the mold tightly to avoid flash during the filling and holding. Clamping can be mechanical and hydraulic The mold cavity: The mold is the central point in an injection molding machine. Each mold can contain multiple cavities. It distributes polymer melt into and throughout the the cavities, shapes the part, cools the melt and ejects the finished product.

Injection Molding

The Injection Mold

The mold consists Sprue and runner system Gate Mold cavity Cooling system (for thermoplastics) Ejector system

Features of injection molding

Direct path from molding compound to finished product Process can be fully automated High productivity & quality

Blow Molding

Blow Molding

Compression molding

Both thermoplastics and thermosets can be molded

Compression molding

Procedure

Load die cores for forming side holes and forms Load molding material into the die cavities in powder/pellet Close the press Curing molding material flows under influence of heat and pressure Best curing time determined by trial and error

Open press
Eject molded items from the cavities

Clean tool form particles of flash or molding powder

Molding faults
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Blistering (due to insufficient cure or low temperature) Short molding ( due to gas or air trapping , insufficient charge) Cracking of the molding upon ejection (due to incorrect tool design) Poor gloss finish (due to uneven Temperature, insufficient curing time) Internal void (due to Insufficient cure or gas being trapped) Oversize moldings (due to tooling error or due to thick flash formation) Soft moldings (due to Insufficient cure or low tool temperature)

Transfer Molding
Transfer of powder to a complete molding is achieved by Placing powder/pellet into a hot chamber Applying pressure by a punch in the chamber (hydraulic) Material plasticised and forced through an orifice (Thus increasing the temperature of the powder) Plasticised material flows freely and quickly, ensuring filling the mold impressions Equipment Tool containing an impression of the object to be produced Hydraulic press Transfer pot and punch Heating elements for the platens (Top and bottom) Thermostat control for temperature control

Transfer molding

Transfer molding : Thermosets like Phenolics, Ureas, melamine : More complex than compression molding

Variables which affect the complexity are:

1. Part design 2. Type of material 3. Position of gating 4. Type of gates 5. Shape and length of runners Problems 1. Preheating of the material 2. Transfer pressure 3. Transfer time to fill the part 4. Mold temperature 5. Air venting

The process does cause heavy wear on the tooling gates due to fast Flow and abrasive nature of the materials. Strength and position of the gating which must be placed such as to avoid damage to the finished product.

Typical forming processes for thermosetting polymers: (a) compression molding and (b) transfer molding.

Thermoforming

Thermoforming is an important secondary shaping operation for plastic film and sheet. It consists of warming an extruded plastic sheet and forming it into a cavity or over a tool using vacuum, air pressure, and mechanical means. The plastic sheet is heated slightly above the glass transition temperature for amorphous polymers, or slightly below the melting point, for semi-crystalline polymers. It is then shaped into the cavity over the tool by vacuum and frequently by plug-assist.

Thermoforming

Process steps The process occurs in three steps : Heating, Forming and Cooling

Heating : Semi finished product is heated (Usually by infra red radiation) Forming :Heated semi finished product is fixed in a clamping device and then pressed into (negative process) or onto (positive process) by means of compressed air or drawn into or onto the mold by means of vacuum. Because of unequal stretching unequal wall thickness (corner) To minimize this effect, the semi finished product is pre-stretched. Cooling : Cooling begins as soon as the heated semi finished product touches the mold. To shorter cooling time cooling fan is used.

Positive thermo Forming process with prestretching

Thermoforming is used to manufacture refrigerator liners, shower stalls, bathtubs and various automotive parts. Amorphous materials are preferred, because they have a wide rubbery temperature range above the glass transition temperature. At these temperatures, the polymer is easily shaped, but still has enough melt strength to hold the heated sheet without sagging. Temperatures about 20-100C above Tg are used.

Thermoforming

Negative molding press

Most

common materials are Polystyrene (PS), AcrylonitrileButadiene-Styrene (ABS), PVC, PMMA and Polycarbonate (PC)