Injection Molding

Rodrigo Santos Andrade, 15044874,

Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Materials Processing, MT4943

Introduction
In the polymer industry the injection molding represents a significant role when it comes to
materials processing. More than 30% of all thermoplastics materials derivate from injection
molding, and most of the processing equipment is for injection molding. This type of process
is commonly used to manufacture specific materials which require precise dimensions within
complex shapes in a quickly and massively way. The injection molding consists basically in 3
components: plasticating or injection unit, clamping unit, and the mold as shown in the
Figure. 1. (OSSWALD, 1998).

Figure 1: Electrical Injection Molding machine.

The injection molding operates as a cycle process in which melted plastic is injected into a
mold cavity or cavities, where it is held under pressure until reaches the solid state. In another
words, the Injection unit heats the plastic which flows under pressure to the Mold unit
allowing the plastic to solidify in the mold following to the Clamping unit which ejects the
molded product (ROSATO, 2012).The process follows a sequence of events and its called
the injection molding cycle as show in Equation 1. The cycle begins after the mold have been
closed, followed by the injection of the raw polymer into the mold cavity. The cavity then is
fulfilled with the polymer, while a holding pressure is maintained to compensate for material
shrinkage. This operation allows the injection unit to melt another shot while the mold is
cooling down and ejected (OSSWALD, 1998).
t cycle=t closing+ t cooling +t ejection

Equation 1

Extruder
The extrusion process basically melts the polymer and pumps through three zones till a shape
die to obtain the desired shape, an schematic can be seen in Figure 1. The shape, or profile,
can be any shape relatively with the extruder cross section. There are a large number of
extrusion processes, the simplest of which is compounding, and the most used extruder is the
single screw extruder, which can be found as a conventional single screw extruder, or a
grooved feed extruder.

Figure 2: Extruder

Materials and Methods

A molding injector Fanuc Roboshot S-2000i5A was used in this experiment which consists of
a tiber 145:145mm, an injection volume of 6 c m3 , and a clamping force of 5.
Polypropylene was used following the PP 100-DE03 directories for injection processing.
A tutor explained all the settings and the machine functionality, furthermore presenting tests
and concepts about the process. All the information were collected for further discussions on
the subject.

Objective
The aim of this experiment is to provide understanding about the injection process, the
concepts, parameters and directories in the injection molding.

Results and Discussion

The injection molding works in 6 steps: Extrusion, Molding closure, injection, packing,
cooling, ejection.
Extrusion is the first step for an injection process, the chart is then extruded in a 28mm
spacing which frictions within the screw and the electric source melt the raw polymer under
200 C. This section is one of the most important steps in the process, the spacing and time
for the extrusion process can affect the flow throughout the screw. This can be observed in
the part ejected, if the shot size isnt sufficient the part can be short due to a process which an
amount of melted polymer comes backward during the injection, not allowing the shape be

complete at the end. On the other hand, if the shot size is exaggerated the part can present
flats, whereas the injection step can be another factor for this output.
In the second step, the mold closes by the close of its valves at the front bar. The mold area
presents a specific shape which has to be followed due to a delimited size.
The process then is followed with the injection step. Pressure is the key, the melted polymer
is pressed with a pressure of 300bar against a mold for 7 seconds. This section provide
significant role in the parts mechanics properties, the alignment of the chain flows into a
straight direction which allows the part be shaped and further characterizations be conducted.
There are two types of test: tense and impact test. These tests show the strength of the part,
basically the part is stronger on the opposite side of the chain alignment, therefore more stress
can be resisted in this area, however good elasticity can be presented in the chain alignment
direction. In addition, others aspects can determine the strength of the part, the gate and the
band are important aspects in the shape. The gate works as a direction of which the flow is
supposed to fill with the melted polymer, in this area the gates position can affect the way the
chain alignment is fulfilled into the part, some parts can be very strong in specific areas
within the part due to a good distribution of the chain in the band or very weak if the gates are
poorly designed to a perfect alignment of the chains. Moreover, a deficiency on the injection
pressure can lead to defections such as sink marks or flats.
The packing process occurs right after the injection which allows the machine generate
another shot for a new injection. The screw then moves backwards to allow more melted
polymer be accumulated and then injected for another cycle.
Cooling is another important factor, the injection machine is operated with a controlled
temperature which allows flexibility to choose the cooling time for the part before its
ejection. Along 200 C which the polymer has been melted, the molding area is responsible to
absorb the heat from the part till cools it down, if the part has not enough time to cool before
the ejection, the shape can present warpage, which can be observed in the part structure due
to disordered cooled chains and depth in the bands, on the other hand, if the part is cooled
more than its necessary, more waste will be led due to the packing process.
The last step is the ejection part, whereas the mold is open and the part is then removed with
pressure. In this section, there are certain types of ejection which can affect the design of the
part at the end. Some parts can present signals of ejection observed by circular shapes in the
structures, however new methods such as vacuum ejection can fix the problem for complex
parts.

Conclusion
The experiment showed the aspects and functionality of the injection molding process giving
understand of its concepts, parameters, properties that need to be taken in consideration and
its applications in the materials processing.

Reference List
Osswald, Tim A., 1998. Polymer processing fundamentals. Hansen; Cincinnati. ISBN 3-44619571-8. 67-117.
Rosato, D.V. and Rosato, M.G., 2012. Injection molding handbook. Springer Science &
Business Media.