FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN COMPRESSION MOLDING

Thermosetting molding compounds (thermosets) that undergo a chemical

reaction or cure (called poly- merization or molecular growth) during the
molding operation, include phenolic (phenol-formaldehyde), urea, melamine,
melamine-phenolic, diallyl phthalate, alkyd, polyester, epoxy, and silicones.
Thermosetting molding compounds processed from the individual heatreactive resin systems are available in a wide range of formulations to satisfy
specific end-use requirements. Depending on the type of material, products
may be supplied in granular, nodular, flaked, diced, or pelletized form.
Polyester materials are sup-plied in granular, bulk, log, rope, or sheet form,
and polyurethanes are made in many forms, ranging from flexible and rigid
foams to rigid solids and abrasion- resistant coatings.
PRINCIPLES OF PLASTICS MOLDING
Thermosets, when placed in a heated mold under pressure, will conform to
the shape of the mold and cure into a hard infusible product.
Molding Conditions
Successful plastics molding is dependent on good mold design and
construction, the mold temperature, material temperature, molding pressure,
etc.
Molding Methods
All of the thermoset compounds, except epoxies and silicones, may be
molded by the following meth-ods: compression, transfer, thermoset
injection, and the runnerless injection/compression process. This chapter will
only discuss compression and transfer molding. Table 13-1 lists factors to be
considered in the selection of compression or transfer molding. The design
and construction of the mold is the sin-gle most important factor in a plastics
molding pro- ject. Without a mold built and engineered to produce good
molded parts in an economical fashion, other factors are of little importance.
Mold temperature. Thermoset molding com- pounds may be molded in a
temperature range of 285400 F (141204 C). Material suppliers should be
consulted for recommended temperatures for a specific material and
molding method. Molds may be heated by steam, hot oil, electric cartridge or
strip heaters, or any combination of these.
Material temperature. Minimum cure time is a function of increased mold
temperature and maxi-mum material temperature when loaded in the mold.
It is desirable to preheat most compounds. Extrudates are formed from screw
feed material in a heated bar- rel. The temperature range is 180260 F (82
127 C) depending on the type of preheat equipment.

Molding pressure. The pressure causes the com- pound to flow within the
confines of the mold cavities and forces it to completely fill out the part with
mini- mum flash thickness. The required pressure is depen- dent on the
method of molding.
COMPRESSION MOLDING
In compression molding, the thermoset compound is placed in the open
heated mold. The material may be in powder form or as a preform, a cold
pressed slug that contains the exact charge weight required. As the mold
closes, the heat and pressure cause the material to flow, compressing it to
the required shape and den- sity as defined by the mold. Continued heat and
pres- sure produce the chemical reaction (polymerization or cure) that
hardens the material. The thinner the part, the shorter the cure; conversely,
thicker pieces take longer to cure. Part design should have as uniform a wall
thickness as possible.
Molding Equipment
The mold is fastened in a vertical molding press, either up-acting or downacting, usually hydraulically driven. Small bench presses may be air driven.
Presses may be self-contained or on a common hydraulic sys-tem. They have
provision for an ejection system for the parts, usually both up-acting and
down-acting. The press operation may be either automatic or semi-automatic, in sizes up to 2000 tons (17.9 MN). Preform presses, high-frequency
preheaters, and preheat extruders are commonly used as auxiliary
equipment in the compression-molding process.
Auxiliary Equipment
Preform presses. These are either hydraulic or mechanically operated, with
various die sizes and shapes to squeeze the material in the cold state into a
preform or briquette of the exact charge weight re-quired. These presses
work automatically.

TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

363 P.CASAL ST. QUIAPO, MANILA

CHE 513
PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY
ASSIGNMENT NO. 1
(Midterm)

SUBMITTED BY:

MALICDEM, ROXETTE H.
SUBMITTED TO:

ENGR. LINA DELA CRUZ

DATE SUBMITTED:

JANUARY 12, 2017