Once again, the K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany, lived up to its claim to be the leading trade show for plastics technology. At least in the field of injection molding, there were exciting global innovations to see – if you looked closely.

Injection Molding Trends at K 2019

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Schaumspritzgießen

Smart Factory

Energieeffizienz

Mikrospritzgießen

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Spritzgießmaschinen

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Automatisierungstechnik

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrieroboter

Montagetechnik

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Montage-Spritzgießen

Knickarmroboter

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

In the realm of virtual product development, the idea of the cycle has been around for many years. But where does the cycle begin? When we take a closer look at this concept, new aspects rightly start to emerge.

When Traditional Approaches Meet their Micromechanical Counterparts

Werkstoffprüfung, mechanisch

Messtechnik

Werkstoffprüfung

Analysetools, FEM

Produktentwicklung(sprozess)

Qualitätsmanagement

Cracking Product Development

The highly diverse offering at K 2019 ranged from ingenious detailed applications to complete solutions that encompass the entire process. In the extrusion sector, the topic of the circular economy was very much in the shadow of developments relating to Industry 4.0.

New and Further Developments Focus on Quality and Efficiency

Flachfolienanlagen

Extrusionsanlagen

Blasfolienextrusion

Elektrische / Magnetische Messtechnik

Rohr- und Profilextrusion

Extrusion

Extrusionswerkzeuge

New Dimensions in Extrusion

The resource-economical determination of an optimized operating point in injection molding is still a challenge. Machine learning offers great potential for re-using knowledge from a flow simulation that has already been generated.

Machine Learning: Combining Simulation and Experimental Test Data

DOE-Software

Qualitätsmethoden

Digitaler Zwilling

Quicker Evaluation of the Optimum Operating Point

iQ process observer, the new process monitoring platform from Engel monitors hundreds of parameters from the injection molding cell in the background.

A Process Monitoring Platform Monitors Several Hundred Parameters Simultaneously

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Prozessvisualisierung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

IoT-Plattformen für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

An Eye on the Process –  a Handle on Quality

With the new combined injection molding and particle foam process, forward-looking companies can tap innovative potential, particularly in lightweight construction. The technology, whose industrial practicability has now been demonstrated, removes the limitations of the well-established particle-foam composite injection molding simply by reversing the sequence. 

Schäumen / Reaktive Verarbeitung

Lightweight Construction: Foaming after Injection Molding 

Foamed polystyrene boards (XPS) have been used for generations in thermal insulation applications, e. g. for buildings. Due to its comparable mechanical and thermal properties, bio-based cellulose acetate (CA) represents a promising, sustainable alternative which is also an interesting material for technical components due to its heat resistance. However, producing such parts by foam extrusion or foam injection molding with halogen-free flame retardant systems and environmentally friendly blowing agents is a challenge. 

Foamed Boards and Foamed Injection Molded Parts Made from Cellulose Acetate with a Halogen-Free Flame Retardant System and Environmentally Friendly Blowing Agents 

Polystyrol

Flammschutzmittel

Bioplastics with Halogen-Free  Flame Retardants 

The Abaqus and Moldflow programs can simulate the in-mould decoration process. The results aid designers in the layout of thermoforming dies and injection moulds. 

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Simulation: Shrinkage and Warpage of In-Mould Decorated Parts 

With a simulation concept based on three-dimensional volume elements, reliable information can be obtained on the expected mould filling pattern, the required injection pressure, the temperature profiles in the part and in the mould, as well as the curing processes in the production of injection-moulded rubber parts. Full use can be made of the CAD data from product development. 

Three-dimensional Model Produces More Accurate Results: Simulation of the Injection Moulding of EPDM 

Using FEM to calculate plastics components is still fraught with uncertainties. In particular, considerable experience is needed to calculate the life expectancy. With the aid of the tried and tested approximations described in this article, FEM can be used more effectively for designing plastic parts. 

Practical Help and Experience: Designing Injection Moulded Parts with FEM 

A special test apparatus allows pressure coefficients and coefficients of friction of plastics pellet stock to be measured for the first time in a dynamic state. The results obtained are relevant for practical purposes, since the pellet stock is in motion in the feed zone of extruders. New findings on the frictional properties of bulk plastics materials permit even more precise simulation of the processes taking place in single-screw extruders. 

New Findings for Describing the Processes in the Extruder Feed Zone: Dynamic Frictional Data 

In sheet extrusion, it is not generally the extruder but the cooling performance of the cooling zone that determines output. Optimization of the cooling zone is therefore essential in terms of profitability. 

Folien

Simulation of Cooling in Sheet Extrusion 

Mould-filling simulation provides significantly improved understanding of the process as well as insight into processing details. For foaming polyurethanes, however, only very few computational approaches have been available to date. By integrating material models with an overall fluid mechanical model, a simulation tool has now been developed that can be used for many PU applications. 

3D Simulation: Simulation of Foaming Polyurethanes 

Three-dimensional FEA calculations make it possible to analyse flow processes in mixing sections and assess the mixing effect on the basis of trajectory calculations. Three mixing sections are systematically compared with each other in respect of the definition, execution and assessment of these calculations. 

Mixing Efficiency: Calculating Mixing Sections for Reciprocating Screws 

Blown and cast film must not necessarily be tested on large-scale systems: The extrapolation of tests conducted on pilot lines to production systems that are more than ten times the size provides very satisfactory results. Careful use of pilot lines thus offers considerable time and cost benefits when developing products and applications. 

Product Development: Rapid Analysis of Film Properties on Pilot Lines 

Controlling cellular structure in thermoplastic foam injection molding – influence of processing and mold technologies

Foam injection molding is a processing technology to produce foamed plastic parts in serials production, attaining an increasing interest and use in industry. However, the applications are limited due to insufficient knowledge of processing and mechanical properties, limited use of light-weight potential as well restricted surface qualities. All these drawbacks are associated with the cellular structure. The structure characteristics like skin layer thickness, cell size, density and uniformity are developed during procedure. Thus, controlling the cell formation process is the key to work against the restrictions and optimize mechanical properties.

In conventional or low-pressure foam injection molding procedure, mold filling and foaming occur simultaneously. The cellular characteristics can only be controlled in a very limited range and are often non-uniform by flow length and cross-section, not allowing a precise prediction of the mechanical performance. These limitations can be counteracted by high-pressure foam injection molding with volume-expandable molds. This special process variant may decouple filling and foaming phase and allow an active control of cellular characteristics. Cell formation mechanism may actively be shifted from cell growth to nucleation. Thus, finer-celled, homogeneous, less flowpath dependent structures with density reductions > 50 % can be achieved, and the mechanical properties can actively be influenced. This potential is often unknown due to insufficient knowledge about the process parameters and its effects on structure formation. While the conventional or low-pressure procedure has been asserted and is used in industrial applications, high-pressure procedure with volume-expandable molds is often unknown or used in a very limited range.

This thesis deals with formation of cellular structure in thermoplastic foam injection molding process. The work focusses on influences by processing and mold technologies. High-pressure procedure in combination with volume-expandable molds – mold opening or core-back – is in focus. As a new process variant, the local core-back procedure (local mold volume expansion) is introduced, enabling a local customization of foam structures. The differences in procedures and the influence of additional process parameters are worked out. Here, especially the role of packing pressure as a key factor for structure development is discussed. To get more information on boundary conditions inside the mold during procedure and make the process more transparent, numerical simulation has been used and visualization molding trials were conducted to monitor the cell development inside the mold during processing. Furthermore, a new mold, i.a. allowing an active control of pressure drop rate was built and used. To analyze the structure and quantify the structural parameters, besides light microscopy and SEM, also x-ray tomography (μCT) was used to allow a three-dimensional characterization of structures.

foam injection molding / high-pressure foam injection molding / core-back / mold-opening / cellular plastics / structure development / structure analysis / foam simulation / process-structure relationship / lightweight construction

Dissertation Mike Tromm.pdf

2021-04-28 Dissertation Mike Tromm

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