Injection Molding

Shir i n P
13176

Aim
The obj ec ti ve of t he ex peri me nt was t o st udy ab out pol ymer pr ocess i ng
techniq ue, i nj e ct i on mol di ng.

I nt r od uc t io n
Inj ect i on mol di ng is t he mos t c o mmonl y used ma nufa ct uri ng pr oc ess for t he
fabrication of plastic parts. Injection molding can be performed with a host of materials,
including metals, glasses, elastomers, confections, and most commonly thermoplastic and
thermosetting polymers. A wide variety of products are manufactured using injection molding, which
vary greatly in their size, complexity, and application. The injection molding process requires
the use of an injection molding machine, raw plastic material, and a mold. The plastic melted in the
injection molding machine and then injected into the mold, where it cools and solidifies into the final part.
There are three parts in the injection molding machine

Theory

After getting pellets of desired components and composition from extrusion, we proceed for Injection
molding. It is placed in the hopper of the molding machine from which it is fed to a heated cylinder.
Pellets are heated in the cylinder to melt or plasticize. The melting temperature varies with the material.
The mould is usually made up of steel and it is water cooled. The material is plasticized by a reciprocating
screw. It injects the molten plastics from the cylinder into a closed mould via a channel system of gates
and runners, wherein, it cools and solidifies. The mould is opened and the molded part as well as the
attached runner is removed. When thermoplastics are molded, typically pelletized raw material is fed
through a hopper into a heated barrel with a reciprocating screw. Upon entrance to the barrel, the
temperature increases and the Van der Waals forces that resist relative flow of individual chains are
weakened as a result of increased space between molecules at higher thermal energy states. This process
reduces its viscosity, which enables the polymer to flow with the driving force of the injection unit. The
screw delivers the raw material forward, mixes and homogenizes the thermal and viscous distributions of
the polymer, and reduces the required heating time by mechanically shearing the material and adding a
significant amount of frictional heating to the polymer. The material feeds forward through a check
valve and collects at the front of the screw into a volume known as a shot. A shot is the volume of
material that is used to fill the mould cavity, compensate for shrinkage, and provide a cushion
(approximately 10% of the total shot volume, which remains in the barrel and prevents the screw from
bottoming out) to transfer pressure from the screw to the mould cavity. When enough material has
gathered, the material is forced at high pressure and velocity into the part forming cavity. The exact
amount of shrinkage is a function of the resin being used, and can be relatively predictable.

Materials used
HDPE pellets

Procedure
1) The processing conditions are set which includes temperature (melting temperature of pellets) of
the barrel, mold, injection velocity, back pressure.
2) Pellets of HDPE are poured or fed into a hopper which stores it until it is needed.
3) A heater heats up the tube and when it reaches a high temperature, a screw thread starts turning.
A motor turns a thread which pushes the granules along the heater section which melts and turns
into a liquid. The liquid is forced into a mold where it cools into the shape.

Discussions
Injection molding is the most commonly used manufacturing process for the fabrication of plastic parts.
Injection molding can be performed with a host of materials, including metals, glasses, elastomers,
confections, and most commonly thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. A wide variety of products
are manufactured using injection molding, which vary greatly in their size, complexity, and application.
The higher the density of the polyethylene material used the stronger, more rigid and more heat resistant
the plastic is. The higher density models show better properties in tensile strength, chemical and heat
resistance, surface hardness and abrasion resistance. HDPE for injection molding works well in both hot
and cold temperatures and has a tensile strength of 4550 pounds per inch.

References
1. http://docshare.tips/lab-reportinjectionmolding_575b2d77b6d87ff0058b4870.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injection_moulding
3. https://www.tridentcomponents.com/hdpe-injection-molding/