MDB3073 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY II EXTENDED ASSIGNMENT

 Name : _____________________________________
 ID : _____________________________________
 Signature : _____________________________________
 Lecturer : _____________________________________

1. Write an account on the product that can be produced by plastic

injection molding. Propose manufacturing processes, materials
selection and its properties involved. The proposal is not only limited to
these criteria; it might contain other relevant matters.

In the medical field, various types of products are made with the
injection molding process. The wide industry relies significantly on
multipurpose plastic products that are effortlessly manufactured in bulk. Since
most of these products are single use, disposable items to maintain sterility or
to prevent the spread of germs and diseases should be taken into account.
Disposable plastic syringes are tools involved in plenty of medical procedures,
in which mass produced with plastic injection molding and other processes.
Besides the manufacturing process, other aspects such as product packaging,
sterilization process, and material selection are managed properly to ensure
good quality results.

Plastic moulding is the process of shaping plastic using a rigid frame or

prepared mould. Moreover, plastic is a synthetic material and polymer-
oriented material in which to form it into the various shapes require different
molding processes. Each process involves the manipulation of molten plastic,
and then leaving it to set. The extrusion process is considered similar to
injection moulding. Plastic granules are heated in a hopper and a screw thread
forces the material through a die. Meanwhile, vacuum forming only works with
thin plastics and moulds with no undercuts. The shaped material is then
cooled. At the end, the plastic can then be trimmed to the required shape.
 Furthermore, the manufacturing process of a plastic syringe are carried
out in a controlled environment within a single continuous manufacturing line.
This avoids the risks of dust particles being deposited onto the siliconized
surface of the product. The process involved is not complicated and the
logistics cost is minimized as well. In detailed order, the production process
includes the following steps shown in Figure 1.

Firstly, the plastic syringe body is manufacturing by injection molding in a

suitably shaped cavity of the injection mold with pre-set inside dimensions by
using a core. Then, the seal to the syringe head of the plastic syringe body is
applied. The surface of the inside wall of the plastic barrel of the syringe body is
siliconized while it is still hot and active from injection molding. Finally, the
plastic syringe body is filled with the syringe contents through the rear open end
of the plastic barrel of the syringe body. The rear open end of the plastic barrel
of the syringe body is then sealed with a plunger stopper. Other parts such as
the needle and the piston are assembled together afterwards.

Figure 1. Manufacturing process of Plastic Syringe Body.

 Figure 2. Illustration of Manufacturing process.
Other than that, multiple options of sterilizing process can be used.
Depending on the solution being filled into the plastic syringe, the sterilization
process may be performed through autoclaving or suitable high energy radiation
such as gamma radiation, beta rays, microwaves, or flashes of light. It is
possible to skip the sterilization process if the manufacturing line is performed
under aseptic ambient conditions. Therefore, after filling, sealing, and optionally
sterilizing the plastic syringe body, it is labelled and available for shipping.

Moreover, material of the plastic syringe body is made of plastic which is

clear and transparent, suitable for autoclaving or sterilizing with steam and high
energy radiation. Furthermore, being able to form barrier against water vapour
diffusion, ensuring long storage life of the product. Preferably, the material
suitable for the plastic syringe body is cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). Cyclic
olefin copolymer (COC) provides the required barrier to water vapour,
mechanical strength, and having a transparent surface. Besides, Cyclic olefin
copolymer (COC) has full medical device certification in Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) as well as CE marking.

In addition, Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) also contains excellent

electrical properties with low density, high stiffness, and strength resulting in a
light, resistance overall package. Because of the chemical structure of the
Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), it emits no ions or heavy metals that could affect
the stored fluid. An improvement in the oxygen and fluid vapor impermeability
can be achieved by coating the Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) of the external
capsule with a Silicon Oxide (SO2) coating.

In conclusion, the discussed aspects are essential information in

producing a disposable plastic syringe for medical purposes. Each aspect plays
an important role in avoiding issues and complications throughout the
manufacturing line, which enables more good quality end product.

(708 words)
2. Write an account on the surface treatment of an engineering
component. Propose the materials used, the properties, manufacturing
processes and the inspection methods. Also predict the failure of the
treated surface that might occur during service life of the component.
The proposal is not only limited to these criteria; it might contain other
relevant matters.

High strength metals are generally used for load-carrying mechanical

components in the automotive industry. Variations in the microstructural
development demonstrated as nucleation sites followed by initiation and
propagation of defects, are indicators of the degradation of a component’s
properties due to cyclic loading. Therefore, one of the major factors that affect
fatigue life is its microstructural changes. Leaf springs are an example of
engineering component that subjected to such loads. Surface treatments
provides a positive improvement on the fatigue performance of leaf springs.
Besides, the manufacturing processes and proper material selection have a
direct effect to the quality of the product as well.

The main purpose of performing surface treatment is to increase

protection against wear and corrosion due to external stresses on the product
before ongoing final assembly and shipping. This operation ensures that the
product being manufactured is qualified based on applicable regulations and
standards required in the field. In the manufacturing process of leaf springs,
shot peening remains a traditional approach to the induction of residual stresses
on the surface of a leaf spring. Surface treatment by shot peening has been
shown to improve the fatigue life of leaf springs, provided the stresses induced
are compressive. In detail, as the temperature of the metal decreases and
contracts, residual tensile stresses are formed between grain boundaries
resulting in microcracks. Shot peening process cause the product surface to be
impacted repeatedly with large numbers of cast steel, glass, or ceramic shot
(small balls), which makes overlapping indentations on the surface. The
indentations formed on the surface are under compressive stresses, thus
prevents cracks and fissures from forming.
 Furthermore, the manufacturing process involved in producing leaf
springs specifically for automobiles can be summarized into 4 steps. This
includes heating process, rolling process, working process, and quenching
process. Initially, the raw material is heated to a stable austenite range
temperature, followed by rolling process which results in the required design for
width and thickness. Then, working process basically form the eye portions at
both ends by using conventional eye forming machine. The material is cooled
rapidly in quenching process and continued with shot peening process. These
steps are then repeated for other layers where the length of the next part should
be cut shorter. Finally, all the leaf layers are assembled together manually by
hand.

Moreover, the material selected for the leaf spring is AISI1008 carbon
steel. AISI 1008 Carbon steel is excellent in the value of strength and the
stresses are better than mild steel to which the AISI carbon steel is more
beneficial. Other than that, AISI 1008 Carbon steel is also used various
applications in industrial field, easy to fabricate, high ductility, available
commercially in the form of round bars and it’s had low cost. Applying shot
peening on the material also leads to an increase value of surface hardness
due to the dislocation density in alloy surfaces and improved fatigue limit.

Moving on, inspection method is crucial for ensuring quality of the

product manufactured satisfy the design specification. If found to be sagging,
bent, or broken, it will require part replacement. On-line inspection is preferable
for the final product in order to avoid complications and usually inspection
stations are placed after the assembly process. A hydraulic device can be used
to apply a specific amount of pressure to simulate the load carried by the leaf
spring. This procedure sets the spring into the required height through
compression. A worker will then measure the length of the leaf spring to ensure
design specifications are satisfied.

Shot peened surfaces may experience defects and failure during service
life such as surface cracks and marking due to improper control of shot peening
parameters. Since shot peening process apply compressive stresses at
immediate surface, it requires great precision for an even application on a
targeted surface. No benefits are obtained if the applied compressive stresses
are not applied consistently. Other than that, a change stress state in the
material can cause cracks to further propagate along a circumference. This will
waste any beneficial effect from the shot peening process. As a result, the crack
will propagate by fatigue during each loading cycle until final fracture occurs
during overload.

In conclusion, the discussed aspects such as manufacturing process,

material selection, and inspection method are important in producing quality
assured leaf springs. An understanding on the behaviours of defects and short
peening can improve the control of failures during the service life of the
components.

(741 words)
References
Abdulrazzaq, M. A., Kadhim, Z. D., & Hussain, W. S. (2019). Effect of Shot
Peening on Mechanical Properties for Steel AISI 1008. Diyala Journal of
Engineering Sciences, 56-64.

Fragoudakis, R., Karditsas, S., Savaidis, G., & Michailidis, N. (2014). The Effect
of Heat and Surface Treatment on the Fatigue Behaviour of 56SiCr7
Spring Steel . XVII International Colloquium on Mechanical Fatigue of
Metals, 309 – 312.

J, J. J., Selvaraju, S., & Chandrasekaran, M. (2016). Design and analysis of

commercial vehicle leaf spring using aisi1008 carbon steel composite
material. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences .

Jemelin, V. (2014). CYCLIC OLEFIN COPOLYMER EXTERNAL CAPSULE

FOR PRESERVING MEDICAL DEVICE.

Johari, O., & Sipes, W. A. (n.d.). Failure Analysis of a Shot-Peened

Component .

Reinhard, M., Bouffleur, R., & Spallek, M. (2000). METHOD OF PRODUCING A

FILLED PLASTIC SYRINGE BODY FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES.

Tanaka, T., Nakamura, M., Yamada, T., Takase, K., Muramatsu, K., & Ebata, T.
(1992). METHOD OF PREPARING A LEAF SPRING.