C01-004 Common Molding Problems and Solutions

C01-004
Common Molding Problems and

Solutions
December, 2017
CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

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2
What to learn
> Learning objectives

– How to solve the flow defects and cause reason
– Why Warp deformation
> Moldex3D version

– All Moldex3D product
> Recommended user

– All Moldex3D user
3
Content
> Flow / Pack

– Short Shot
– Hesitation
– Flow Unbalance
– Welt Line & Melt Line
– Air Trap
– Jetting
– Thermal Degradation
– Sink Mark & Void
– Flow mark
– Burn Mark
– Flash
> Warp
– Warpage
– Residual Stress
4
Short Shot

Cause of Short Shot Problems
> Short Shot: With general pressure and injection volume,

the melt can not fully filled the cavity.
> Cause of Short Shot

– Machine and process condition
• Insufficient stroke, Insufficient pressure.
– Material
• Poor fluidity of material (High viscosity、Low melt index、
Low L/T ratio)
– Mold Design:
• Thickness too thin, flow length too long (L/T ration too
high)
6
Solution of Short Shot
> Short Shot

• Confirm sufficient machine stroke
• Increase ram speed
• Increase injection pressure
• Increase VP Transform
• Increase mold and melt temperature
– Material
• Using high fluidity material
– Part and Mold Design
• Revise part thickness and runner design
• Improve venting
7
Solutions and Conclusion
> Use U-shape curve to find the process window for the
specific melt and mold temperature.
> From the U-shape curve, we can predict “short shot”

under different filling time, Machine Capacity, melt
temperature, Mold temperature, and Part Design.
> In other words, the CAE tool help us to solve “short shot”
problem in a quantitative way.
8
Hesitation

Hesitation
Hesitation
> In a part with multiple flow paths, the flow can slow down
or hesitate in thin regions. This allows the melt to cool in
thin regions and in some cases freeze before filling is
complete, causing short shots. Flow hesitation is most
likely to occur in parts containing thin diaphragms, ribs
and hinges.
10
Cause & Solution
> Causes
– Reduce part quality appearance. Poor packing. High
stresses and non-uniform orientation of the plastic
molecules.
> Solution
– Change gate location
• Move the polymer injection location away from the area
of hesitation
• Move to a place that will cause greater pressure to be
applied where the hesitation occurred.
– Increase wall thickness where the hesitation occurred
– Use a less viscous material
– Increase Flow Rate
– Increase Melt Temperature
11
Solution
- Flow Leaders and Restrictors
Flow Flow
Leader Restrictor
Corners typically fill late in box- Flow restrictors can change the filling
shaped parts. Adding flow leaders pattern to correct problems such as
balances flow to the part gas traps.
12
perimeter.
Flow Unbalance

Flow Unbalance
> Flow Unbalance: It means cavities are not filled at same

time. Or inside one cavity, the melt didn’t flow uniform.
Flowmark
Dominant Gate
Unbalanced Runner System
14
Cause
– Dad Gate Locations: The accepted ground rule for balancing

melt flow in multi-cavity injection molds is to achieve equal flow
distance from the injection point to each cavity. If not, it will
cause unbalance flow.
– Shear Heating Effect: Even such “naturally balanced” molds can

be prone to non-uniform fills.
15
Cause
- Various Temperature Distribution
Frozen Layer
Temp. Distribution
Frozen Layer Shear Rate Temp. of Heat Conduction
Velocity Field Distribution and Convection
Shear Heating
Total Temp.
– The flow of the polymer melt into a cold mold impression is

a typical example of an unsteady, non-isothermal, three-
dimensional flow of a compressible and viscoelastic fluids.
16
Cause
- Inter-Cavity Filling Imbalance
> The hotter melt near outer ring in the primary runner flow
along the right side in the secondary runner
> The colder melt near middle in the primary runner flow
along the left side in the secondary runner A.
Viscosity
Increasing
Temperature
Shear Rate
17 Shear Heating Naturally “Imbalanced”

Weld Line & Melt Line

Weld Line & Melt Line
> Weld line is common surface defects in injection molding,

also causes structural defects.
> A weld or meld line is a weakness or visible flaw when two
or more melt fronts meet in the filling process.
Weld Line
19
Cause
> Wild Line

– When a weld line forms, thin frozen layers at the front of
each flow path meet, melt, and then freeze again with the
rest of the plastic. The orientation of the plastic at the weld
is therefore perpendicular to the flow path.
> Meld Line
– A meld line occurs when two flow fronts blend together at an
oblique angle. The orientation of the plastic molecules is
therefore more uniform than the orientation after a weld line
has formed.
Weld Line
Flow Direction
20
Solution
> Solution
– Machine and Process Condition
• Increase melt and mold temperature. It allows the melt
fronts to interfuse more.
• Increase ram speed.
– Material
• Lower viscous polymer
• Alter gate positions.
• Change part thickness
• Optimize runner system design (Reduce runner
dimensions for generating frictional heat)
21
Conclusion
> When the weldlines cannot be avoided, the weldilines

strength can be increased by increasing the welding
temperature.
> CAE can help us to predict how process condition
changes can affect the welding temperature.
> Also, CAE can help us with mold design. Like in this case,
CAE proves that the revised runner design (Meltflipper
Max) can help increase welding temperature.
22
Air Trap
Air Trap

Air Trap
> Melt front advancement is a position indicator as melt

front boundary movement in different time duration in the
filling process. The trapped air can cause incomplete
filling and packing, and will often cause a surface blemish
in the final part. Air trapped in pockets may compress,
heat up and cause burn marks
24
Cause and Solution
> Case
– Machine and Process Codition:
• Velocity is too slow
– Material:
• Poor flowability
– Part and Mold Design:
• The thickness difference
> Solution:
– Process Condition:
• Increase flow rate, Increase Melt Temperature.
– Material:
• Lower viscous polymer
– Part and Mold Design :
• Identify Part Thickness
• Improve Venting
25
Jetting

Jetting
Jetting
> This is the phenomenon where the part has a wire-shape

flow pattern on the surface.
> Jetting appears due to improperly formed melt flow front
inside of cavity.
> It can occur because of gloss and color differences.
27
Cause
> Cause
– Plastic flows into the mold cavity without obstruction, the
Plastic will be spraying out from the gate.
– Rapid expansion of molding product under high injection
speed bears risks of jetting. Melting materials fill in the
cavity with uncontrolled movement.
– Excessive ram speed
– Poor gate position
– Inadequate hot runner system design
28
Solution
> Solution
• Decrease Flow Rate in the beginning
• Decrease Melt Temperature
• Modify gate design
• Modify gate position
29
Conclusions
> CAE can help us to investigate the problem and predict

how the design change affects the results.
> CAE can give us a direction of design change and finally
provide us a solution to the issue. Like in this case, we
combine revised design1 and 3 to solve the problem.
30
Thermal Degradation

Cause of Thermal Degradation Problems
> Thermal Degradation

– Molecular deterioration cause by overheating. It will break
down of material quality, resulting in poor parts.
> Cause of Thermal Degradation

• Too high rotational speed of screw
• Too small nozzle diameter
• Too high ram speed
• Too high mold/melt temperature
• Too small runner diameter

32
Solution of Thermal Degradation
> Solution of Thermal Degradation

• Reduce rotational speed of screw
• Reduce ram speed
• Reduce mold/melt temperature
• Increase runner diameter
33
Sink Mark & Void

Sink Mark
Sink Mark
> Sink marks appear as depressions on the surface of a

molded part. The visibility of sink marks is a function of
the color of the part as well as its surface texture so depth
is only one criterion.
35
Cause
> Sink Mark by plastic shrinkage caused mainly produced in the

cooling stage.
> Causes
– During plastic cooling stage, the outer surface cools down
and forms a hard shell-like in the beginning. When the
internal plastic starts to cool, the outer layer has cooled and
hardened. The inside plastic releases internal stress by
deformation, that’s why surface dent is occurred.
– Localized geometric features
– High volumetric shrinkage
– Insufficient material compensation
36
Cause
> Uneven Shrinkage Defects
Sink Marks Voids

Surface yields to still shrinking Already cooled surface will
interior mass yield to shrinking interior
– Cause polymer has low heat conductivity. Uneven cooling

effect causes uneven volumetric shrinkage. Sink mark on
surface and void inside are happened easily near thick area.
37
Solution
> Solution:
• Increase Flow Rate
• Increase Melt Temperature.
• Increase Mold Temperature
– Material:
• Add fiber
• Changing Gate Size
• Modify Part Thickness
38
Conclusions
> Sometimes part design and mold Design are not allowed
because of cost.
> Process condition design is the way to solve the problem
with the lowest cost. But need to pay attention to cycle
time increase.
> CAE predict the problem quantitatively and provide us a
solution .
39
Flow mark

Flow mark
> This is a phenomenon where the initial flow of molten

plastics which solidifies mixes with a later flow and
remains undissolved. It develops distinctive patterns
such as clouds, scales or tree rings
> Cause
– Injection speed is too fast
– Mold or molten plastics temperature is too low
Flow Mark
> Solution Gate
Positio
– Enlarge the gate area.
n
– Increase the pressure retention time for better pressure
quality
41
Burn Mark

Cause of Burn Mark Problems
> Burn Mark：

– During the filling stage, air inside the cavity will be
compressed. If venting is not smoothly, compressed air will
ignition and burning the plastic.
> Cause of Burn Mark:
– The venting speed isn’t fast enough, kinetic energy of

compress transfer to heat energy, increasing the air
temperature.
43
Solution of Burn Mark
> Solution of Burn Mark

• Decrease ram speed, Decrease clamping force, mold
maintenance (keep good venting effect)

• Consider the air escape path when part design.
• Enough venting holes
• Design venting holes at the end of filling.
44
Flash

Cause of Flash Problems
> Flash：Flashes develop at the mold parting line or ejector

pin installation point. It is a phenomenon where molten
polymer smears out and sticks to the gap.
> Cause of Flash

• Too high injection pressure、Too low clamping force
– Material
• Too low viscosity
• Poor quality of the mold
• Improper mold gap
46
Solution of Flash
> Solution of Flash

• Decrease injection pressure
• Decrease the ram speed.
• Decrease mold and melt temperature
• Increase clamping force
– Material
• Using low fluidity material
• Revise part thickness to get balance pressure.
• Enhance the surface quality of the parting lines, ejector
pins and holes.
47
Warpage

Warpage
> After the part is ejected and cooled down to room

temperature, the part forms with changing shape and size.
> Structure：The molded part can not meet the size

requirement, so the misassembly or disable assembly
occur.
49
Cause
> Because of uneven shrinkage in molding process, the

part is deformed.
> Cause:
– Cooling Differential
• Temperature Difference
– Shrinkage Differential
• Part Thickness Difference
• Packing Pressure
• Material Properties
– Orientation Shrinkage
• Polymer Orientation
– Flow Residual Stress
– External Force
• Force inside Mold
• Force during Mold Opening
50
Cause
- Packing Pressure Influence
> Packing Distribution is Uneven
– Near the gate → High pressure, Enough packing → Smaller
shrinkage
– Away from the gate → Low pressure, Insufficient packing →
Larger shrinkage
Higher Cavity Lower Cavity Lower Higher

Pressure Pressure Shrinkage Shrinkage
Ejection
51
Cause
- Thickness Influence
> Thickness Effect：The cooling efficiency is poorer in the
thicker areas, so the local heat accumulation happens.
– The temperature in local areas with poorer cooling efficiency
is higher and the shrinkage over there is larger.
Thinness Lower
Shrinkage
Thickness Higher
Shrinkage
52
Cause
- Orientation Influence
> Directional shrinkage phenomena
– Normally the in-flow shrinkage is higher than cross-flow
shrinkage.
– Because the macromolecule chains of polymer in in-flow
direction are stretched more seriously than they are in the
cross-flow direction and have tendency to stretch back their
original state.
53
Cause
- Orientation Influence
> Fiber orientation effect
– To add fiber can strengthen parts and reduce the shrinkage.
– The fiber orientation is random, and it will cause the
shrinkage uniform.
– If the fiber orients regularly, the shrinkage along the fiber
orientation is smaller.
54
Solution
> Solution:
• Higher Packing Pressure
• Increase Flow Rate
• Decrease Mold Temperature
• Even Cooling Temperature Distribution
– Material:
• Add Fiber
• Uniform Thickness
• Bigger Gate Size
• Mold Material with Greater Heat Conduction Rate
55
Solution
- Thickness Influence
Poor Design
Good Design
Non-uniform wall thickness can Core out thick sections as shown on

lead to air traps. right to maintain a more uniform wall
thickness.
56
Residual Stress

Residual Stress
> The stress which exists in an elastic solid body in the

absence of, or in addition to, the stresses caused by an
external load. Such stresses can arise from deformation
during cold working such as cold drawing or stamping, in
welding from weld metal shrinkage, and in changes in
volume due to thermal expansion.
58
Cause
> An injected part is shaped from a high temperature melt

to a solid state. Variation of temperature and pressure will
induce volumetric shrinkage and produce internal forces.
Thus, the internal forces cause warpage of a plastic part.
In this situation, this internal stress is also named
residual stress.
> Cause
• Higher Packing Pressure
• Higher Flow Rate
• Lower Mold Temperature
– Material:
• Poor Viscous
• Uneven Thickness
• Small Gate Size
59

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C01-004

Common Molding Problems and

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

The following content is provided for educational purposes by CoreTech

Copyright for the following material is primarily held by the CoreTech

> Learning objectives

– Why Warp deformation

> Moldex3D version

> Recommended user

> Flow / Pack

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Short Shot: With general pressure and injection volume,

> Cause of Short Shot

> Short Shot

> From the U-shape curve, we can predict “short shot”

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Flow Unbalance: It means cavities are not filled at same

Unbalanced Runner System

– Dad Gate Locations: The accepted ground rule for balancing

– Shear Heating Effect: Even such “naturally balanced” molds can

– The flow of the polymer melt into a cold mold impression is

17 Shear Heating Naturally “Imbalanced”

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Weld line is common surface defects in injection molding,

> Wild Line

> When the weldlines cannot be avoided, the weldilines

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Melt front advancement is a position indicator as melt

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> This is the phenomenon where the part has a wire-shape

> CAE can help us to investigate the problem and predict

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Thermal Degradation

> Cause of Thermal Degradation

• Too high rotational speed of screw

• Too small nozzle diameter

• Too high ram speed

• Too high mold/melt temperature

– Part and Mold Design

• Too small runner diameter

> Solution of Thermal Degradation

• Reduce rotational speed of screw

• Reduce ram speed

• Reduce mold/melt temperature

– Part and Mold Design

• Increase runner diameter

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Sink marks appear as depressions on the surface of a

> Sink Mark by plastic shrinkage caused mainly produced in the

> Uneven Shrinkage Defects

Sink Marks Voids

– Cause polymer has low heat conductivity. Uneven cooling

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> This is a phenomenon where the initial flow of molten

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Burn Mark：

> Cause of Burn Mark:

– The venting speed isn’t fast enough, kinetic energy of

> Solution of Burn Mark

– Part and Mold Design

CoreTech System Co., Ltd. www.moldex3d.com

> Flash：Flashes develop at the mold parting line or ejector

> Cause of Flash