THE EFFECT OF CAVITY PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS ON THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF A MULTI-CAVITY HOT RUNNER INJECTION MOLD

摘要

Multi-cavity hot runner injection molds have historically had problems with unbalanced and/or unrepeatable filling patterns sometimes related to thermal variations in the manifold which can typically result in a number of processing issues. Typically, if a scientific approach to identifying optimal filling patterns is utilized, the overall performance of a multi-cavity hot runner tool can be improved. Scientific processing techniques in addition to cavity pressure transducers can be an advantageous approach to identifying optimal filling patterns and any variations that may exist in these types of injection molds. The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of cavity pressure transducers on the overall performance of a 32-cavity hot runner injection mold. Typical scientific processing techniques such as short shot studies and on-machine rheology curves were used as the foundation of the study. Once the preliminary molding conditions were identified and the cavity pressure transducers strategically placed, a design of experiments (DOE) was conducted to determine the effects of varying process conditions (injection velocity, hold pressure, and hold time) on specific cavity pressures in the 32-cavity hot runner injection mold. The short shot study provided an idea of the mold filling imbalances and allowed for the cavity pressure transducers to be strategically placed, an end of fill transducer in each quadrant of the mold. The results showed that an injection velocity ranging from 35 to 95% resulted in adequate material viscosities during the fill stage. The DOE indicated that injection velocity and hold pressure had the most significant effect on the cycle integrals. Also, the hold time tended to have a significant effect on the cycle integral when increased from 1 to 3 seconds. Additionally, increased injection velocity tended to increase flash and decrease warpage.