A study of factors effecting bond strength and optimization of thermoplastic elastomer alloys for insert injection molding on polyamide 6.

摘要

Thermoplastic elastomers have been used in overmolding applications on polyamide to give a soft touch to rigid handles. Insert overmolding allows existing injection molding machines to apply the soft touch grip, but bond strength can be difficult to achieve. TPE alloys were developed for insert overmolding on polyamide. Alloying with functionalized polymers and polyamide polymers resulted in cohesive bond strengths. The inputs of injection speed, mold temperature, gate size, melt temperature, and surface texture, were evaluated to determine which parameters affected the bond strength. Higher melt temperature caused an increase in the bond strength while a textured surface decreased the bond strength.