One of the problems encountered in fluid-assisted injection-molded parts is the gas or water ''fingering'' phenomenon, in which gas (water) bubbles penetrate nonuniformly into the core of the parts and form finger-shape branches. Severe fingerings can lead to significant reductions in part stiffness. This study investigated the fingering phenomenon in fluid-assisted injection-molded disk parts. Experiments were carried out on a reciprocating injection-molding machine equipped with gas-and water-injection units. The material used was virgin polypropylene. A disk cavity with two different thicknesses was used for all experiments. The effects of various processing parameters on the fingering were examined. It was found that the melt short shot size and mold temperature were the principal parameters affecting the formation of part fingerings. In addition, the formation mechanism of part fingerings has also been proposed to better understand the formation of part fingerings. It has been shown that the fluid-assisted filling process is an unstable system by nature. Any small perturbation by material viscosity or by temperature gradient can trigger the unbalance of gas (water) penetrations in the parts and result in fingerings.

This study aims to examine the morphological development in fluid assisted injection molded high density polyethylene (HDPE)/polycarbonate (PC) blends. Samples for microscopic observation were prepared by an 80‐ton injection‐molding machine equipped with a tube cavity and with both gas and water injection units. It was observed that the shape and size of the dispersed phase depended on the position both across the part thickness and along the flow direction. Water molded parts with a smaller PC particle distribution than gas. Additionally, high fluid pressures were found to mold parts with a smaller PC particle distribution. For both gas and water assisted injection molding, small and large particles coexisted in the skin and subskin layers, indicating that both coalescence and breakup of the dispersed phase occurred in that layer.magnified image

Water assisted injection molding (WAIM) has gradually become one of the most important polymer processing methods for making hollowed parts. This study examined the morphological development in water assisted injection molded high density polyethylene (HDPE)/polyamide‐6 (PA‐6) blends. Samples for microscopic observation were prepared by an 80‐ton injection‐molding machine equipped with a tube cavity and with a water injection unit. A distinct skin layer, core region, and channel layer were observed across the thickness. The shape and size of the dispersed phase depended on the position both across the part thickness and along the flow direction. Small and large particles coexisted in the skin and channel layers, indicating that both coalescence and disintegration of the dispersed phase occurred in these layers. High water pressures were found to mold parts with smaller polyamide particle distributions. Additionally, the morphology of water assisted injection molded parts was compared to that of gas assisted injection molded products. It was found that water molded parts exhibit a smaller polyamide particle distribution than their gas counterparts. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

No abstract

No abstract