Gloss and surface topography of ABS: A study on the influence of the injection molding parameters

Abstract

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is used in applications where the surface appearance is important. Plates with surface texture, varying from highly smooth to very rough, were injection molded with various processing conditions. Morphology, roughness, and gloss of the surface were assessed in relation to the processing parameters. The surface characterization of the moldings was done using reflected differential interference contrast microscopy and laser microtopography. It was observed that the surface properties are affected by the molding parameters. The mold temperature, followed by the injection temperature and the holding pressure are the more influent parameters. The contribution of each parameter to the gloss varies with the type of surface, but for most of the surfaces the contribution of the mold temperature was above 90%. In general, higher values of these parameters improve the replication accuracy that reduce the roughness (and increase the gloss) of very smooth surfaces and cause the opposite effect in other surfaces. In surfaces with an anisotropic texture the gloss depends on the measuring direction. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:1394–1401, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.

Effects of cavity surface temperature on reinforced plastic part surface appearance in rapid heat cycle moulding

“…For CMTC of CIM, the cavity surface temperature during filling process should be much lower than the glass transition temperature or melt temperature of the plastic resin to ensure a short moulding cycle and competitive production efficiency. The low cavity surface temperature makes the polymer melt freeze prematurely and consequently a frozen layer will formed during filling process at the interface between the hot polymer melt and the cold mould cavity, which leads to a series of defects of the final moulded parts, such as flow mark [11,12], weld mark [13,14], swirl mark [15][16][17], roughness [18,19], low gloss [20][21][22], and low replication accuracy [23,24]. For DMTC of RHCM, the cavity surface temperature during filling process has much smaller negative influence on the moulding cycle because the mould can be cooled as soon as possible after filling.…”

Gloss reduction and morphological properties of polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate‐acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) blends with SAN‐co‐GMA as a reactive compatibilizer

“…To decrease the gloss level of the plastic components, the use of a textured mold surface is one of the simple techniques . However, unlike crystalline polymers such as polypropylene or polyamide, which are in general known as easy flow materials, the PC/ABS blend shows relatively high melt viscosities.…”

Optical Triangulation-Based Microtopographic Inspection of Surfaces

“…Several systems are available: the MICROTOP.03.MFC is intended for general use in the inspection of rough surfaces (both 2D and 3D); the MICROTOP.PL1.MFC system is a simplified version specially designed to be used in the inspection of polymer pieces and materials [70,73]; a simple hand held version [38]; and the version MICROTOP.06.MFC (Figure 4) that incorporates an angle resolved scattering structure with height resolution measuring capabilities down to the nanometer range [77]. …”