SPE IMD Spring 2010 Final Draft 5 - Amazon...

Spring 2010 SPE Injection Molding Division

Molding ViewsMolding ViewsMolding ViewsMolding ViewsMolding ViewsBrought to you by the Injection Molding Division

of the Society of Plastics Engineers

IN THIS ISSUE:

Disclaimer: The editorial content published in this newsletter is the sole responsibility of the authors. The Injection Molding Division publishes thiscontent for the use and benefit of its members, but is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of editorial content contributed by various sources.

No. 81, Spring 2010

Continued on page 3

Chair’s Message 1IMD Leadership 2Student Activities Report 2Ask The Expert: Injection Molding 4Ask The Expert: CAE 8Ask The Expert: Hot Runner Systems 11Feature Article 12

Process Control AutomationMolding Corner 15

Mold Filling TechnologiesFeatured Article 18

Cost of Ownership: Mold SavingsMolding 2010 Announcement 20Feature Article 21

In-Mold Label VariantsSponsorship Opportunities 23ANTEC 2010 Announcement 24

Feature Article 25IMD and Rotational Molding

Machinery Corner 28Featured Commentary 29

Winning in a Losing EconomyAnnouncements 3010th International Polymer Colloquium 31On The Road: Bensheim Technology Day 32Member Profile 35IMD Best Paper Finalist 36

Laser-Assisted Moulding of NanostructuresIndustry Event Calendar 40BOD Meeting Minutes 41Submission Guidelines 43New IMD Members and Companies 44Membership Application 46Sponsors in this Issue 47Publisher’s Message 47

Chair’s Message

Dave KarpinskiNorTech

The Answer is Within

As my year as Chair of the Injection Molding Division comes to a close, I look back atthe progress that we have made this past year and I look ahead to the challenges ourSociety continues to face as well as the promising future that the Society has, poised tocontribute to our industry in new ways.

Like practically all organizations that I know, the Injection Molding Division was facedwith significant budget challenges. The Board scrutinized the operations of the Division asis our duty and responsibility. We made adjustments to decrease expenses while still servingour members and providing value. We also introduced several virtual meetings to our annualmeeting schedule which have allowed our Board members to contain their own travelexpenses while at the same time to continue to carry out the work of the Division. We haveexamined our ANTEC paper review process which represents best practice within the Society and have madeadjustments to reduce the cost. I can assure you that the Board of the Injection Molding Division is focused on thefinancial challenges facing the Division and will continue to do its best to respond accordingly.

Certainly prudent financial management and cost reduction is necessary in these times. Indeed, these measuresare good business practices for any organization in any time. However, cost cutting alone is not a sufficient strategyfor sustainable business operations. With as much focus as we place on the bottom line, we must place even moreon top line stability and growth. For our Society, this means a stable and growing membership base.


IMD Leadership

DIVISION OFFICERS

IMD Chair, Alt. TreasurerDave Karpinski, [email protected]

Chair-ElectLee Filbert, [email protected]

Past ChairLih-Sheng (Tom) TurngUniv. of Wisconsin–[email protected]

Executive Committee Liason,Nominations ChairHoa [email protected]

Secretary,Student Activities ChairWalt Smith, Xaloy, [email protected]

Technical DirectorPeter [email protected]

TreasurerJim [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Awards ChairVacant

Communications Chair,Website ChairLee Filbert, [email protected]

Councilor, Reception ChairJack Dispenza, Ideal [email protected]

Education ChairPat Gorton, [email protected]

Engineer of the Year AwardKishor Mehta, Plascon [email protected]

Historian, Fellows &Honored Service AwardsLarry SchmidtLR Schmidt [email protected]

Membership ChairNick Fountas, [email protected]

TPC 2009Brad Johnson, Penn State [email protected]

TPC 2010Jan Stevens, [email protected]

TPC 2011Susan Montgomery, [email protected]

Board MemberErik Foltz, The Madison [email protected]

Board MemberAdam KramschusterUniv. of Wisconsin–[email protected]

Board MemberRaymond McKee, [email protected]

Board MemberMichael Uhrain, [email protected]

Emeritus Board MemberDon AllenPhillips [email protected]

Emeritus Board MemberLarry CosmaPerformance [email protected]

Emeritus Board MemberMal MurthyDoss [email protected]

Emeritus Board MemberJim PeretContractor, [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS

Publication: Editor/Publisher, SponsorshipChris LaceyUniv. of Wisconsin–[email protected]

IMD Leadership

Chair’s MessageStudent Activities

Student Activities Report By Walter S. Smith

The Injection Molding Division (IMD) offers a $3000 scholarship that is made annually to a graduate orundergraduate student. Applicants must have experience in the injection molding industry, such as courses taken,research conducted, or jobs held. The scholarship will be awarded through the SPE foundation. Bradley Stroup ofThe Pennsylvania College of Technology was awarded the Injection Molding Division Scholarship for the 2008–2009 school year. Applications for the 2009–2010 school year were due February 15th, 2010.

The IMD sponsored the Injection Molding Reception at previous ANTEC’s and will continue to do so atANTEC 2010 in Orlando, Florida. This event, which is heavily attended by students, is a great opportunity forstudents to network and meet professionals in their chosen career paths.

The IMD also works closely with local SPE sections and student chapters to provide various activities such asplant tours, IMD speakers, and scholarships. The Society of Plastics Engineers offers membership to over 120student chapters.

The SPE Foundation 2009–2010 Scholarship brochure/application is available for interested students whowill be attending college in the 2009–2010 school year. General Foundation Scholarships range up to $4000/year.Specific scholarships requiring specific knowledge or background can range up to $7000/year. The SPE Foundationgives out over $60,000 annually.

Learn, network, and get connected with the help of SPE. Get involved in an existing SPE Chapter, or start yourown! For more information on what it takes to start a student chapter, or to find out what SPE can do for yourplastics program, contact Tricia McKnight at [email protected].


Chair’s Message -cont-

Continued from page 1

It is no secret that membership has declinedsubstantially over the past several years. The recenteconomic crisis has had a severe impact on ourmembership. This is the state in which we find ourselvesat this point in time. We should not be looking for someexternal forces or government “bail out” to solve ourproblems. We, the members of this fine Society ofPlastics Engineers, are responsible for our own destiny.“But the problem is too big for me to impact” you mightsay. I disagree. Each of us can do our part to help tostabilize and rebuild membership.

You are a member of SPE presumably because youfind value in your membership. I challenge each of youto do your part in helping to build our membership byrecruiting your peers to join the Society. Nothing is aseffective as a personal recommendation, word ofencouragement, or a personal testimonial. Please shareyour experiences that have proven the value of yourSPE membership with your friends and colleagues inthe industry. It is up to each of us to do our part inhelping to secure the future of our Society.

SPE can provide many resources to support you inyour recruiting efforts. They have even created a newprogram to help stimulate activity in this importantobjective. The name of the program is called Member-Get-A-Member. For each new paid member yourecruit between now and May 1, 2010, you will receivea choice of rewards. The Section and Division he/shejoins will receive an incentive as well. The more yourecruit, the greater the reward. You can learn more aboutthe program and access some recruiting tips on the SPEwebsite. The following tips are taken from the SPEMember-Get-A-Member site (http://www.4spe.org/member-get-member-campaign).

Identify Recruits. It’s easier than you think. Isthere someone within your company who would benefitfrom becoming a member? A customer? A supplier? Afriend? Maybe a young professional who doesn’t knowhow belonging to SPE can help his or her career.

Introduce recruits to SPE by sharing your SPEexperiences. Think of three reasons why you becamea member of SPE and write them down. Share thesereasons with your new recruit. Your experiences with

SPE will pique their interest and encourage them to join.You have credibility with your peers because you dothe same job, work in the same environment/industry,or believe in the same cause.

Use your SPE Membership User’s Guide as areference when talking about membership. Don’t haveyour copy handy? Download one from the SPE website(http://www.4spe.org/sites/default/files/spe-memberuserguide-4web.pdf).

Invite your peer to attend a Section meeting orother SPE-related program with you: this allows him/her to see firsthand the benefits of membership.

Encourage your peer to visit the SPE website(www.4spe.org) to review the technical information andtechnical training available.

Share the proceedings from a recent ANTEC orinformation obtained from a recent topical conferencethat you attended.

When a colleague needs an answer to a technicalquestion, show them the technical resources availableto you through your SPE membership (http://www.4spe.org/technical-resources).

Don’t forget to ask if he/she is ready to becomea member! This is a simple yet often overlooked step.Let them know that because you are recruiting them,they can join for only $109, a $35 savings off first-yeardues. The student rate is $31 per year.

Provide a membership application (http://www.4spe.org/membership/membership-application)that includes your name and SPE Member ID numberor send them an epostcard (http://www.4spe.org/epostcard) so they can join online.

Follow up with your colleague to see if he/she hasjoined SPE successfully. Thank them for joining. If theyhaven’t, remind them why it is beneficial to them.

In closing, I urge you to take this call to action toheart. The future of our Society depends upon each ofus. The answer to our challenges lies within thededication of our Society’s own members.

Please share your thoughts with us on this importantmatter. Email your thoughts and comments to DaveKarpinski, IMD Chair, at [email protected].

Dave Karpinski, IMD Chair, 2009-2010

http://www.4spe.org/member-get-member-campaign

http://www.4spe.org/sites/default/files/spe-memberuserguide-4web.pdf

www.4spe.org

http://www.4spe.org/technical-resources

http://www.4spe.org/membership/membership-application

http://www.4spe.org/epostcard


Chair’s MessageAsk The Expert

Chair’s MessageWe’re Online!

Injection Molding Questions

Bob Dealey, owner and president ofDealey’s Mold Engineering, Inc. an-swers your questions about injectionmolding. Bob has over 30 years ofexperience in plastics injection-mold-ing design, tooling, and processing.You can reach Bob by emailing:[email protected]

QuestionWhen determining injection velocity using the

scientific approach, why would anything other thanthe fastest injection velocity ever be chosen?

AnswerWhen utilizing the advantages of mold filling—

typically 99% full in under a second in decoupled orscientific injection molding—high injection velocities arerequired. Results confirm that fewer stresses are present

in the molded part and it’s natural to conclude that highinjection speeds and pressures combined for highinjection velocities would be the norm.

While the conclusion is generally sound, there areoccasions where high velocities could damage thepolymer melt and/or the injection mold. Runner, gate,and part design often present areas where extremelyhigh shear is added to the melt and either discolors ordegrades the polymer under these conditions. In othersituations, inadequate venting or areas of gas entrapmentmight restrict the use of high injection velocities. Inaddition, jetting, gate blush, and other cosmetic defectsoften result from high injection velocities. Coredeflection and/or damage to the mold are also concernswhen using high injection velocities, resulting from eitherhigh pressure or increased speed of the melt associatedwith the combination of parameters utilized for highinjection velocities.

Perhaps the rule of thumb for “high injectionvelocities” should be: Use the highest injection velocitypossible without hurting the melt or the mold.

LinkedIn:You can join the SPE InjectionMolding Division group to stayin touch with people you meet atconferences, ask technical ques-tions, and learn about eventsrelated to the injection moldingindustry.

Facebook:You can join the SPE InjectionMolding Division (IMD) groupon Facebook and check outdiscussion topics posted by SPEIMD members as well as postsabout upcoming events. You canalso become online friends withpeople you meet at conferencesas well your colleagues to keepconnected with what they aredoing throughout the year.

www.dme.net

www.linkedin.com

www.facebook.com


www.industramark.com


Ask The Experts -cont-

QuestionWhat causes tiger striping on parts made with

thermoplastic elastomers and what is the best wayto eliminate them?

AnswerFrom the question, and without actually seeing

the part, I assume the description “tiger striping” refersto a part surface defect that runs transverse (perpen-dicular) to the flow of the polymer in the mold. I’veonly seen this on a few parts and the effect has beeneliminated or greatly reduced with lower injectionspeeds. Due to the compressibility of elastomericmaterials, the flow front of the material can becomestationary at the surface of the mold for a short interval.As injection pressure builds, the material at the surfacefirst stretches and then moves a short distance beforebecoming stationary again. As this happens, stressmarks can appear as lightened lines giving a tigerstriped appearance.

Relocation of the gate might be a remedy whenprocessing parameters cannot be adjusted to eliminatethe problem.

Perhaps some of our readers have encounteredthis problem and could shed further light on thesubject. As always, your comments are welcome andmost helpful.

QuestionFor what application(s) would you need to use

a stripper sleeve instead of a stripper plate?

AnswerI would like to start out with some definitions of

the concepts of ejection so as not to create confusionamong the terms. There are a number of differentconcepts used in molding to describe the type ofejection used to remove a part in the ejection phaseof the injection molding cycle.

Plane round ejector pins are the most commonmethod for ejecting a plastic part. Slight variations ofthe ejector pin include rectangular or square shapesmost commonly known as blade ejectors. A variationof the ejector pin, one with a hole in the center, iscalled an ejector sleeve. They are used to demold

parts that are either round and/or have a core or core pinforming the interior of a plastic part feature by removingmaterial and are generally contained and actuated via themold’s ejector plate.

Round parts (however oval, rectangular, or square-shaped parts are also possible) utilize a mold componentor mechanism that contacts the outer lip of the part toeject the part from the core. When this concept is usedthe nomenclature for the mold component is that of astripper ring or stripper plate.

A stripper ring is typically a hardened componentdedicated to one specific core that moves independentlyfrom the mold “B” plate in the ejection phase of the moldingcycle for demolding the part. A stripper plate typically hasone or more stripper rings contained in that plate and theentire plate moves for ejecting the part. Typically thisstripper plate sits on top of the “B” plate.

So if the question is: When is a stripper ring incorpor-ated into the mold as opposed to a stripper plate? Theanswer is somewhat dependent upon the size of the part,the ejector stroke, and the number of cavities containedwithin the mold. High cavitation, smaller parts, and ejector

www.incoe.com


www.engelglobal.com/na



Question:Can CAE simulation determine if the water

flow in the cooling channels is turbulent? If so,what Reynolds number is optimal for determiningthe flow rate capacity of a cooling system?

stroke requirements within the injection moldingmachine capabilities lend themselves to stripper platemolds. It is just more economical to machinetemperature control lines and actuation methods intothe mold plate than individual small components, eventhough the molding area for the stripping action couldbe a hardened insert into the ejector plate.

Larger parts and molds present additionaldemands and generally are designed with stripperrings. Weight and thermal expansion considerationsenter into the equation for very large molds and thering concept is preferred over the plate action. Whenthe ejector stroke of the mold exceeds that of theinjection molding machine and hydraulic cylinders areutilized for ejection, then a stripper plate is thepreferred option.

An ejector sleeve is the best choice for placementon small part features. Ejector sleeves are availableas standard, off-the-shelf parts up to about 20 mm ininternal diameter. Larger sizes are custom made.Ejector sleeves are contained in the ejector plate andare consequently long. An ejector ring is typicallycontained in the “B” or “X” plate and short in length.

The ejector sleeve, stripper ring, and/or plate areexcellent ejection choice, as they contact the part at apoint where ejection forces are pushing on the plasticpart wall, the cardinal rule of ejection.

John Ralston, operations andengineering manager of Beau-mont Technologies, Inc., an-swers your questions about flowsimulation. John has over 18years of CAE experience usingvarious flow simulation pack-ages. You can reach John with asubject line of “SPE and CAE”at [email protected].

CAE Questions

Answer:We will take the questions one at a time while starting

with the topic of turbulent flow. The simple answer to thequestion is YES, CAE cooling analysis can determine ifthe water flow through your cooling channels is turbulent.In order to do this, the software needs to calculate theReynold’s Number, which is an indication of laminar orturbulent flow.

By definition, the Reynold’s Number (Re) is a unitlessratio between the inertial forces versus the viscous forcesof a flowing fluid. If the inertial forces are dominant, thenthe flow is turbulent. If the viscous forces are dominant,the flow is laminar. To put this into perspective, considerthat laminar flow is indicated by a Re of less than 2,300.There is a transition zone up to a Re of 4,000. Above4,000 is considered turbulent. CAE software usuallyrecommends a Re of 10,000 for cooling purposes as astarting point. Remember, we are talking about coolantflow (typically water). But for discussion purposes, whatabout plastic flow? Is plastic flow laminar or turbulent? Ifyou calculate the Re for injection molding plastics, evenwhen analyzing the flow through small tunnel gates, you

www.xaloy.com


Ask The Expert -cont-

will often find Re to be less than 10. As you can see, thisis not even close to a turbulent flow condition, thusplastic flow is laminar. Simply put, the inertial forcesduring injection molding are not strong enough toovercome the viscous forces of thermoplastic materials.

Now let’s get back to mold cooling. Using the CAEanalysis recommendation of Re equal to 10,000, shouldyou spend a lot of time designing your cooling system tobe even more turbulent by having a Re greater than10,000? This is not a clear Yes or No question andrequires review of the cooling analysis iterations todetermine if the amount of heat capable of being removedfrom the increase in Re surpasses the amount of heatavailable to be removed from the mold. In general, furtherincreasing the flow rate to achieve a higher Reynoldsnumber once full turbulent flow is established will increasethe molds capacity to extract heat. Once turbulent flowis established, the heat transfer is proportional to thesquare of the cube root of the flow rate. Therefore,doubling the coolant flow increases heat transfer by

approximately 59 percent. The increase in coolingefficiency does come with its costs since the powerrequired to pump coolant is proportional to the flowrate cubed, which means that doubling the coolant flowwill require approximately eight times the pumpingpower. Thus, as stated earlier, the most effectivecondition for heat transfer is to ensure that the coolantflow is turbulent but that the capacity to extract heatdoes not exceed the amount of heat available forextraction. Any coolant flow rates above this point willresult in wasted pumping power with little to no increasein cooling efficiency.

When setting up a CAE cooling analysis, the analysthas two options: (1) check for turbulent flow in all areasof a cooling layout by calculating the Re based on actualchannel sizes, loops, layout, and coolant flow rate; or(2) calculate the flow rate required in order to achieveturbulent flow conditions (you can specify the desiredRe) for a given design (Figure 1). In most of ouranalyses, we will let the customer know what flow rate

www.autodesk.com



Figure 1

they need from their pumps in order to obtain turbulentflow while optimizing pumping capacity. Of course ifthe customer doesn’t check their pump capacity or relaythe information to the process technician, then the valueof the flow analysis recommendations will not be realized.The key point here is to share the information with thosewho need to know. If the thermolator used for themolding operation does not have the capacity tomaintain the flow rate as recommended by the CAEanalysis then the flow through the cooling lines may notbe optimized thus putting the quality of the part andprofitability of the project at risk.

Regardless, we always confirm the results with thecustomer and encourage them to verify their pumpcapacity. If they do not have the required pump capacity,then we can work with them to redesign the coolinglayout in order to utilize existing equipment to achieveturbulent flow.

Keep in mind that most analysts will not model infittings and hoses unless specified upfront by thecustomer. Most often the benefit is not worth the extramodeling and run time unless you are really concernedabout restrictive fittings or long hoses going from yourthermolator to the mold. Use your engineering judgmentto determine if you need to take your analysis to thoseextremes.

Question:What is the purpose of modeling the mold

boundary for cooling analysis in Moldflow? Is therea definite effect on the mold temperature analysisoutput?

Answer:The mold boundary is a generalization of the size of

the steel (or other material which you can specify)surrounding the part (Figure 2). The main purpose ofthe mold boundary for the cooling analysis is to capturethe heat loss from the mold to the surroundingenvironment. If we do not specify a mold boundary whilesetting up the cooling analysis, the software will specifyone for you. Therefore, it is not easy to say how muchof an effect the mold boundary has on the moldtemperature output since we cannot run a cooling analysiswithout one.

If you do not specify your own mold boundary, thesize of the default mold boundary is based on the size ofthe part and other information modeled, such as themelt delivery system. This sounds safe enough for generalanalyses, but be careful. Depending on how well youclean your mesh, there is a chance you would have apoint out in space. The software will see this point aspart of the model and create a mold boundary largeenough to surround it. Therefore your analysis will notonly take a much longer time to run but it will also beinaccurate due to the oversized mold boundary.

You can also create your own mold boundary modelin 3D analyses. This will allow you to utilize cutting planesand look at the internal mold temperatures at criticalareas of the part as needed.

Figure 2

www.jdltech.ca



Hot Runner Questions

Terry Schwenk, owner and presi-dent of Process & Design Tech-nologies, LLC, answers your hotrunner questions. Terry has over 34years of experience in the plasticsindustry, and more then 22 years inhot runner technology specifically.Email your questions to Terry [email protected]

Question:What kind of hot runner systems are more prone

to leak plastic into the system?

Answer:The answer to this question can be quite complex.

Without knowing specifics I will answer like this. Noone type of hot runner system is more or less prone toleaking. There are certain laws of physics that need tobe paid attention to in order to design a system to besafe and leak resistant. With that said the question shouldbe what types of resins are more prone to leakage inhot runner systems? The answer to this question is resinswith a low viscosity and a low melting point. The reasonis that it takes less pressure and temperature for thesetypes of resins to leak. Three things need to be presentfor any leak to occur: heat, flow path, and pressure.Take any one of those things away and a leak can notoccur.

Heat. The hot runner system is designed to maintainheat; however, in a good design, the system will allowheat loss in certain areas where it contacts the moldbase and these areas are taken advantage of in order tomaintain a stable processing temperature.

Flow Path. Having a lower temperature in an areasuch as a flow path will cause the resin to solidify, thuspreventing a leak. A flow path is any area where themelt can flow, such as the fit between the nozzle bodyand manifold, between the nozzle and gate seal, and inthe case of a valve-gated system, the fit between thevalve pin and valve bushing. Thus fits and finishes arecritical to prevent material leakage as in the gate sealarea and manifold areas.

Pressure. Pressure will always be present, asdictated by the process. However hot runner suppliersperform pressure drop analyses and reduce the pressurelosses as much as possible, resulting in less pressureneeded to fill a part and thus reducing the chance ofleakage.

Question:What causes the actual melt temperatures

coming out of each drop to be different when thesettings are all the same?

Answer:There are several potential causes for this scenario.

If all hot runner components are identical, then a possiblecause could be the nozzle integration being different fromone nozzle to another. If a nozzle has more contact withthe mold base then the one next to it, it becomes a heatsink and the temperature controller will try to com-pensate for the heat loss by turning on the heat, thusresulting in a higher nozzle temperature. Another possiblecause is damage to the thermocouple resulting in poortemperature sensing. Yet another possible cause isdamaged or failing heater elements. A heater elementwith non-uniform resistance will lead to higher or lowerwattage, yielding an incorrect nozzle heat profile for theprocess. There could also be a problem with the coolingcircuit on the cavity or core, resulting in a higher or lowernozzle temperature. If using an older temperature con-troller the unit may not be calibrated correctly. Thethermocouple cables could be damaged along with theelectrical plugs in the cables, mold, or controller. A goodelectrical person would be able to trouble shoot any ofthese areas.

www.processdesigntech.com


Feature Article

Process Out of Control? Automatic Melt FrontDetection Systems Provide the Solution!

Your new mold has been producing acceptable parts for a week, butnow there are dimensional problems. You developed the process withknown scientific industry techniques and had a great degree of confidencewith your processing window. What is a possible cause for this situation?What corrective measures can be taken before too much time and moneyis lost?

One of the key causes for these problems in any injection moldingprocess is material viscosity variation during manufacturing. Although anumber of things contribute to this changing viscosity condition (batchchanges, regrind, material degradation or contamination, environmentalinfluences, etc.), there is a solution available.

Automatic melt front detection-based control systems can provideexpedient elimination of these costly production headaches. In a series ofarticles, a variety of topics will be addressed. Part one will explain automaticmelt front detection control systems, including automatic V-P transfer orswitchover to holding pressure. Part two will cover automatic balancingof thermoplastic multi-cavity molds by melt front detection, includingautomatic valve gate control of multi-cavity LSR molds. Part three willcenter on real-time, in-mold material viscosity measurement by melt frontdetection.

Automatic Melt Front Detection Control Systems Explained

Priamus System Technologies (established in 2000) is the founderand patented global market provider of automatic, real time injectionmolding process control solutions based upon detection of the melt front.What does automatic melt front detection really mean and how is itachieved? What benefits does it provide?

By correctly placing a cavity temperature sensor or cavity pressuresensor in the flow path, a discrete signal rise can be detected (see Figure 1).This signal rise, or decrease in the case of LSR molding (see Figure 2),indicates precisely the location of the melt or flow front. The material flowover time information is directly related to the material viscosity behavior,

Melt Front Detection by Cavity TemperatureMelt Front Detection by Cavity Temperature Melt Front Detection by Cavity PressureMelt Front Detection by Cavity Pressure

Figure 1. Initial signal rise as indicated by cavity temperature trace andcavity pressure trace for automatic melt front detection control applications.

Faster Mold Validation Using PRIAMUS Process Control Systems

Instantaneous material shear stress and shear

rate information

Automatic and accurate valve gate control for LSR molds

Proven process optimization methods and hands‐on training

Automatic and effortless process control

With Priamus control

Without Priamus control

www.priamus.com


Feature Article -cont-

which is indicative of the material volume in the cavity. If the material viscosity is changing, the signal rise (ordecrease) will vary on the time axis. By utilizing automatic melt front detection-based control systems, materialviscosity variations during the process can be compensated for and more consistent parts can be produced. Thecavity temperature or cavity pressure sensors detect the signal rise within less than 2 to 3 milliseconds. Correspondingintelligent electronics and a data acquisition system send out a signal within one-half millisecond or less to automaticallyinitiate V–P transfer or switchover to initiate real time, automatic valve gate opening or closing, closing of ventingcores, initiation of coining operations, start of compression for injection/ compression molding operations, and avariety of many other real time control applications. Thus, if the material viscosity is changing, the system sends aninstantaneous signal when the exact position of the melt front is known. It is important to note that real timeautomatic control would not be possible without an optimized and robust measuring chain, including the sensors,cables, and intelligent electronics and data acquisition system.

Automatic V–P Transfer or Switchover to Holding Pressure

More commonly used methods for V–P transfer or switchover to holding pressure have been based uponsetting a fixed threshold level for either screw position or cavity pressure. This level is determined during mold setup with a filling series at zero holding pressure. Once the mold has gone through set up and the fixed level fortransfer has been determined, the setting can no longer be changed without undergoing another series of fillingstudies.

However, every process variation, particularly those attributable to material viscosity changes, in injectionmolding alters the melt flow behavior. Using fixed switchover levels—either fixed screw position or fixed level ofcavity pressure—can not compensate for these process variations. This leads to different material cavity volumes,which yields unfilled cavities or overfilled parts (see Figure 3).

Automatic switchover to holding pressure is accomplished by using, for example, a cavity temperature sensorplaced towards the end of the flow path (typically the last 10 to 15% of the flow path). If the cavity temperaturesensor can not be ideally placed, the intelligent electronics and data acquisition system have a signal delay option sothat the automatic switchover point can be optimized. For multicavity tools, the particular cavity temperature signalused for switchover is selectable and programmed in the intelligent electronics and data acquisition system. Automaticswitchover eliminates the need for repeated filling tests since the melt front location is always identified independentlyof the machine settings. Natural variations in the melt or ambient conditions are automatically compensated for.This switchover method clearly reduces the range of variation in the weight and dimension of molded parts.

Mold Surface Temperatures

LSR melt front detected by cavity temperature sensors

Curing and expansion of LSRMold Surface Temperatures

LSR melt front detected by cavity temperature sensors

Curing and expansion of LSR

Figure 2. Signal decrease in cavity temperature traces (four cavity mold) for automatic melt frontdetection for LSR control applications.



One example of melt flow control being used to improved product quality involves a very large automotivebumper. In addition to part weight and dimensional consistency requirements, there is also an aesthetic requirementso that flow lines are eliminated and the part surface is consistent. Using automatic switchover by cavity temperature(the first cavity temperature sensor detects the melt front) for the single cavity mold yielded a material savings ofover 0.33 pounds per shot for the customer. Flow lines can be eliminated using the automatic detection of the meltin specific locations near the valve gates to initiate valve gate opening.

High Viscosity

Screw Position

Open Loop

Cavity Pressure

Open Loop(Fix Level)

Cavity Temperature

Closed Loop

Automatic*

Low Viscosity

Short Shot Overmolded


11 mm

120 bar

VolumetricFilling

High Viscosity

Screw Position

Open Loop

Cavity Pressure

Open Loop(Fix Level)

Cavity Temperature

Closed Loop

Automatic*

Low Viscosity



11 mm

120 bar

VolumetricFilling

An additional automotive example involves the production of an eight-cavity glass fiber-reinforced material(PPA-GF33) bobbin. Historically, moisture content variation and consequent material viscosity variation havepresented problems in processing. Using conventional switchover methods, there was a 5 to 10% rejection rate.Also, rejects caught after bobbin assembly contributed to greater financial loss. Viscosity variations werecompensated for by using automatic switchover with cavity temperature sensors placed near the end of the flowpath. Part sorting by hand was no longer required as zero defect production was achieved.

Control systems based on melt front detection offer great potential for automating and optimizing the injectionmolding process. The precondition for this is the quick and certain detection of the melt front in the cavity, as wellas intelligent signal processing.

Parts Two and Three will provide a more in-depth look at automatic melt front detection control systemsincluding automatic balancing of multi-cavity hot runner molds, automatic valve gate control (and balancing) ofmulti-cavity LSR molds, as well as on-line, real-time, in-mold viscosity measurement.

About the Author

Susan E. Montgomery has been President of Priamus System Technologies, LLC since 2002 (Priamus holdsnumerous patents for automatic melt front detection-based applications). She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering(Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH). Susan is a member of SPE and a frequent technical speaker in thefield of in-mold instrumentation and control systems.

Figure 3. Automatic signal for switchover sent to machine only when the mold is volumetrically full,compensating for viscosity variations. Fixed level methods can not compensate for these variations.


Molding Corner

New Advancements in Mold Filling TechnologiesBy Mal Murthy and David A. Hoffman

Background

Most people in the industry have heard ofMeltFlipper® technologies, which have become knownas a root-cause solution to mold filling imbalances.However, much has changed over the years andBeaumont Technologies, Inc., is taking rheologicalcontrol systems to new levels. The solutions are nowbeing utilized within low cavitation molds, includingsingle cavity molds, in order to control and optimizefilling patterns, improve cosmetics, reduce part warp,and move and strengthen weld lines. Below is a summaryof the technological advancements made to the originalMeltFlipper® rheological control system in recent years.

Review: What are Shear-Induced Imbalances?

As material flows through a melt delivery system,the laminates nearest the flow channel wall experiencethe highest shear rate relative to the other laminates.This shear causes a localized increase in shear thinningand shear heating, both of which reduce the viscosityand affect the overall rheology of the material in theselaminates (see figure below).

As the material continues to flow through the runnersystem, the high sheared material will bias the fillingwithin a cavity and to various groups of cavities. In asingle cavity mold, the resultant placement of theselaminates can lead to molding problems such as race-tracking, back-filling, gas traps, cosmetic blemishes,dimensional instability, and warp (see figure below).

In a multi-cavity mold, these problems arecompounded as the laminates are distributed unevenly

throughout the entire mold, thus creating multiple “flowgroups.” This non-uniform material distribution will leadto variations in temperature and pressure to and withinthe cavities of the various flow groups. This in turn resultsin common molding problems such as over-packing,short shots, flash, dimensional variations from cavity-to-cavity, and an overall small process window (see figurebelow).

About Rheological Control Systems

Rheological Control Systems (RCS™) were firstdeveloped back in the 1990s. The first generation wasknown as MeltFlipper® technologies. They weredeveloped to help companies improve part quality andmanufacturing efficiency by strategically repositioningthe high sheared laminates within the runner system andparts to resolve the many molding problems caused byshear-induced imbalances. These systems provide userswith the ability to optimize material conditions and flowto-and-within each cavity of a mold, regardless ofwhether it is a single cavity or multi-cavity mold. Thisresults in a cavity-to-cavity fill balance along with theability to alter and optimize fill patterns to meet a specificpart quality goal. RCS solutions are available for mosttypes of runner systems and materials. Each RCS optioncan provide either single-axis or multi-axis control for agiven application.

Single-axis control provides for symmetrical materialproperties (temperatures and viscosities) about one axis.Single-axis solutions are primarily utilized for balancingmaterial properties across the runner system and partsby rotating the high sheared material around theperimeter of the flow channel. The result is an intra-cavity and cavity-to-cavity balance of filling and processconditions within each cavity (see figure below).


Molding Corner -cont-

Multi-axis systems offer a higher level of intra-cavityflow control over single-axis solutions. Multi-axissolutions strategically reorient the high sheared materialthroughout the cross-section of the runner system andpart cavity. These systems are primarily utilized tooptimize or enhance filling patterns, improve cosmetics,reduce core-shift, eliminate gas traps, and improve weld-line strength or position (see figure below).

Cold Runner Systems

Cold-runner Rheological Control System solutionsare offered in both single-axis and multi-axis control,and benefit both single and multi-cavity molds. Original

MeltFlipper technologies were available as a design andlicense service only. Today, however, standard moldinserts are now being offered, which makes designingthe mold for rheological control upfront much easier.Standard inserts are manufactured based on commonrunner sizes, and custom inserts can also be supplied tofit your specific mold design needs.

The mold inserts are classified in the followingcategories: SRC™ insert sets (static rheological control),and iMARC™ insert sets (adjustable rheologicalcontrol). The SRC mold inserts provide static controlover the melt flow to help balance mold filling andmaterial properties while optimizing cavity fill patternsfor both single and multi-cavity molds. These insertsare more compact than the adjustable iMARC systems,which allows SRC inserts to fit more easily into moldswith tight runner spacing, but any adjustments requirethe inserts to be removed and manually machined foradditional optimization.

www.ultrapurge.com


Molding Corner -cont-

The iMARC mold inserts provide molders with dynamic control over plastic flow. This allows the mold balanceand cavity filling pattern to be optimized in real-time without having to remove the mold from the machine. This isextremely beneficial for compensating for various changes to the process, such as machine settings, material lotvariations, and nozzle variations from machine to machine. The iMARC and SRC inserts may be used together inthe same mold as needed to keep costs and options flexible.

When the RCS mold inserts are not an option due to space limitations, various mold design features, or whenspecialty solutions are required, conventional MeltFlipper® design services are still being offered. The serviceprovides custom static design solutions engineered for a specific project. Engineers will analyze each applicationbased on overall melt delivery design and the material being molded. They will then provide the MeltFlipper®design details in 2D and 3D formats, which are then machined directly into the mold by the customer.

Hot Runner Systems

Rheological Control Systems are also available in hot runner systems and may be used in combination withcold runners for hot-to-cold system solutions. The mechanical solutions offered in hot runner systems avoid invasiveand restrictive mixers and are offered through Incoe Corporation under the Opti-Flo® trade name. These systemsare available in 2-drop systems up through complex multi-cavity stack molds. As with cold runners, hot runnersystems also utilize both single-axis and multi-axis solutions as needed.

Hot runner systems with Rheological Control Systems reduce the need for nozzle temperature variationstypically used to balance filling. To prove this, a study was performed using a 16-cavity mold with a conventionalhot runner system and a rheologically controlled hot runner system. Each mold cavity contained pressure transducersto verify the cavity pressure variations seen with both systems. In addition, the study was performed at twodifferent nozzle temperature settings based on the material (PA6/6). The data showed a wide range of cavitypressures for the conventional system at the higher temperature, while at the lower temperature, the conventionalsystem could not be run due to significant filling variations (see figure above). Conversely, the rheologically controlledhot runner provided for uniform pressures within each cavity at both nozzle settings (see figure above). As such, therheologically controlled hot runner was able to be run at the lower temperature while maintaining the fill balance andpart quality, which allowed the processor to run at a faster cycle time.

About Beaumont Technologies, Inc.

Beaumont Technologies is a plastics engineering firm that offers a unique and high level of product development,training, and consulting services for the injection molding industry. It was their focus on polymer flow and rheologythat drove the development of patented rheological control systems and diagnostic software which focus on optimizingthe melt delivery system. For more information on Rheological Control Systems, please contact BTI directly byphone 814-899-6390, email info@beaumontinc, or on the web: www.beaumontinc.com.


Feature Article

Cost of Ownership:A Lifetime of Molding Savings

By Alan Hickok

“There’s nothing more expensive than a cheapmold,” has been said by many a tooling engineer aftera bargain of a mold began bleeding profits.

Often, in order to decrease tooling costs, a ‘long-established design approach’ is specified for severalmold builders to quote, and the lowest bid ‘wins.’However, a different mindset could yield much greatersavings not only at the mold build and initial productionlaunch, but also over the lifetime of the tool.

From my responsibility as a Program Managerand Tooling Engineer at a major closure manufacturer,as well as with other projects working with numerouscustomers and applications, an area in which I’vefound opportunity for lowering tooling costs is withalternatives for round undercut releases. “Doing themath” can show dramatic savings for high productionmolds when side actions are able to be eliminated,and experiences from the field support this point.

It Begins in Quoting

An RFQ is received and the customer is accus-tomed to side action molds for their particular niche.They’ve always done it that way!

But before quoting it in the same manner as therest of the pack, there may be alternatives.

Shown below is the result of laying out a moldwith two different approaches: side action tools versusexpandable cavity tools. The mold cost will be

competitive; however, the big savings will come from thecost of ownership over the lifetime of the tool.

Higher cavitation per mold results in more parts fromthe same press as a side action tool. For example, an 8-cavity slide mold with two columns requires the samewidth base as a 16-cavity, 4-column expandable cavitymold. Or, an 8-cavity tool without space consuming slidesis six inches smaller in width and can run in a smaller press.Either way, profitability is gained hour after hour, through-out the life of the mold.

But that viewpoint must be called out early, otherwisethe same old mold will be built once again andopportunities for evolved profitability will have beenoverlooked.

All Things Considered

Michael Montagna and Bryan Hull at Mier ToolCompany in Auburn, NY, saw the big picture andprovided the benefits to their customer. “Taking intoconsideration the costs involved with all the tool workrequired for slide sets, we suggested utilizing expandable

Comparing designs side-by-side; eliminating sideslides results in a smaller mold and a reduced pressrate over the life of the tool.

www.procomps.com



cavities which would not only eliminate the slides but also the manufacture of heelpockets and other associated components. The mold features needed toaccommodate the expandable cavities were much simpler to machine in the moldcore insert and the pin plates.”

In addition to these advantages, another one reveals itself in the mold design.It is more straight-forward and simplified, and a time saver for designers, as wellas tool room personnel who will maintain the mold over its lifetime.

There can be a cycle time advantage as well. Kleber Salazar from MarlandMold found that “simplification of mold designs with less moving parts allows foreasier maintenance but, most importantly, it allows for enhanced cooling, andconsequently, lower cycle times and higher output.”

Doing the Math

Even if eliminating side actions were to add to the tool cost, a favorableReturn on Investment could be calculated.

With a more compact and efficient mold design, significant savings can berealized. Due to a lower hourly press rate, moving down a press size, and reducingmaintenance time on a 16-cavity mold running 10M parts per year could producesavings of more than $40,000 per year. Also, more efficient cooling can potentiallyreduce cycle times by 5%, resulting in as much as $10,000 in additional savingsper year.

Over ten years ago John Hahn and the team at MGS MFG Group selectedexpandable cavities when bidding for a program of several 24-cavity and 48-cavity molds that would run in the US, Mexico, and China. “We saved spacewith expandable cavities, leading to more parts manufactured within a smaller

This A Series Expand-able Cavity contains themolding geometry forthe entire piece part.

press. We didn’t even need to do a formal ROI cost justification; it just made sense.“As for reliability, the tools have been running since 1996 and have over 10 million shots,” he continues. “The

program was clearly a success due to a creative, cost effective approach.”Salazar at Marland concurs, saying: “A good way to continue adding value to our products is by partnering

with companies which also embrace innovation. In working with expandable cavities, we have found a reliablealternative to traditional slide molds that help us reduce our mold base size, thus increasing cavitation with enhancedutilization of existing presses and no demands for an expanded footprint.”

Moldmakers truly serving their customer might not simply ‘obey’ the initial RFQ, but at times propose andprod for alternatives. After all, the tool will serve as an investment, and early on there are opportunities to deliver acontinually more profitable yield.

About The Author:

Al Hickok is OEM Sales Manager and Midwest Sales Manager at Progressive Components. In addition toworking with customers for all products and services Progressive offers, he also uses his engineering backgroundto assist with the development of expandable cavity and collapsible core product lines. For more information, call800-269-6653 or visit www.procomps.com.

www.procomps.com


http://www.executive-conference.com/conferences/pdf/Molding10_brochure.pdf


Feature Article

In-Mold Labeling Variants: Labels in New Materials and GeometriesBy Frank Schuster

Attractively decorated packaging is designed to inspire the decisive buying impulse at the point of sale.Manufacturers of brands and trademarks are placing heavy emphasis on the highest grade finishing of theirproducts by in-mold labeling. Production equipment for inserting the decorating film, injection molding, andremoving the finished parts is in great demand and being run with ever shorter cycle times. Labels for almostall molded part geometries are available and no longer consist of plastics only.

Since packaging is an advertising medium for the product, its visual impression signals the buyer to go for theproduct. Appearance is a function of both part design and decoration. The combination of the two has resulted in atremendous boost in the proportion of packaging produced by the injection molding industry. This is all the moresurprising since injection molding is clearly the more expensive process. Over the years, printing of the finishedpackaging or sticking on wet-glue or adhesive labels has been losing to decoration by in-mold labeling (IML). Many

A variety of label geometries permits all around decoration of rectangular and round containers.

1. Four-sided decoration of a container bymeans of a butterfly label and a label forthe lid.

2. All around decoration of a container bymeans of a butterfly label for five sidesand a label for the lid.

3. All around decoration of a rectangularcontainer by means of a wrap-around labeland one label each for the lid and bottom.

4. All around decoration of a round containerby means of a wrap-around label and onelabel each for the lid and bottom.

1. 2. 3. 4.

A selection of IML decorated packaging articles.

important customers in the packaging industry havecome to accept IML as a necessity to accomplishmaximum sales promotion.

IML Labels Now Even Out Of Paper

In-mold labeling consists of placing pre-cut,printed labels with some handling equipment into thecavities of the open injection mold. The heat of theprocess is sufficient to permanently bond them to theplastic melt in the injection molding process. IMLlabels are available in various qualities. There are ahost of factors to be considered, including the printingprocess, number, and quality of printing colors used,the film thickness, the punching method, and thestorage conditions for the cuttings. Aside from thesefactors, the size of label batches is another major cost consideration. Most modern IML packaging has a label witha thickness between 55 and 75 μm. The labels may cover the entire product. The printed motifs may be anything,including realistic photo images. Today, printing and backing injection of a decorative film will produce qualitativelybetter results than any other form of finish printed plastics packaging. In some yogurt containers introduced in themarket in early 2006, labels made of paper replaced the established plastic label. This resulted in a combination oftwo materials which in some countries is likely to significantly reduce license fees for recycling systems.



Wide Variety of Label Geometries

The surfaces of moldings, such as the bottoms and lids of containers,are relatively easy to decorate by means of flat labels that are placedinto the bottom of the cavity. Labels for three or five sides (butterflylabels) are used to decorate the bottom and all four sides of therectangular container; for instance, for ice cream, margarine, ordelicatessen salads. The design of butterfly labels, while calling forsome experience, does permit an edge-free, all around decoration. Wrap-around labels that are positioned on the outer contour of the cavity lendthemselves to decorating the side surfaces of round or square containers.Thus, it is possible today to produce packaging with the decorationextending all around using IML.

Exacting Requirements to be Met by Injection Molding

The prime requirements to be met by an injection molding machinefor the IML process include high injection capacity, good platenparallelism, high platen stiffness, solid mechanical construction, and ahigh degree of reproducibility. The need for high mechanical stabilityalso applies to the injection mold. Together with the inserting and removalhandling systems and the stacking and packaging facilities, the IMMengineer deals with a complex total system whose components arerequired to work together smoothly and in optimal timing. Compared tostandard injection molding, the additional automation functions shouldonly add minimally to the total cycle time.

Decorated Ice Cream Lids

An example of an IML production cell is a system that was designedto injection mold decorated lids for ice cream containers. The lidsweighed 6.7 g and had a diameter of 102 mm, a height of 17.5 mm, anda flow path/wall thickness ratio of 137. The production cell incorporateda Sumitomo-Demag EL-EXIS 150/500-610 with a four cavity Schöttlimold and a Wittmann high speed side-entry parts removal system. Ahigh performance machine was required to combine precision, highinjection capacity, and extended parallel functions. The electric screwdrive ensured the high plasticizing capacity and homogeneity of the

Productivity and economics are often improved by partnership projectsinvolving the IMM, mold and automation suppliers.

polypropylene melt independent of theother movements of the machine. High-speed injection from the hydraulic accu-mulator reliably overcame the flow resist-ance of the thin-walled parts. The distri-buted electric drive of the toggle-clampunit provided the necessary dynamics ofmold opening and repeatability in duplicat-ing the removal position. After optimizingthe coordination of the machine movementwith the high speed parts removal system,the high speed system took less than 3seconds for the placement of the decora-ting film, injection, and removal of the lids.This combined to accomplish an output ofmore than 5,000 lids per hour.

IML for 1x1 Cavity Family Mold

An intelligent total solution for theproduction of decorated containers and lidsin a family mold has been constructed bySumitomo-Demag in partnership with themold maker Glaroform AG and theautomation specialist Beck Automation.The 1+1 cavity family mold installed onan EL-EXIS 150 reduces the unit cost ofa molded part pair (container and lid) by17% compared to production on twoseparate machines (plus cost savings dueto simplified logistics). Compared to this,cost savings with a 2+2 cavity mold areonly 5%. The reason? An increase in thenumber of cavities in the mold is cost-

The robot places the decorative films intothe cavities on the clamping end (left) andremoves the finished lids from the stationaryhalf of the mold (right).


effective where very high-volume or short-runproducts are involved. In the case of small volumes,such as in this particular case, this is not economicallyjustifiable. It is a total solution that lends itselfespecially well to the production of high-gradepackaging in smaller sized lots.

Trends and Outlook

There is a market trend for designers to movetoward individually styled and more creativepackaging products. This means that IML packagingis likely to pose even higher demands on productiontechnology to allow greater freedom in decorativedesign.

About the Author

Frank Schuster, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) for PlasticEngineering, is a Key Account Manager and aPackaging Technology Specialist for the injectionmolding machine manufacturer Sumitomo (SHI)Demag Plastics Machinery in Schwaig, Germany.Contact [email protected]

Feature Article -cont- Sponsorship Opportunities

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and educational feature articles submitted by ourreaders on a variety of topics pertinent to the injectionmolding industry. We also offer a “Featured Tech-nology” column for new advances in the field.

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Feature Article

Delivering IMD to Rotational MoldingBy David Coughlin and Bob Freund

In today’s competitive environment of industrialmanufacturing, businesses are continuously seeking costeffective solutions that will help increase productivitythrough the efficient use of their existing equipment. Thisprocess of effective product marking is and remains acritical process in the manufacturing of durable goods.

One solution that many manufacturers of durableplastic products have explored is in-mold decorating(IMD). Over the past several years, IMD has maturedsignificantly, particularly for injection molded products,and is considered a cost effective solution for mostmanufactured plastic parts. However, rotational moldershave not had the same luxury of using IMD technology,primarily because of significant efficiency losses and theinability to utilize photographic-quality images andgraphics.

For years, manufacturers of durable plastic productsthat use rotational molding have requested a solutionfor labeling and decorating their finished products in thesame manner as IMD. They require labels that canwithstand the elements of nature, harsh chemicals, andrough handling while remaining permanently affixed tothe product; labels that last the lifetime of the productwith no pealing or fading while maintaining photo-graphic quality; and labels and decoration that can beeasily incorporated into the rotational molding cycle whileensuring the labels remain in place during the process.

Unfortunately for the smaller rotational moldingmarket, traditional IMD suppliers to date have notaddressed these issues. However, that is about tochange.

This article will explore new technologies availableto the industry that can deliver colorful, crisp, andpermanent graphic images without losing efficiency.These new technologies, in effect, allow for a paradigmshift in the use of graphic images in rotational molding.But first, let’s look at why these types of product deco-rations are important to manufacturers.

The Importance of IMD on the Finished Product

Manufacturers and retailers of nearly every type ofproduct know the value of decoration placed on thatproduct. The right product decoration can lead to

increased sales and a competitive advantage, forexample, by standing out from the competition on theshelves. Product decoration can also increase the valueof the manufacturer’s brand by prominently displayingcompany logos and brand names. And, distinctiveproduct decoration can lead to a high level of customersatisfaction because, simply put, their products look reallygood!

While the value of product decoration is widelyrecognized, an imperative question that manufacturersneed to answer is, “What’s the best solution fordecorating my product?” The answer to this questionoften hinges on one important factor—the product’sdurability. In other words, is the end product one thathas a very short lifespan, such as disposable foodcontainers or water bottles? Or is the product moredurable in nature, lasting for years of service, such as alawn mower or a kayak? For the purpose of this article,let’s focus on durable products and, in particular, thoseproduced through the rotational molding process.

When we look at durable plastic products, thelifetime is generally expected to be anywhere from threeto ten years. Therefore, the decoration for these typesof products is expected to not only last just as long butalso be of the same quality as when the product wasbrand new. To achieve this, the decoration mustwithstand any adverse conditions that could cause thefailure, including indoor and/or outdoor environments,such as freezing, direct sunlight, baking, etc.; harsh andabrasive chemicals and solvents; and overt attempts toremove the labels.

In other words, the decoration for these plastic partsmust be extremely durable and permanent. Whilepressure-sensitive labels and other methods of productdecoration can experience shortcomings in their deliveryof permanence and durability on plastic parts, one typeof decoration excels in these areas—in-mold decorating.This technology allows manufacturers to enhance theappearance of their products by expanding availabledecoration space, including products featuring curved,contoured, and textured surfaces. IMD bonds with themolded part, providing permanent, non-removablelabeling that lasts for the life of the product.


Simply put, IMD will help ensure the promotionand protection of the brand throughout the life of theproduct while adding significant value through colorful,photo-quality images, and ensuring safety messaging thatis prominently placed on the product.

IMD Meets Rotational Molding

In order to discuss the challenges of in-molddecorating within the rotational molding process, wemust first have a firm understanding of the generalprocess that is currently being used. The following stepsoutline the basic rotational molding process.

1. The plastic resin (either in pellet or powder form)is added to one half of a two-part mold. Themolds are generally manufactured fromaluminum—either machined or cast—and thenused as bare aluminum or with a Teflon coatingto aid in releasing the product.

2. The two halves of the mold are bolted togetherand mounted onto the rotational moldingequipment.

3. The mold is then indexed into the heating stationand slowly rotated, typically around twoperpendicular axes. The rotational nature of theprocess allows the plastic material to flow andstick to the walls of the mold in the shape of thepart as it melts.

4. The rotation of the part continues through theheating station before moving to the coolingstation of the equipment as part of themanufacturing process. This procedure insuresthat the wall thickness of the part remainsuniform.

5. The mold is indexed from the cooling station tothe de-molding station where the mold isopened to allow for the removal of the moldedpart.

6. The molded products are then placed on acooling fixture or conveyers to remove additionalheat.

7. The cycle then starts over again. If in-mold labelsare to be incorporated into the process, theyare applied to the aluminum or Teflon-coatedsurface of the mold at this time.

One of the greatest assets that allow rotationalmolding technology to prosper is that the molecularstructure of the polymer typically produces superiorstrength-to-weight ratios, hence making it a popularprocess for molding many durable plastic goods.However, there are multiple barriers that must beovercome when looking to effectively mark the productwithin the mold.

Based on the requirement of heating and cooling,as well as the associated resin within each plastic part,the manufacturer will, by default, incur significantamounts of time to transition the material from a solidstate to a liquid state and back to a solid state whilemaintaining a stable process. The time to heat and coolalone results in a process with very long cycle times incomparison to injection and blow molding.

With rotational molding, current IMD technologiespermit for simple colors only with little or no photo-graphic-quality imagery. More importantly, currenttechnology requires a significant reduction in the tem-perature of the mold surface in order to apply the label.This temperature decrease can be as great as 80 to100 °F. This temperature drop requires significantlymore time for each cycle which results in lost productivityand revenue. Increases in cycle time can vary, but 15 to20% is not uncommon.

Traditional labels also typically require a spray-onadhesive to help affix the decal into the rotational mold.This spray-on adhesive requires an additional step in


The rotational molding process (source: Valryti).



the process and routinely requires cleaning the moldwith various solvents in order to keep the surface of themold clean prior to making the next part.

With these various existing barriers, it is easy to seewhy there has been a reluctance to use IMD in rotationalmolding unless it is absolutely required by marketconditions.

So what is the difference with using IMD forrotational molding today? For starters, new rotationalmolding solutions eliminate the need for the spray-onadhesive and are robust to much higher temperaturesthan traditional in-mold labeling technology. Labels canbe applied to the mold surfaces with a temperature ashigh as 230 °F, allowing the labels to bond effectivelyto the rotational mold during the thermal cycle. Inaddition, with technologies like Industramark’s Grafilm®,labels bond to any thermoplastic, resulting in a universalsolution.

These advances in IMD technology provide un-paralleled features for rotational molding, including

· Photo-realistic image reproduction with excel-lent resolution

· Colors limited only by printing technology· Ease of application and the ability to be repo-

sitioned· No burnishing required· Low scrap rates· Works well on single-curved surfaces

· Stands up well to UV exposure and harshweather conditions, as the labels are imbeddedin a polyolefin surface, providing for excellentchemical resistance, thermal stability, andscratch, scuff, and mar resistance

· Enables rapid turnaround capability resulting inshort lead times as well as improved rotationalmolder inventory turns and the availability ofprototypes

As manufacturers face the challenges of the globaleconomy in which we all live, a solution that allows themto mark products effectively and efficiently within theiroperation becomes even more critical. Now rotationalmolders can reap the same benefits as injection andblow molders by economically marking their products.

About the Authors

David Coughlin is Director of Operations for In-dustramark, a Standard Register business unit. Joiningthe company in 2004, he has served as plant manager,senior manager of Lean Six Sigma, and Director ofIML Technologies. Bob Freund is Director of IMLTechnology for Industramark and is Vice President andDirector of Technology for Fusion Graphics. He isresponsible for over 100 patented electro-mechanicaldevices and products and has a history of entrepreneurialleadership. For more information on Industramark, call800-755-6405, or visit www.industramark.com.

The SPE Store

www.industramark.com

http://www.4spe.org/online-store/injection-mold-design-interactive-tutorial

http://www.4spe.org/online-store/scientific-processing-injection-molding

http://www.4spe.org/online-store/what-mold-introduction-plastic-injection-molding-and-injection-mold-construction


Machinery Corner

Machinery CornerBy Mal Murthy

The following is a brief interviewwith Mr. Paul Caprio, Presidentof KrausseMaffei (KM), aleading manufacturer of injec-tion molding machines.

Can you provide your brief professional backgroundand career path to your current position?

I have been with KrausseMaffei (KM) for 16 years,where I have had progressively responsible positions insales and marketing. I have been in the plastics industryfor 21 years.

Give us a brief company profile describing the entireinjection molding equipment product line.

KM is the worlds largest manufacturer of plasticsprocessing equipment which includes injection moldingmachinery, extrusion machinery, and polyurethane moldsand machinery. Specific to injection molding, the productrange is 35 ton to 5400 ton. Market segments served areautomotive, packaging, electronics, and medical. KM isknown as a technology leader within the industry.

What are your company’s strengths from the yourperspective?

KM offers a complete range of machinery in size andcapability to meet a customer’s needs. This includes ourown proprietary automation group. We have a modularconcept that allows us to manufacture exactly what acustomer’s specific demands require. This is obviouslydifferent for different market segments like automotive,packaging, medical, etc. One size does not fit all and ourspecific know-how allows us to be the expert in manydifferent market segments. Our goal with our customersis to provide the production solutions that allow thecustomer to be the low cost provider in their market andthis is based upon productivity for the customer.

What is your vision for the next 1 to 3 years for yourcompany, and for the molding machine industry ingeneral?

Our customers must continue to be more efficienttomorrow than they are today. This means combiningprocesses or steps in the manufacturing process. Thiscan be accomplished in multi-component molding or byadding automation to their processes. Energy efficiencywill continue to become even more important movingforward and we have smarter and more efficienthydraulic systems as well as complete product offeringsin the electrical machine segment as well.

Is the competition from cheap imported machinesaffecting your business?

All competition affects our daily business and we cannotignore any of it. Our customers need to be the low costproducer and if they can accomplish this by spendingless they will evaluate this option. The end game, however,is how do they accomplish this goal from the beginningof their process—in part design all the way through toshipping their parts. KM has the know-how and experi-ence that can make sure the customer is the most pro-ductive producer in their segment. The machinery invest-ment is actually a small part of this overall evaluation.For example, if we can help the customer to be able todesign a thinner walled part because the equipment canhandle this process with accumulators, the savings is lessmaterial and lower cycle time. This step will save moremoney and make the customer the lowest cost providermuch more so than if they purchased a less expensivemachine that could not bring them this solution.

Contact Information for KrasussMaffei:

Paul Caprio, President of KraussMaffei • 859-653-4295 • [email protected]

http://www.kraussmaffei.com/

http://www.kraussmaffei.com/


Featured Commentary

Forwardby Jack Dispenza,

SPE Injection Molding Division Councilor

The following article was written by Andrew Jacobs owner of Ideal Jacobs Corporation in Maplewood,NJ. Unlike many business people and small business owners in plastic product related industries, Andylooked at the global business challenge as an opportunity. By setting up alliances and investing in facilitiesoverseas, Andy has expanded his business and services offered even here in the United States. Hisinvestment in China has paid off and gained his firm more customers. Many U.S. firms are ‘hunkereddown’ waiting for business to improve. Ideal Jacobs is not and Andy is out getting new customersinternationally. While foreign firms are coming to our shores for new business, Ideal Jacobs is hittingtheirs and it’s paying off. I could not help drawing parallels between Ideal Jacobs and the Society of PlasticEngineers. Think global, opportunities abound.

Winning in a Losing Economy: The Necessity of Taking RisksBy Andrew Jacobs

In 2004, our largest customer told me that weneeded a “presence” in China. Our company, IdealJacobs Corporation, had specialized primarily inpressure sensitive, plastic labels that were made frompolycarbonate, polyester, and vinyl materials. We were“advised” to set-up either a partnership, distributioncenter, or a manufacturing plant. Since we knew wecould not profitably sell our US made products in theless expensive Asian market, we felt we had no otherchoice. It was either chance losing our best customeror take the plunge and build our own plant overseas.

We decided to go ahead, and with two Chinesepartners I barely knew, we built a new facility in Xiamen,China, from scratch. It was a huge gamble and costover a million dollars but the venture turned out to beone of the best moves in our eighty-eight year history.Guided by my grandfather’s (our founder) and myfather’s philosophy of “going for it,” we plunged intothe area of world commerce with gusto. We quicklylearned that many of the rules we thought were in playwere irrelevant. For instance, being told that if we put inthe facility in Asia we would be guaranteed considerationfor world-based business did not happen. We were alsotold we would not have to compete against cheap, localsuppliers who did not follow the rules of materialspecifications and product quality; this also was not true.

However, it did put us into position for a new, muchwider range of potential customers and new productlines, and it gave us the ability to operate as a global,

instead of a regional, supplier. This also enabled us tokeep business from US- and Canadian-based customerswho wanted access to a US-based firm but needed theadvantages of sourcing in Asia. All this has led to ourcurrent situation. We now have manufacturing locationsin China, the US, and recently built a new plant inThailand. We also have small distribution centers in TheNetherlands and Mexico. With the global downturn,this year’s business in North America—includingCanada, the US, and Mexico—is down about 20%.European business is about the same as last year andour business in Asia is so good that we are taking ourChina operation public on the Malaysian Stock Ex-change this spring.

Being global has enabled us to offer plastic productsof various types that would have been impossiblebefore. Utilizing Asian manufacturing capabilities,including less expensive tooling, has enabled us to createand sell new types of telecom panels with handles thatused to be mostly metal and are now molded in plastic.We have been able to attack the lower-end plastic labelmarkets with products from our China plant as well.With the capabilities of our US and Pacific Rimoperations we have also been able to expand into otherindustries, besides telecom, like automotive in Europe.

Since we come from a “label” perspective, that ishow we view everything. The basic materials involvedare various types of plastic, some metal, and adhesiveand these three building blocks comprise most of the


Featured Commentary -cont-

graphic products used today. It gives us a distinct pointof view and often we can come in from the side whenre-engineering or inventing for a specific purpose.

With such a divergent client base, we have movedinto such varied areas as plastics for harsh environments,new cooling strategies for plastic enclosures, and uniquemetal-to-plastic conversions.

My point is that there are no longer any boundaries.Small firms like ours (we have about 100 people world-wide) can create new products and introduce them intoany market with the chance for penetration. Size nolonger matters, nor does country borders, as long asyour plan for execution takes into account the mores,economies, and norms of doing business in your targetareas. What works in the US will often not work inChina, India, or South America. Every market has itrules and quirks and to ignore them means probabledefeat. A small- or medium-sized company in Asia,Eastern Europe, or the Middle East has the chance tosucceed here in the US as we can in their markets if wechoose our partners wisely, understand the markets wewant to penetrate, are willing to take the risk of absolutefailure, and have some amount of luck.

The primary limitation we have here in the US isone of fear due to the financial risk we take in failing. Inour case, when we wanted to finance our first plant inAsia, our bank would not give us the loan unless theyput a lean on my house. Not everyone has such anunderstanding and supportive wife who was willing togo along. The path to world trade is fraught with manypitfalls from all sides. There are people and companiesout there who are more than willing to take your money

and stick you with trouble. But for those who make itthrough, the potential for success is unlimited.

The current economy is lousy here in North America,okay in Europe, and good in Asia. It is extremely difficultfor Americans to take the risk of moving to other countrieswith such a low potential for success. Many have“hunkered” down and are waiting for the economy tocome back before they even start to look at new marketsand expansion. My opinion is that, by then, it will betoo late. The previous trickle of small- and medium-sized Pacific Rim, Indian, and Eastern Europeancompanies coming onto our shores is turning to a steadyflow that will take huge domestic market share.

Back to the philosophies of my dad and grandfather:There is no safety in playing it safe. Attacking newmarkets and finding new product lines is the only waynot only to survive, but also to thrive. I will never forgetthat my grandfather came from Romania and is just thetype of person we will be battling now. He was fiercelydetermined, intelligent, and willing to do what wasneeded to succeed. In other words, he was a formidableopponent, but then again, so is his grandson.

Our country’s manufacturing sector has beenbattered, downsized, and maligned, but we are also themost innovative group of entrepreneurs in the world whohave in the past, and are still creating, many of the newproducts we will be using in the future. It is scary outthere, times are tough, and they are not over, but theability to succeed has to be a forward attack. For thosewho are waiting for the bottom, and the sun to shineback on the economy, it will be too late to resist andbeat those already on there way.

Announcements

Congratulations to Brad Johnson for being awarded the 2010 Injection Molding Division’s“Engineer of the Year.” The award will be presented during ANTEC 2010 in Orlando Florida.

Former recipients of the award, which was established in 1981-1982 under the leadership of Nick Rosato, includeHoa Pham, Jim Peret, Don Allen, Larry Schmidt, Jack Dispenza, Suzy Witzler, Larry Cosma, Joseph Duska, JohnBeaumont, Peter Grelle, Paul Colby, Eliot Grossman, T. Henry Forsyth, Nick Fountas, Raymond Veno, PhilipHubbauer, Jonathan Newcome, Wolfgang Meyer, Fredrick Buja, Robert Nunn, Donald Rosato, Jim Wenskus,Kishor Mehta, William Filbert, Dominick Rosato, and J. Theodore Engelhard.


chris

Text Box

For more information, or to register, email Chris Lacey: [email protected]



On The Road

Bensheim Technology Day ReviewBy Desmond Crowley

On September 11, 2009, Synventive MoldingSolutions GmbH held its Bensheim Technology Day forthe eleventh time. Once again, it became the communi-cation platform for participants from the processinjection molding and mold construction industry. Thetopic “Aesthetics and Design: Innovative SurfaceTechnologies for Plastic Components” attracted greatinterest. Norbert Scheid, CEO of Synventive MoldingSolutions GmbH and CEO Synventive Europe,extended his welcome to more than 60 participants.The audience enjoyed a wide spectrum of topics fromspeakers from research and applied development,process and mechanical engineering, synthetic materialfabrication, hot runner production/supply, and injectionmolding. The individual subject presentations providedparticipants with an insight into the complexity andinteraction of the diverse technologies involved in plasticsprocessing.

Under the title “Future Plastic Surface Decorations:Optics, Haptics, and Function,” Kunststoff – InstitutLüdenscheid (www.kunststoff-institut.de) presenteditself as the link between practice and research. Its workand cooperation with industry partners focuses primarilyon the quality and profitability of plastics technology.Prospective research and practical requirements aresupplementing each other to bring constantly improvedplastics surfaces to the end consumer offering themvisual-haptic experiences. Numerous examples from theautomotive to the telecommunication industry were givento underline this claim.

High-quality surfaces, especially inside cars, areprojecting a positive brand image. Wood has to looklike wood and leather like leather and they should alsofeel right, even though the original material has madeway for a high-tech plastics alternative.

For the operation of electronic appliances, functionalplastic surfaces with a ‘vanishing effect’ for signs andlettering facilitate new dimensions of comfort.

The presentations referred to established pro-cedures and process technologies to achieve top qualityresults and above all to produce an emotionally feltexperience. Process technologies such as IMD (in-mould decoration), back molding of film, varnishing,

electroplating, or digital print were also mentioned.Structured tool surfaces, inductive tool heating, anddesign surfaces inside the tool were given as examplesof process technologies. Depending on the work focus,existing process technologies are modified or furtherdeveloped according to specific situations. The latestdevelopment trend is the outline-giving back molding ofmetal foil by application engineering.

Under the title of “New Processes and MachineTechnologies for Product Manufacturing with HighQuality Surfaces,” KraussMaffei Technologies providedinsights into well-known and new process solutions inplastics processing to meet market requirements(www.kraussmaffei.de). They presented the fullyelectric EX series as a new machine generation. Thisinjection molding machine has a direct drive, newlydeveloped closing design, and patented 5-point kneelever. The series stands for fast cycle times with veryhigh precision.

Examples of process engineering solutions forpractical use ranged from one-component injectionmolding via foil applications to multi-component in-jection molding and paint application inside tools.

The advantages of the complex manufacturingprocess injection compressing were also described.This process allows for the manufacturing of tension-free plastic components with sensitive surfaces such aslenses, parts with a nano-structured surface for anti-reflection, and flat screens for car glazing applications.

Multinject composite injection molding and itsbenefits of targeted material combinations for theSkinForm injection molding process were explained.This involves a combination of injection molding andpolyurethane processing. The SkinForm injectionmolding is particularly important when very demandingsurfaces and haptical properties are required or a highacoustic and insolating function needs to be achieved.This process is capable of changing colors of the PURcomponents problem-free from shot to shot. With theSkinForm CCM (Clear Coat Molding) variety, high-value components such as real wood for vehicle inte-riors are coated over with a thin glass-clear two-com-

www.kunststoff-institut.de

www.kraussmaffei.com


On The Road -cont-

ponent PUR system. CCM allows for automatic coatingof high-value components that removes the need formanual painting.

One of the most commonly used plastics is PMMA,better known under its brand name Acrylglas. EvonikIndustries (www.evonik.de) demonstrated the advan-tages of PMMA and its manufacturing and processing.Evonik is an international manufacturer and processorof PMMA and owner of the Plexiglas brand. PMMA,invented in 1901 by Otto Röhm and patented asAcrylglas in 1928, was introduced into the market in1933 and has constantly been further developed eversince. Plexiglas comes in many colors, forms, andsurfaces and can be produced with the most diversefunctional properties. Due to its UV stability, PMMAhas an extremely versatile scope of application. Thisincludes in the automotive industry, for example, forfront and rear lights, post covering, mirror casings,aircraft construction, or architecture (such as the roofof the Munich Olympic Stadium), etc.

Although PMMA can be produced with greatersurface hardness, scratch resistance on sensitive surfaceshas frequently proved insufficient and has had to beelaborately recoated. Evonik and KraussMaffei com-bined forces to solve this problem. The process engi-neering solution is called CoverForm. In the CoverFormprocess, coating is performed directly in the injectionmolding tool. This saves time and money, as subsequentelaborate coating steps become unnecessary. The newprocedure is a system solution Plexiglas molding masses,a specially developed, solvent-free multicomponent-reactive system based on acrylate. It is characterizedby optimal adhesion and the appropriate machinetechnology from KrausMaffei.

During the one-step CoverForm process, themanufacturer applies the coating layer directly insidethe tool under clean room conditions. This replaces time-consuming follow-up processes such as off-line coatingand the resulting problems, such as logistics, possiblecontamination, and damaged molds. The CoverFormprocess is suitable for all PMMA molds with sensitivesurfaces. Very fine scratch-resistant coating layers canbe produced with layer thicknesses below 50 ìm.

The production of high-quality surfaces for plasticcomponents is rarely possible without hot runner

technology as the connection between injection moldmachine and molding cavity. Synventive discussed thissensitive production area (www.synventive.com) anddemonstrated the hot runner technology required toobtain optimal surface quality. The most challenging areaof a hot runner system is the transition from hot runnernozzle to tool cavity. This is the critical point for qualityfinishing of the component surface. Only an optimalinterplay between nozzle technology and tool temperingenables very high quality surface qualities.

The right choice of gate depends on factors such asthe required quality of the binding, the synthetic materialto be processed, the component to be fabricated, andthe respective tool situation. The more elaborate theinjection molding process, the more critical the meltneeds supplied to the cavity become.

A high-quality mold surface can only be achievedwhen the best possible cavity outline is realized. Duringthis process, the melt must be supplied to the cavitiesunder optimal conditions. This means that negativeeffects, such as high shear stress, high temperaturefluctuations, or long retention times in the melted masschannel have to be avoided. In the filling phase forexample, the aim is to obtain a homogenous melt, steadyflow front speed, and cooling. Synventive achieves thisby using application-related hot runner technologydeveloped for use in practice. Application exampleswere demonstrated.

As well as mature technology, early involvement ofthe hot runner manufacturer at the project planning phaseis of major importance if best results in new plasticcomponents production are to be achieved.

In their presentation on “Process Control forManufacturing High-Gloss Surfaces,” Webasto(www.webasto.de), world market leader for automobileroof systems, demonstrated the narrow tolerances underwhich process control is conducted during the fabricationof roof modules from polycarbonates.

High-gloss surfaces act like a mirror, which meansthat even the slightest mistake in the surface leads to adistortion of the mirror reflection. With a PC wallthickness of 3 mm, blemishes of up to 1 μm can beperceived. This corresponds to a deviation from thequality set point of only 0.33%. The perception ofblemishes in the μm-range places extreme demands onthe process control for injection molding. The injection

www.synventive.com

www.webasto.com

www.evonik.com


On The Road -cont-

molding machine, the tool, and the hot runner system allhave to satisfy these demands.

Frequent sources of mistakes include temperaturedifferences, mass concentrations, and pressuredifferences in the tool. When the hot runner system isused with a direct connection it is important that largeand thin-walled components are not damaged duringdemolding and that no bonding occurs at the needlesurface. To avoid mistakes, temperature distribution andthe mold internal pressure distribution in the tool shouldbe spread as evenly as possible. To ensure optimalprocess control, temperature control of the hot runnertechnology should also satisfy appropriate demands.This means that the sample rate of the hot runnertemperature controller should be in the ms range.

In addition to the very useful talks, all conferenceparticipants were invited to a tour of the productionfacilities to provide them with an insight into the technicalprocesses at Synventive. Participants expressed greatinterest in the production, assembly, and service areas,as well as the technical centre. The most up-to-dateand safe machine technologies allow a high verticalmanufacturing range with perfectly coordinatedproduction processes. These are constantly monitored

using value stream mapping and the Kanban productionsystem to ensure constant efficiency and stability. Thecenter of excellence for batch size 1 cell productionrepresents the highest possible customer satisfactionregarding quality, short, and flexible delivery times andround-the-clock service.

In addition to the applications realized for varioussurface technologies, Synventive’s new product – eGate,an electrical needle sealing system, was on show in thetechnical center. Partner enterprises also gave shortpresentations during the tour on hot runner technologyand the simulation of plastic processing procedures.

Conclusion

Current, and in particular, future plastics surfaceswill require ever greater use of complex technologies toachieve the best and highest quality results. Acombination of individual technologies in theirapplication-related ranges guarantees perfect andflawless plastics surfaces. However, a 100% manufac-turing solution is only possible where individualtechnologies are sufficiently established and optimallycoordinated so that a stable and reproducible manufac-turing process can be achieved.

Bensheim Technology Day session.


Member Profile

Member Profile: Shia-Chung ChenBy Lawrence R. Schmidt

The IMD’s newest SPE Fellow is Professor Shia-Chung Chen, currently Dean of Engineering at ChungYuan Christian University in Taiwan. He has been an SPE member since 1985 and has made numerous contributionsto the plastics industry, especially in the area of injection molding.

Professor Chen received his Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in1984 and then worked in the U.S. for four years on computer-aided engineering software development. He joinedthe Mechanical Engineering Department of Chung Yuan Christian University in 1989 as an Associate Professor.His research programs have led to the development of extensive laboratory facilities. Many different types ofmolding equipment have been used for a wide range of projects from basic research on thin-wall molding, gasassist, co-injection and two-component molding, microcellular and micro injection molding to industrial projectswith direct application to cellular phone housings, LCD monitor/TV housings, and automotive parts. ProfessorChen and his coworkers have published over 200 technical papers, including over 70 ANTEC papers. He is a co-inventor of over 30 patents.

Professor Chen’s outstanding research programs have received high recognition. The Taiwanese Ministryof Education Affairs appointed him the Director of the Mold Automation Education Resource Center (MAERC).The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs presented him with the University Research Contribution to IndustrialEconomics Award and he received the National Invention Award from the Taiwan government in 2006. In 2005,he co-founded the Society of Advanced Molding Technology, an international organization with more than 100academic and industrial members.

For the past 9 years Professor Chen has organized an international Workshop on Advanced Technologiesfor New Materials, Mold Design/Analysis, Molding Processes, Equipment, and Inspection in Taiwan. IMD BoardMembers Tom Turng and Larry Schmidt made presentations at the 2009 Workshop that Chen held in July.

Workshop speakers Dr. Schmidt, Professor Chen, and Professor Turng in 2007.


Investigation of Laser-Assisted Moulding of Micro- and Nanostructures

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Dr. -Ing. E.h. Walter Michaeli; Fritz Klaiber, M.Sc.Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University (IKV)

IMD Best Paper Finalist

Abstract

Biotechnology, information and medical industrieshave a high growth potential. A key technology for thoseindustries is the replication of micro- and nanostructures.Precise micro- and nanostructured parts with functionalsurfaces can be produced economically by injectionmoulding. The whole process chain (thermal mouldcondition, moulding, demoulding) must be analysedcarefully. To enable the precise production of suchstructures a new technique for variothermal injectionmoulding was developed at the IKV. An innovative laserheating unit was designed and built. The laser unit wasimplemented into an injection mould. Using this techniqueselective parts of the cavity could be heated with hightemperature gradients of up to 300 K/s. Preliminarymeasurements were done to correlate the laser powerand the temperature change on the mould surface. Apyrometer and a laser control unit were implemented torealise a precise temperature profile on the mould surfacewithout a temperature overshoot.

Introduction

Microstructured surfaces find applications in manyareas. By integrating microstructures, surface propertieslike self cleansing effects, lens coating or the flowbehaviour in tubing can be optimised [1, 2, 3, 4]. Toachieve good moulding results of microstructures throughthe process of injection moulding, it is necessary to heatthe mould to temperatures close to the melting point ofthe polymer. In order to attain such high temperatures inthe mould and to guarantee demoulding without damageat the same time, the process of variothermal tempera-ture control has been proposed. This study aims to ad-vance microstructure replication by using injectionmoulding and investigates the advantage of additionalheating in the injection moulding process. In previousinvestigations an induction system that can be positionedin the open mould by robot control was used as an externalheating unit to heat the mould cavity. Inductive heatingas an external heat source has proven successful and ithas been shown that surface structures can be heatedwith high power densities and therefore short heat-uptimes [5, 6, 7]. For process control, IKV developed afully automated system composed of an injectionmoulding machine, robot and inductor heating system

which is extended by a pyrometer (touchless temperaturemeasurement device). A control algorithm was developedto prescribe defined mould temperatures and to regulatethe induction power. The experiments showed that heat-uprates of 60 K/s could be realised using external inductionheating. The IKV system was used in experiments forthe replication of microstructures using injection moulding[8, 9]. In the investigations using the inductive heatingsystem as additional heating unit we have proven that anincreased cavity temperature leads to an improvementof the moulding accuracy of micro- and nanostruc-tures. In Figure 1 the moulding of a pyramidial micro-structure and a laser generated nanostructure is shown.It is clearly visible that an increased cavity temperatureof 180 °C leads to a huge improvement of the mouldingquality as the SEM pictures show. Variothermal heatingis advantageous for the replication of micro- andnanostructures. Inductive heating is one possibility for thedynamic heating of forming tools. It is very suitable for fastheating of ferromagnetic plane mould cavities. A newpromising heat source for the vario-thermal heating of

Figure 1: Moulding results.


IMD Best Paper Finalist -cont-

moulds is a diode laser system. With a laser heatingsystem it is possible to heat selective parts of a cavityvery fast while the mould is closed. At the Institute forLaser Technology (ILT) at RWTH Aachen Universitya machine for laser-assisted hot embossing ofmicrostructures was developed, built and successfullyput into operation [10, 11]. At the IKV a machine andmould for the laser-assisted injection moulding wasdeveloped and built. The setup and characteristic heat-up rates of the new technique will be presented in thispaper.

Experimental Setup and Control System

The laser system used is a 2700 W diode laser.The laser is connected to the injection mould via a 10m glass fibre cable. At the end of the cable the laser iscollimated to a beam with 23 mm diameter. Attachedto the collimator is a pyrometer that measures coaxiallythe temperature on the heated surface. The pyrometeris connected to a laser power control unit (lascon).The lascon controls the laser power via the externalinterface of the diode laser. The external interface isalso used for security signal interchange between diodelaser and injection moulding machine. The laser-assisted moulding process can be operated by settingthe laser power and the heating time (operation mode1). Preliminary experiments with operation mode 1have shown that the heat-up process can lead to anuncontrolled overheating of the cavity surface that canresult in destruction of the fragile mould insert. Inaddition too high mould temperatures can have anegative influence onto the mould and the part. Inparticular the mould steel can lose its stiffness and acolour change can arise on the mould surface. A moreinnovative way of operating a laser heating unit is thedirect presetting of cavity temperature and heatingtime. In this case the laser power is controlled by thelascon unit in dependence of the set temperature andthe measured temperature (operation mode 2). Thelascon unit uses an integrated PI-controller for theadjustment of the desired cavity surface temperatures.It is necessary to instantly measure the change of thecavity temperature to give a fast response to the controlunit. In our experiments a pyrometer from theMergenthaler GmbH, Ulm, Germany was integratedinto the laser collimation optics. For an exacttemperature measurement the pyrometer wascalibrated on the radiation properties (emission andreflection) of the cavity surface. After calibration andadjustment of the pyrometer the cavity temperaturecan be pre-set at the lascon controller script. The

control system was designed to achieve high heat-up ratesand at the same time it avoids a temperature overshooting.The process was validated with heating experiments. Thelaser was operated by setting the desired surfacetemperature and the heating time at the lascon controller.

Mould Design

Figure 2 shows the mould that was designed for thelaser-assisted moulding process. The mould has twocavities and is equipped with interchangeable mould inserts.Furthermore 4 pressure transducers type 6189 from Kistler,Winterthur are installed to measure the cavity pressureand temperature. For the precise centering of the mouldhalves the guiding pillars are combined with a ball trackunit.

Mould With Laser Collimation andQuartz Glass Insert

The laser heated cavity is equipped with a pressureresistant quartz glass mould insert. Behind the quartzglass insert the laser collimation optics is integrated intothe mould. A detailed section view of the integratedcollimation optics can be seen in Figure 3.

Figure 2: Mould design.

Figure 3: Section view of the mould design.



Results of the Laser Heatingof the Cavity Surface

Multiple devices were used to measure the heat upof the cavity surface. Into the mould integrated ther-mocouples were used and placed 2 mm behind the cavitysurface. A pyrometer integrated into the laser opticsand an external thermal imaging camera were used to mea-sure the temperature touchless and instantly on the mouldsurface. As shown in Figure 3, the collimation opticsand the pyrometer are integrated into the injection mould.The laser beam passes through a transparent mouldinsert directly onto the mould insert surface. The mouldinserts are interchangeable to produce different types ofmicrostructured surfaces. The mould is tempered by con-ventional water tempering to a basic temperature of 80°C.To image the temperature field of the cavity surface,an infrared camera ThermoVison A40 by Flir Systems,Portland USA with ThermaCam Researcher softwareis being used. For this experiment, the mould had to beopened to move the infrared camera in. In the regularinjection moulding process, the heating up takes placewhile the mould is closed. Since the infrared camera canonly measure the intensity of radiation, the coefficient ofemission of the surface has to be known. Using a con-tact thermometer, the temperature of the surface is imple-mented into the software. The coefficient of emissionis adjusted until the temperature shown by the cameramatches the temperature of the contact thermometer.Figure 4 shows the lascon record of the set temperature,the actual temperature measured by the pyrometer andthe power of the laser, with 100% representing the maxi-mum power of 2700 Watts. At the beginning of the pro-cess, there is one second to initialize and start the laserunit. The set temperature is then raised to 275°C. Atmaximum laser power, the temperature increases withmore than 300 K/s, so the set temperature is beingreached within only 0.6 seconds. When the set tempera-ture is reached, the lascon reduces the power to hold thetemperature, measuring through the pyrometer and regu-lating with a rate of 20 Hz. A steady state is beingreached within one second, after five seconds the la-ser is switched off. In Figure 4 the graphs of actual tem-perature and set temperature do not start at the basemould temperature of 80°C. This is due to the mea-surement range of the pyrometer (130°C-550°C) anda software limitation of the lascon. Figure 5 displays thetemperature distribution of the surface after the heat-ing-up period. The temperature field is axially symmetricwith a uniform area in the centre and an area of de-creasing temperature on the edge. Although the laser

beam is nearly parallel with a diameter of 23 mm, thearea of uniform temperature is slightly smaller. Thereare two reasons explaining this effect. The intensity of thelaser is not totally uniform due to diffraction, having a peakin the centre of the beam. Furthermore, steel has ahighcoefficient of thermal conduction, which means thatthe heat rapidly drains off into the mould. Outside the heat-ing area, the surface temperature rapidly decreases to thebase temperature of 80°C.

Conclusion

It could be shown that via laser heating an injectionmould insert can be heated very fast and defined.Temperature gradients of up to 300 K/s could beachieved. Through the combination of laser, pyrometerand laser control unit a very precise and definedtemperature profile could be realised on the cavitysurface. The usage of quartz glass inserts allows mouldheating parallel to injection, which means that cycle timewill not be prolonged. This type of variothermal temperingwill enable to accurately mould micro- and nanostructuredsurfaces. The correlation between an increasing mouldtemperature and an improvement of the moulding qualitycan be seen in Figure 1. In comparison to other vario-thermal moulding processes the laser-assisted mouldingprocess has outstanding advantages. When conventionalvariothermal heating devices (oil, induction or electricheaters) are used a lot of heat is transfered into the mouldsteel. External heating systems (e.g. robot basedinduction) have to compensate the time between removalof the heating element followed by mould closing andinjection. Integrated heating systems have to heat thecavity through conduction. For example electric heatersare usually placed several millimetres behind the cavitywall and the heat generated by them has to be transferredvia conduction onto the cavity surface. Both systems

Figure 4: Lascon data record.



heat basically a certain volume of steel. With the laser-assisted moulding system one is able to give a quick heatimpulse right before or while melt is flowing in the cavity.The benefit of this impulsive heating is that the totalamount of energy put into the mould is still small, meaningthat most of the mould steel is still at 80°C. This isunderlined by high temperature decay once the laser isswitched off. As you can see in Figure 5 the temperaturedecays more than 100 K within the first second afterlaser shut down. This kind of impulsive heating andcooling of the mould surface cannot be reached withconventional variothermal techniques using oil, inductionor electricity as heating medium. In future experimentswe will investigate the moulding accuracy of structuredsurfaces using the laser heating unit.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the GermanResearch Foundation DFG for the support of the depictedresearch within the Cluster of Excellence “IntegrativeProduction Technology for High-Wage Countries” atRWTH Aachen University.

Keywords

Microstructures, variotherm, laser

References

1. N.N. (2007) NEXUS Market Analysis for MEMSand Microsystems III, 2005-2009. WTC WichtTechnologie Consulting.

2. Barthlott W., Neinhuis C., “Purity of the sacred lotus,or escape from contamination in biological surfaces.”Planta (1997) 202, pp. 1-8.

3. Bechert D.W., Buse M., Hage W., “Experimentswith three-dimensional riblets as an idealized modelof shark skin.” Experiments in Fluids 28 (2000),pp. 403-412.

4. Baker K. M., “Highly corrected close-packedmicrolens arrays and moth-eye structuring on curvedsurfaces.” Applied Optics 38 (1999) No.2 , pp.352-356.

5. Weber A., Schinköthe W., “Completely integratedinduction heating and pulsed cooling for injectionmoulding.” Proceedings of the 19th StuttgarterKunststoff-Kolloquium, 9.-10.3.2005, Stuttgart.

6. Tewald A., „Entwicklung und Untersuchung einesschnellen Verfahrens zur variothermen Werkzeug-temperierung mittels induktiver Erwärmung.”Dissertation, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 1997.

7. Gärtner R., “Analysis of the process chain for theproduction of micro-structured parts by injectionmoulding.” Dissertation, RWTH Aachen University,2005.

8. Michaeli W., Klaiber F., Scholz S., “Investigations inVariothermal Injection Moulding of Microstructures andMicrostructured Surfaces.” In Proceedings of theFourth International Conference on Multi-MaterialMicro Manufacture (4M). Oxford, Amsterdam:Elsevier, 2008.

9. Michaeli W., Klaiber F., Scholz S., Grönlund O.,Lettowsky C., “Analyses on Variothermal MouldingProcesses to Replicate Micro-structured Surfaces.” InProceedings of the 24th Annual Meeting of thePolymer Processing Society, 2008.

10. Holtkamp J., Gillner A., “Laser-assisted Micro SheetForming.” In Proceedings of the InternationalConference on Optical SETI, 2008.

11. Holtkamp J., Gillner A., “Laser-assisted Hot Emboss-ing.” In Proceedings of the 3rd Pacific InternationalConference on Applications of Lasers and Optics,2008.

Figure 5: Temperature distribution.


Upcoming Conferences

MARCH 2010

Plastics & Rubber VietnamMarch 17-20, 2010 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ARGENPLAS 2010March 22-26, 2010 - Buenõs Aires, Argentina

Nanocomposites 2010March 24-25, 2010 - Brussels, Belgium

APRIL 2010

Koplas 2010March 30-April 3, 2010 - Korea

PlastShow 2010April 6-9, 2010 - Sao Paulo, Brazil

Rotational Molding TopConApril 11-13, 2010 - Independence, OH USA

MOLDING 201020th International Conference

April 12-14, 2010 - San Antonio, TX USA

SAMPE Europe 31st InternationalTechnical Conference

April 12-14, 2010 - Paris, France

Chinaplas 2010April 19-22, 2010 - Shanghai, China

MAY 2010

INDOPLAS 2010May 5-8, 2010 - Jakarta, Indonesia

ANTEC 2010May 16-20, 2010 - Orlando, FL USA

http://www.4spe.org/conferences-and-events • http://www.polymer-age.co.uk/x/events.html

SPE & Plastics Industry Event Calendar

SAMPE USA 2010May 17-20, 2010 - Seattle, WA USA

PDM 2010Plastics Design & Moulding Exhibition

May 18-20, 2010 - Telford, UK

N-PLAS 2010May 19-21, 2010 - Tokyo, Japan

JUNE 2010

ECCM 201014th European Conference on

Composite MaterialsJune 7-10, 2010 - Budapest, Hungary

Decorating & Assembly TopCon 2010June 15, 2010 - Cool Springs, TN USA

Upcoming Webinars

Polymer Degradation, Stabilization,and Failure Analysis - Parts 1 & 2

March 18, 2010

Polymer Degradation, Stabilization,and Failure Analysis - Part 2

March 25, 2010

Compatibilization of Polymer Alloys,Blends, and Composites

April 21, 2010

Intellectual Property Basics for Chemists,Engineers & Managers, Part 1 & 2

June 9, 2010, & June 10, 2010

http://www.plasticsvietnam.com/plastic_rubber/2010/en/index.asp

http://www.argenplast.com.ar/en/

http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=21&Itemid=81&year=2010&month=03&day=24&uid=fb00816c3544517928968b930a57512d&catids=81

http://www.koplas.com/eng/index.asp

http://www.4spe.org/conferences/rotational-molding-topcon

http://www.arandanet.com.br/eventos2010/plastshow/index.html

http://www.executive-conference.com/conferences/pdf/Molding10_brochure.pdf

http://www.chinaplasonline.com/CPS10/Info/lang-eng/Information.aspx

http://www.indoplas.com/Content/Default.asp

www.antec.ws

http://www.sampe.org/events/2010Seattle.aspx

http://www.pdmevent.com/

http://www.n-plas.jp/en/

http://www.jeccomposites.com/agenda/4872/ECCM-14-14th.html

http://www.4spe.org/conferences/decorating-assembly-topcon-2010

http://www.4spe.org/conferences-and-events/webinars

http://www.sampe-europe.org/index.html

http://www.4spe.org/conferences-and-events

http://www.polymer-age.co.uk/x/events.html


IMD Board of Director’s Meeting • January 29, 2010 • Orlando, FL

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Chairman: Dave KarpinskiChair-Elect: Lee FilbertCouncilor: Jack DispenzaTechnical Dir: Peter GrelleTreasurer: Jim Wenskus/Dave KarpinskiSecretary: Walter Smith

Chairman, Dave Karpinski:Started meeting at 8:35 AM, thanked Tupperware formaking facilities available for IMD Board meeting.

Opening Remarks, Jan Stevens:Talked about the present business climate and earningsof Tupperware, along with emerging markets around theworld. Tupperware earnings and new products are ingood shape. Talked about polycarbonate businessimplications and how it is going to affect the foodpackaging industry.

Secretary, Walter Smith:Went over action items from 9/25/09 meeting.

· Review action items of September 25, 2009meeting.

· Board roster was circulated for personal updatesand attendance.

Financial Report, Jim Wenskus/Dave Karpinski:Went over IMD expenses for previous year.

· Went over 2009 newsletter expenses and incomefrom newsletter.

· Went over projected budgeted expenses andincome for the 2010–2011 year.

· Copy of proposed budget was passed out toBoard members in attendance.

Councilor Report, Jack Dispenza:Notes from SPE Councilor Comm. meeting discussed.

· Jack’s written Councilor’s report will go to ChrisLacey for newsletter publication.

· Next councilor meeting is February 19, 2010.· SPE reaching out to less than 40 year old pro-

fessionals.· SPE requests speakers for conferences outside

of the USA in 2010/2011.· SPE wants to expand into other markets.

SPE IMD ANTEC 2010 Reception/Annual Mtg,Jack Dispenza:ANTEC 2010 (4) days of presentations.

· No interest in joint reception from other SPEdivisions.

· Jan Stevens offered Tupperware as a possiblevenue for the IMD ANTEC 2010 meeting.

· Plan afternoon of Tuesday, May 18, 2010, IMDANTEC 2010 reception.

· Plan for virtual meeting on March 4, 2010, 2PM EST to discuss/finalize ANTEC receptiondetails.

Chair Elect Report, Pinnacle Award, Lee Filbert:· Changed award to a calendar year award.· Discussed silver and gold medal level awards.· Tom Turng reviewed technical programming

events.

Technical Director, Peter Grelle:Winter 2010 Technical Programs Update.

· Talked about ANTEC paper submissions:o 62 papers submitted this year for 2010

ANTEC (down 38%).o 50 of those papers were submitted from

academia.o 7 of those papers were submitted by

industry.· More papers are being submitted by new

companies and universities than from previousyears.

· Most of the papers submitted today are out ofAsia (55%).

· Taiwan is submitting most of the papers out ofAsia.

· Talked about the APQ index paper rating. Seeingless quality papers this year.

· US paper submittal down by 28%.· TOPCON update waiting for legal disclaimer

from SPE.· Action Item: Develop a slide for moderators

to use to promote China, IMD ANTEC recep-tion, newsletter sponsorship, and IMD member-ship during technical sessions.

· Motion to sponsor Molding 2010 conference.Motion was seconded, voted on, and passed bythe Board.

Education Committee, Pat Gorton: Not in attendance.

ANTEC 2010 TPC Report, Jan Stevens:Talked about ANTEC 2010.


BOD Minutes -cont-

· Went over paper review process and dates.· January 25, 2010, the IMD session plan was

accepted by SPE.· 81 abstracts and 65 papers were submitted, 2

papers were rejected, and 1 paper was trans-ferred to the mold making division.

· Call for session moderators.· Request form Moldex3D for a speaker posi-

tion at ANTEC 2010.· Action Item: Jan Stevens and Jack Dispenza

to call Moldex3D for sponsorship and speakersession at ANTEC 2010.

· Offer ½ price sponsorship to newsletter spon-sors for ANTEC IMD reception.

Nominations Committee, Hoa Pham:Election of Officers for 2010–2011.

· Walter Smith: Secretary· Lee Filbert: 2010–2011 incoming chairman· Jan Stevens: 2010–2011 Chair-Elect· TPC: Susan Montgomery 2011· Jim Wenskus: Treasurer· Peter Grelle: Technical Program Director.· Motion by the Board to elect the above per-

sons. Seconded by Tom Turng. Voted on andpassed by the Board.

SPE, Tricia McKnight:· Talked about the “Member-Get-A-Member

Campaign” (listed on the SPE website).· No SPE increase in membership fees.· Discussed monetary rewards for the members

that do get new people to sign up as an SPEmember.

Fellows & HSM Committee, Larry Schmidt:· Hoa Pham is our candidate for HSM. (No

decision as of yet by SPE).· IMD will nominate David Kazmer for Fellows.· Motion by Larry S. to nominate David Kaz-

mer for Fellows. Seconded, voted on, andpassed by the IMD Board.

· Motion by Larry S. to nominate Furong Gaofor Fellows. Seconded, voted on, and passedby the IMD Board.

· Larry to forward article to IMD Board onProfessor Chen.

Engineer of the Year, Kishor Mehta:· Brad Johnson was elected as the IMD’s

Engineer of the Year.

IMD History, Larry Schmidt:Larry is seeking information on past officers and members.He would appreciate any help or new information concern-ing past IMD Board members.

Membership Report, Nick Fountas:· IMD primary membership was down by 18% over

the last 2 year period.· Total SPE membership was down by 15% over

the last year.· All SPE divisions had a loss in membership, with

the Decorating and Assembly Division sufferingthe worst loss in membership.

Communications Committee Report, Adam Kram-schuster/Chris Lacey:IMD Newsletter report.

· Deadline for content/ads/payment for the nextnewsletter is February 10, 2010.

· Two payment options for newsletter sponsorship:credit card (via PayPal) or check.

· Went over costs for ad sizes in newsletter.· Went over number of existing paid sponsors for

the newsletter.· Went over 3 potential new newsletter sponsors.· Communications Excellence Award paperwork

submitted to SPE on December 31, 2009, by AdamKramschuster.

· Exploring the possibility of putting a Twitter/Facebook link on the IMD website and in theelectronic newsletter.

European Update, Jan Stevens:Not much is happening EU SPE.

· Jack Dispenza to call Ken Brainey for EU SPEinformation.

· Jan Stevens looking at the upcoming EU “K” showfor IMD/SPE opportunities.

· Jon Ratzlaff of SPE offered suggestions for EU“K” show and conference speaking opportunities.

Awards Committee, Dave Karpinski:Jim Peret is back for the winter meeting.

· He is going to continue ordering award plaquesfor IMD members, Fellows, and HSM members.

· Jim qualifies for emeritus status.· Motion to make Jim Peret an emeritus member

of the IMD Board. Seconded, voted on, and passedby the Board. Congratulations to Jim Peret!


BOD Minutes -cont-

Student Activities, Walter Smith:· The IMD still offers a $3000 scholarship

made annually to a graduate or under-graduate student with experience in theinjection molding industry, such as coursestaken, research conducted, or jobs held.

· SPE has over 120 student chapters toassist students in learning, networking, andeducation about the plastics industry.

· Gail Bristol at SPE has list of past winners.· About 3.7% of the memberships of the

IMD division are student memberships.

Machinery Committee, Mal Murthy:Mal is researching OEMs for technical informationand articles.

· Action Item: Dave Karpinski to e-mailMal on Machinery Committee issues andfuture contributions.

New Business, All IMD BOD Members:· Larry Cosma brought up prizes for

ANTEC reception. Jack Dispenza askedfor volunteers for prizes.

· Adam Kramschuster brought up asuccessful 25 year old plastics video. Hewants to redo the video and bring it up todate.

· Jack Dispenza brought up the idea ofbrainstorming to come up with new waysto get new members.

· Jon Ratzlaff said that SPE is going aftercorporate sponsors for funding to sponsorsome of their employees for membership.

· Action item: Submit a list (from ourmembership data) of companies that SPEshould approach for sponsoring employeememberships.

· Anybody volunteering for TPC in 2012?

Old Business, All IMD BOD Members:· Next 90-minute virtual meeting scheduled

for March 4, 2010, at 2 PM EST.· Dinner count for this evening: 13.· Motion to adjourn meeting. Seconded,

voted on, and passed by Board at 3:37 PM.

Submission Guidelines

Submission Guidelines(14 pt. Times New Roman Bold)By Chris Lacey, Publisher (12 pt. Italics)

Submission Guidelines

Welcome to the SPE IMD’s triannual publica-tion! Since our publication is flexible, there is no strictword count for articles. Please send all articles ineither .doc format (Microsoft Word), rich text format(.rtf), or as a text file (.txt). Please send accompany-ing images in .jpg, .gif, or .png format. Be sure toinclude captions for the images in your .doc file.Submission dates for content for 2010 are as follows:

· Spring Edition (March): February 10· Summer Edition (July): June 10· Fall Edition (November): October10

Formatting Guidelines

Please format all submissions as follows. Setmargins to 1" all the way around. Please note the ¼”(not ½”) indentation at the beginning of each paragraph.Notice that there aren’t any blank lines betweenparagraphs. Furthermore, all body text should besingle-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman, full-justi-fied. Any subheadings should be bold, with a hardreturn before and after. Hyphenation should be turnedoff. The language should be set to English for spellchecking.

Did you know that the use of a double spacebetween sentences has gone the way of the manualtypewriter? Typewriters were only capable of mono-spaced fonts; a double space was needed to setsentences apart. With the advent of computers,proportionally spaced fonts became available andnow we use only a single space between sentences.

Content Guidelines

All articles should be educational in nature. Ifyou are writing a feature article, you may want torun an ad with your article. This is a great way todraw your reader’s attention to your company. Anexception to the “education only” rule is the “FeaturedTechnology” column, which, by nature, is somewhatcommercial. However, the article should still focuson the benefits of the technology rather than beingan advertisement for any specific product or company.

If you have any questions, please contact ChrisLacey, editor and publisher, at [email protected] 608-263-5963.



The IMD welcomes 248 new members from around the world

New Members

Benjamin AbbottEdward AcostaAnthony ArenaDirk ArendsJ.C. AvilaKerry AzeltonLoren BakerMatthew BakerGarrett BarnaReed BartlettMark BauzaJames BaxterJames BeckKirk BeckerPranav BelhekarMourad Ben HassineBruce BillmeyerJordan BirklandChristopher BleggiSarah BolesKim BoneDattatray BorateFabian BrenesFrancesco Briatico VangosaTed BrownJohn BuckleySean BuffingtonKen BurasJohn CallenYann CallyElizabeth CarlsonJames CawseSachin ChaturyediMatt ChavanaMichael CienianDany ClaeysJohn ClarkMonroe CochranDavid ComeauJohn ConnerMichael CoutsArt CrawfordJames CullisonJohn DalyDeddy DarmawanJenne De RijckeTim DekaOctaviano Del AngelRonald Demeo

Gene D’OnofrioGary DownGreg DoyleTony EconomouNikos EfentakisDan EisenbrandtManuel EscurraBrian EvensInno FabbroThierry FabozziKeith FarnhamJose FernandesNicholas FerraraThomas FerrariJenni FinkelsteinStephanie FischerTom FiserKurt FothBill FrayerEric FrearsonRichard FrenchBrant FriesenMark FurneyAndrew GarstkiewiczDhaval GarudPratap GokahleSteve GrahamRyan GreeneTom GrimesJohn GroomsPete GrundbergUnmesh GugaleAjay GuptaJeff HaeffnerTimothy HahnPetr HalaskaScott HallKevin HardimanLen HaroldCarwin (Bill) HartwickRobert HealyKristina HellsvikCurt HeverlyRebecca HoefingChris HollidayAsa HolmstromPaul HornikxSteve HowellShirley HsuBrent Hughes

Jayson HumbleTasadduq HussainTony ImperatoNarsing IrabattiJeremy JagelsJustin JagelsUmesh JakatiMakarand JannawarDee JohnsonThomas JorgensenM KalidossWill KennardDiane KerrJeremy KilsaresKenny KimDavid KingTom KinsellaPhilip KlannRobert KoloniaJohn KoontzMasaya KosakaAndrew KovariJames KulpAnand KumbhojkarLuis LabradorQuoc LamRobert LangillDonald LashombApirat Moss LattisonJames LeeMichael LeslieMatthew LoefflerLiz Loya-StinsonJames LunaPaul LunnSarin MahalleyStephen ManceyBryan MargariaPhilip MartinJordan MattisonKen McCabeStan McGinnissJohn McKeehanMatt McLouthJames McQuownShayne MeyerKathi MillerJames MitchellJohn MooreWilhelm Morgan

Chris MoritzMark MossJulie MurphyMason MyersJames NairnPaul NosekTom O’KeefeMoshe OmerJamie Pardo-FigueroaChristopher ParrilloDonald PatzerTodd PerttuScott PowersBrian PruisJeffrey RacoosinManohar RahejaDavid RaiaMurray RamseyRodney RamseyGraham RandallJim RichardsDon RoddaJohn RodgersRobert RodgersSonja RoeunDerek RosemanKevin RudyIsrael RuelasStanley RussDamian SalazarAbel SalgadoClaudio SalviHemant SatheTom SawadskiDavid ScalfAndrew SchenckRay SchererRalph SchriverMichael SchubertKenneth SchweitzCharles SearsChristopher SeibelHilde SevensNilesh ShendeMike ShielsJeff ShutzMangesh SiddheKodikara SilvaBright SinghRajinder Singh

Kris SkinnerAimee SmithCraig SmithDale SmithDavid SmithJeffrey SmithHenrik SoerensenAlex SorensonJanet StanleyCon StavropoulosJason SteinRoger StoneMichael StormerEdward StrandRichard StuderKurt SummerkampOsman TalabWilliam TerriacoRalph ThibodeauReed ThodesonJames ThomasRobert ThorntonSudheer ThrissileriCourtney TobinCraig TormoenJeff TownsendDavid TruesdaleDan TurnerDavid VanVoorhisKevin VersinoMario VigilClaudia VirgenRalph WadeMichael WalshTroy WalwoodYanbing WangKurt WeissRonald WhaleyMurray WikolTimothy WitherowLabon WolgamottDavid WrightTyler WucherpfenningVincent YanChristopher YeagleyHod ZankEduardo ZarateEdward ZhouMichelle Zowacki


The IMD also welcomes 181 companies and organizations that haverecently expanded their membership in the Injection Molding Division

New Companies

The IMD also welcomes these members and companiesfrom the following countries

AustraliaBelgiumCanadaCosta RicaCzech RepublicDenmark

FranceGreeceIndiaIndonesiaIsraelItaly

MexicoPeruSouth AfricaSwedenSwitzerlandTunisia

UAEUnited KingdomUSAVenezuela

A.W. Faber-CastellPeruana S.A.

Abbott MedicalOptics

Accu-Mold LLCAccuplast Soln’sAGI PolymatrixAirlite PlasticsAirvacAJ Plastics Inc.Alcon LaboratoriesAlps LlcAnt PackagingArilite Plastics Co.Autodesk Inc.BPC ManufacturingBasell AustraliaBecton-DickinsonBeaumont Tech.Bemis Mfg. Co.Biomedical Polymers

Inc.Black & DeckerBlitz USABMSVisionBoston ScientificBozilla Corp.Bright PlasticsCA State U. – ChicoCardinal ProductsCareFusionCaroba PlasticsCascade PlasticsCause and EffectChase PlasticsClean Tech Inc.CloroxConley Group Inc.Corning ScienceCubic Designs Inc.DAK Americas

MexicoDatakey ElectronicsDaum Tooling Inc.

Delta Systems Inc.Deutsch Engineered

ConnectingDri-Air Ind. Inc.DSM Engr. PlasticsEdwards LifesciencesElectroluxEM LyonErasteelExcel Scientific Inc.Executive Edu. Inc.ExxonMobil ChemicalFACTS Inc.Ferris State Univ.Ferris State Univ.Ferromatik Milacron

India Ltd.Filter Spec. Co.FlextronicsGeneral ElectricGrand Rapids Comm.

CollegeHarper Brush WorksHarwal Containers

Mfg. LLCHayward Pool Prod.Henkel Corp.Hunter Douglas Ind.IDEAL Ind., Inc.In2 Innovation Inc.Innovative Injection

Tech.IPECIrabatti PolymersITW TekFastKalcor CoatingsKaymac Structural

Foam (Pty) Ltd.KEP AmericasKlann Inc.Krauss-MaffeiKriti Industries Ltd.Kumbhojkar Plastic

Moulders

Lacey Mfg.Leggett & PlattLEGO System A/SLehigh U.LogoplasteLuttmann Precision

Mold Inc.M/S F Milacron

India Ltd.MarbachMatrix ToolingMedrad Inc.Michigan Tech.

UniversityMicro Molding Inc.Mold-Masters Ltd.MoldWorks LLCMountain Valley

RecyclingNestléNICNoss ABNovachemNyloncraftNypro Inc.Oak Ridge ProductsOreck Mfg.P&P Industries Inc.PCS Co.Penn State Erie, The

Behrend CollegePepsiCoPermian PlasticsPittsburg State U.Plastic PowerDrive

ProductsPlastool Int’l Pty.PM Mold Co. Inc.Politecnico di MilanoPolychromePolyOne Dist’nPrecision Concepts

Group

Precision MoldedPlastics Inc.

Precision MoldingPremold Corp.Progressive

ComponentsCanada

ProtolabsProVisions LLCPT. San Darma

PlasticsQuality Craft MoldsR & D EngineeringRadiation Shield

Tech.Renata Precision

Comp Ltd.Renata PrecisionRepco Services LLCRexamRishi ElastomersRobotic Auto.

SystemsRockland Form-a-

Plastic Inc.Roehr Tool Corp.RTP Co.S H PlasticsSC JohnsonScherer Tech. Serv.Sigma Plastic Serv.Silgan PlasticsSIPA North AmericaSmartplastSolvay Advanced

Polymers LLCSonoco ProductsSpatz LaboratoriesSpectraneticsSPI IndustriesStar Thermal Plastics

Alloys & RubberSumitomo Plastics

Machinery

SupplyCore MiddleEast

SW Machine &Plastic Co.

Synventive MoldingSoln.

Talab FarmsTechnical Ind. Inc.Technika Plastika SATeem EngineeringTennplasco, Div.

Manar Inc.Tessy PlasticsTetra Mold & ToolThermedia Corp.ThermTROLToner PlasticsTrendelkamp LPTRWTS TrimTyco ElectronicsU of WI - StoutU of WI - PlattevilleUnderwriters Lab.UnileverUnity PolybarreisUniversal Plastic

MoldVentureTechViscount PlasticsVisteon Automotive

Systems IndiaWaukesha County

Technical CollegeWeatherchem Corp.WentworthWNA Inc.Worldwide

DispensersWrigley Mexico -

LucasWV InternationalWWUYushin America


Membership Application

http://www.4spe.org/membership/membership-application


Chris LaceyPublisher

1513 University Ave.Madison, WI 53523T: 608-263-5963F: [email protected]

Dear Readers,I hope you’ve enjoyed the

spring edition of the SPE IMDpublication. Starting with thisedition, you can now click onany links or advertisements tobe taken directly to the webaddress! No more copy andpasting necessary.

This edition featured se-veral great reader-submittedfeature articles containinggreat technical information aswell as inspiring commentary.If you are interested in submit-

AUTODESK 9www.Autodesk.com

D-M-E 4www.DME.net

ENGEL 7www.EngelGlobal.com/na

INCOE 6www.Incoe.com

INDUSTRAMARK 5www.Industramark.com

JDL TECHNICAL SERVICES 10www.JDLTech.ca

PRIAMUS 12www.Priamus.com

PROCESS & DESIGN TECH. 11www.ProcessDesignTech.com

PROGRESSIVE COMPONENTS 18www.ProComps.com

ULTRA PURGE fromMOULDS PLUS INTERNATIONAL 16www.UltraPurge.com

XALOY 8www.Xaloy.com

Sponsors Publisher’s Message

ting an an article, see page 43 for details.Once again, I’d like to encourage everyone to

send questions to our panel of experts! Don’t missthis great opportunity to see your design, application,or process-specific question answered. Whether youare having problems with part defects and failures,or have questions regarding part or mold design orprocessing parameters, our experts can help!

As always, I invite you to take advantage of oursponsorship opportunities (see page 23). It’s a greatway to reach your target audience!

SPE recently introduced two great new resources for members!

Plastics Encyclopedia:

Check out the Plastics Encyclopedia, a searchable, Wiki-style encyclopedia including a wide variety of topics. Akey feature of this Encyclopedia is the contribution ofmember experts. In addition, each week US Patents andJournals will be searched for relevant items which will belisted in the Encyclopedia by Topic.

http://www.4spe.org/plastics-encyclopedia/

SPEPro – Plastics Research Online

Plastics Research Online is an online resource fortechnical information and articles. Current categoriesinclude Applied Rheology, Bioplastics, Composites,Engineering Properties, Extrusion, Failure Analysis,Injection Molding, Plastics Nanotechnology, andThermoplastics.

http://www.4spepro.org/

http://www.4spe.org/plastics-encyclopedia

http://www.4spepro.org/


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