Injection molding conditions of ABS¡¤PS¡¤SAN¡¤ASA

The direct conditions for injection molding are temperature, pressure, speed, time, RPM, suck back
(decompression), cushion, and back pressure. Indirect conditions include ambient temperature, coolant
temperature, conditions of the molding machine (clamping force and injection quantity), nozzle type, and
the structural characteristics of the product.

1. Temperature conditions

The most influential factor in injection molding is temperature. Temperature conditions include
the temperature of the cylinder (setting and actual), the die temperature, the coolant
temperature, the drying temperature, and the ambient temperature. The most important of
these are the temperature of the melt inside the cylinder and the temperature of the
die. The heat required for melting the resin in injection molding comes from the cylinder
heater (20%-30%) and the viscous heat (70%-80%) generated by the abrasion of the polymer
due to the turning screw. Particularly, you have be careful of the overheating due to local
viscous heat generated when the temperature setting is low and the RPM is high. The
temperature of the oil for the operation of the machine poses no trouble in general, but a
change in temperature can cause a change in pressure and also affects the life of the
machine.

1) The drying temperature must be approximately 10¡É lower than the heat deformation
temperature (HDT). (Maximum temperature at which drying is possible without caking)

2) Refer to the processing temperature for individual resins.

3) If left in high temperature too long, reins tend to be carbonized. As to the machine to
machine temperature differences, rely on your experience.

4) In the case of highly fluid resins, lower the temperature a little further.

5) Factors affecting the temperature of resins fed into the cavity include injection speed,
injection pressure, back pressure, RPM, stay time, type and length of the runner gate,
and length and size of the nozzle.

6) The temperature of the molten resin can be measured by purging. It becomes

approximately 20-30¡É higher than the setting.

7) The temperature of the die should be between 40 and 60¡É. If the coolant is supplied
directly from the cooling tower, the temperature varies much by season, and thus you'd
better use a thermostat.

2.Injection pressure and speed

1) Injection pressure and speed are interconnected. It is desirable to use lowest possible
pressure and highest possible speed.

2) The injection speed and pressure can range between 30% and 50% of the
maximum capacity, and the desirable optimal level will be between 40% and 70%..

3) Since there is a great deal of variation to injection conditions depending on injector

properties (capacity and maker) and die structure (gate structure, product structure,
and skin thickness), care should be taken from the product development stage to ensure
good product structure and die) structure.

4) The injection speed profile should set appropriately to ensure uniform speed of the melt
flow inside the die.

5) To prevent defects such as cracks, burrs and flashes due to residual stress, it is
desirable to reduce the injection speed to below 70-80% of the initial speed at 90%
charge (30-40% of the maximum injection speed). To prevent cracks during the
secondary processing, it is wise to leave the product at a temperature 10 ˆ lower
than the HDT for a day or so before proceeding.

6) The injection pressure should be close to the minimum allowable pressure, and the
speed must be close to the maximum possible speed as long as they do not cause
cracks, burrs or warpages. However, in the case of flame-resistant resins, it is a
good idea to lower the injection speed as much as possible because of the likelihood
of heat degradation.

7) The injection speed profile must be lowered at the gates, the grids and the pressure
variation section? (the 90 degree bent) , and raised at the flat section. Sometimes
multiple-temperature, multiple-speed profiles work better depending on the product.

8) (PT Curve -Pressure, Temperature Curve) This method is used to figure out the injection
area for the die and the resin. You identify such defects as carbonization, flashes
and under-molding by varying temperature and speed when a new die and a new resin
are used.

3.Holding pressure
1)Adjust it to 70-90% below the injection pressure (30-50% is the norm), but take care
lest ejection defects, burrs, flashes, and residual-stress cracks should occur.

2)Since the cut-off position is important, it is customary to cut off at 90% of the final
charge, but it varies depending on the structural characteristics of the product.

3) The duration of the holding pressure must be kept at minimum so as not to cause
shrinkage in appearance..

4.Back pressure
As the screw turns, it pushes the molten resin forward and it recedes. The measurement
process allows you to adjust the extent of the screw recession in order to apply pressure to
the molten resin. This pressure is called back pressure. Back pressure vents the gas when
the resin is melted and packed onto the front end of the cylinder in order to ensure uniform
melting and distribution of the colorant. Excessive back pressure will result in more
degradation gas due to resin degradation. Caution is in order.

1) If defects such as excessive gas and silver streaks occur, make sure whether it is
due to excessive or insufficient back pressure.

2) In general, 5-10kg/¢§ is required for normal injection. However, it may be higher

depending on the type of injector used and the condition of the resin used.

5. Time conditions
Time conditions include drying time, injection time, back pressure time, ejection and insert
time, and measurement time.

1) The drying time for drying ABS resins is 2-4 hours.

2) If the defects occur due to long storage in a high-temperature, high-humidity

environment, secondary drying might be necessary and thus the drying time may be
relatively longer.

3) Select the injection time most appropriate for the product at the given injection
temperature. It is best to keep the injection time at minimum for the sake of productivity,
but if the injection speed is too high, defects such as silver streaks and black lines can
happen. Therefore, try to choose the best injection speed for the structure of your product.

4) You can keep the cooling time at minimum as long as no shrinkage occurs. The cooling
time is proportional to the square of the thickness. It is sufficient to make it 1-2 seconds
longer than the time at which non-uniform cooling causes shrinkage.

5) The measurement time is best set at 90% of the cooling time to minimize the
high-temperature thermohysteresis of the resin. If such defects as silver streaks occur
due to the high RPM of the screw (over 1000RPM), increase the cooling time and adjust
the measurement time.

6) As Insert takes a long time, you should be careful not to cause discoloration and
carbonization due to the long stay of the resin in the cylinder.

6. Measured quantity
It is best to measure resin quantities necessary for one injection at a time. If the measured
quantity is too much, the degradation gas may be generated owing to the excess resin,
consequently resulting in silver streaks and carbonization. Sometimes it is necessary to
increase measured quantities so as to improve the melting process.

1) The cushion amount must be set at below 5mm.

2) Excessive cushion amounts can cause burrs, flashes, and deterioration.
3) Insufficient cushion amounts can cause the screw to hit the cylinder.

7. Other conditions
1) Screw RPM (Revolutions per Minute): The PRM affects the temperature of the molten
resin in the cylinder. Generally speaking, 60~90 RPM is appropriate for ABS.
2)Suck Back - Decompression: Suck-backs must be avoided as much as possible.
(if used, 5mmm and below is desirable). Suck-backs are used to prevent the nozzles
from clogging when the cylinder contacts the low-temperature die. Sometimes they are
used to prevent drooling.
3) Indirect conditions: Seasonal variations in ambient temperature and concomitant
conditions (coolant temperature, and die temperature) might affect injection.

Characteristics of drying

1. ABS,ASA,SAN
ABS, ASA, and SAN resins absorb moisture from the surroundings. They should be properly
dried before injection molding. The absorption of moisture is affected by moisture, time, and
pellet size. It happens until equilibrium is reached. If the humidity level is high during
injection, surface defects, particularly silver streaks, occur.

1)Moisture absorption rate

Moisture absorption rates vary depending on the moisture level in the surroundings. It is
0.3%~0.6% for ABS resins. The proper moisture level of the resin is 0.1% or less for
ordinary injection.

2) Drying temperature and time

Drying is a function of temperature and time. If the drying temperature is too high,
the pellets will cake. If the drying time is too long, the physical properties of the
resin are likely to change. The optimal conditions are 2-4 hours at 70~80¡ÆC
2. Drying characteristics of PS, ALPHALAC
In general, PS and Alphalac resins do not need to be dried. But as colored products may
have additives that can absorb moisture, it is desirable to dry them at 70~80 ˆ for 1-2 hours
using the hopper dryer when moisture problems are suspected.
Introduction

1. Introduction

Injection molding is the most typical method of processing plastics. It is widely used for complicated
plastic products. In injection molding, the resin is heated, melted, and injected into the mold that has
the cavity shaped as desired at high speed and pressure. It then cools down and is ejected from the
mold.

To manufacture products in optimal conditions requires the right combination of resins, dies, injection
molding machines and peripherals that complement one another. To provide guidance on this, we will
introduce you to the injection molding methodology using the plasticity of plastics, injection molding
machines, molding variables, molding processes, and standard injection conditions.

Factors affecting injection molding quality

2. Selection of a molding machine

To be able to make quality products, you must choose an injector right for your product. One of the
things you have to take into consideration when selecting an injector is its capacity.

Injector capacity: The capacity of an injector is determined by the maximum clamping force and the
maximum injection quantity.

Clamping force : The maximum pressure required to keep the die from opening when the
molten resin is fed into the die.

Injection quantity : The maximum injection quantity per injection

Mold plate area : The maximum area onto which the die can project.

You should be able to manufacture products of normal quality with 40-70% of the maximum
clamping force and 40-70% of the maximum injection quantity (30-80% for large-sized
products). You can mold larger products, but it may hurt the product stability and the life of
the molding machine. Therefore, it is desirable to stick with the above percentages.

The required fastening force can be calculated by means of the required unit injection
pressure for individual resins (kg /§²) and the projection area of the product. Use the stability
coefficient of 1.2.

3. Structure of a molding machine

The most common screw injection molding machine consists of the fastening device, the
injector, the hydraulic device and the electrical device.

Clamp : It is the device that opens and closes the die of the molding machine by applying
pressure during resin feeding to keep the die from opening. There are the hydraulic
clamp, the toggle or mechanical clamp, the combination clamp, and the electric
clamp.
Injector : It plasticizes the raw material and injects it. It is composed of the screw, the
nozzle, the hopper, the heater, the die and the peripherals.
Hydraulic device : It provides locomotion for the injection of the injection molding machine and
for the forward and reverse movement of the individual parts of the clamp. It
consists of the hydraulic pump and the plumbing hydraulic pump.
Electrical device : It refers to the electric control board.

4. Injection molding processes

Injection molding processes are as follows:

4-1 Clamping the mold to the die

This process readies the injection
machine for operation.

4-2Injection

The revolution of the screw is stopped. It

is a high-speed, high-pressure rectilineal
movement.

If the screw turns at this stage, the check ring, a.k.a. shut-off ring is worn or cracked. Most of
the cavity (about 95%-97%) is filled at this stage.

4-3 Holding pressure

The resin shrinks as it cools down in the

die.
Pressure is applied to compensate for
this
residual stress.

4-4 Cooling, plasticizing, and measuring

The screw turns, melts the resin and

moves
measured amounts of the molten resin
to the end of the screw with the nozzle
in contact with the die, while the
plasticized resin is cooling down in the
die. At this time the melt packs the
screw, and reverses the screw by its
repulsive power.

4-5 Ejection

The molded product is ejected as the

die is opened. Ordinarily, when the
measurement is done and the screw
stops, the die opens while the nozzle
recedes. However, in the event of
serious drolling, the screw stops without
the recession of the nozzle.