Real-Time Optimal Parameter Recommendation for Injection Molding Machines Using AI with Limited Dataset

Today the global market poses great challenges for industrial product development. Complexity, diversity of variants, flexibility and individuality are just some of the features that products have to offer today. In addition, the product series have shorter lifetimes. Because of their high capacity for adaption, polymers are increasingly able to displace traditional materials such as wood, glass and metals from various fields of application. Polymers can only be used to substitute other materials, however, if they are optimally suited to the applications in question. Hence, product-specific material development is becoming increasingly important. Integrating the compounding step in the injection moulding process permits a more efficient and faster development process for a new polymer formulation, making it possible to create new product-specific materials. This process is called inline-compounding on an injection moulding machine. The entire process sequence is supported by software from Bayer Technology called Product Design Workbench (PDWB), which provides assistance in all the individual steps from data management, via analysis and model compilation, right through to the optimization of the formulation and the design of experiments. The software is based on artificial neural networks and can model the formulation-property correlations and thus enable different formulations to be optimized. In the study presented, the workflow and the modelling with the software are presented.

Study of rheological behaviour of polymer melt in micro injection moulding with a miniaturized parallel plate rheometer

Today, the global market poses major challenges for industrial product development. Complexity, the wide range of variants, flexibility and individuality are just some of the features that products have to fulfil. Product series additionally have shorter and shorter lifetimes. Because of their high capacity for adaptation, polymers are increasingly able to substitute traditional materials such as wood, glass and metals in various fields of application [1]. But polymers can only substitute other materials if they are optimally suited to the applications in question. Hence, product-specific material development is becoming increasingly important [2]. The problem is that the traditional development process for new polymer formulations is much too complex, too slow and therefore too expensive. Product-specific material development is thus out of the question for most processors. Integrating the compounding step in the injection moulding process would lead to a more efficient and faster development process for a new polymer formulation, providing an opportunity to create new product-specific materials. This process is called inline-compounding on an injection moulding machine. In order to develop this innovative formulation concept, with the focus on fibre reinforced thermoplastics, different screw-concepts are compared with regard to the resultant performance characteristics in the part, such as mechanical properties and fibre length distribution.

In running production the measurement of process and material properties in-line, is a requirement to design and implement effective process control in injection moulding. This work presents a structured thorough analysis and review of the research concerned with in-line measurements of selected processes and material properties on the injection moulding machines. This review sets the current state of art within a range of process and material properties, and identifies areas for future research. The process and material property measurements reviewed are; Viscosity, Melt temperature, pvT and Melt density. It is identified that the largest research effort has been placed on the measurement of viscosity and melt temperature, whereas pvT and melt density measurement are less developed. Finally, gaps within the literature are identified and the proposal of a direction within the field is stated.

Injection Molding is one of the production processes that is widely used to produce various plastic products. As with other fabrication methods, plastic products produced through the Injection Molding process have the potential to have product defects (defects). This research was carried out to improve the quality of the products produced. The research was conducted in four experiments using HDPE Recycle, HDPE Original, PP and ABS plastic materials with different parameter settings. The parameter settings used include temperature, Injection Speed, Injection Pressure, Holding Speed, Holding Pressure, Rotation Speed, Back Pressure, Plastification Speed, Plastification Pressure, Plastification Potition. In the first experiment using HDPE Recycle material, data was obtained in the form of product defects in Short Shot, Flow Mark, Sink Mark, Warpage. In the second experiment, using Original HDPE material which has better quality than HDPE Recycle because its purity is still maintained, data in the form of defects in Warpage products was obtained. In the third experiment using PP material, Flow Mark and Warpage defects were found in the resulting product. In the fourth experiment using ABS material, defects in Short Shot and Flow Mark were found. From this study, it is known that each material has different properties and qualities so that the setting of injection machine parameters must be adjusted to the material used. From the parameters used in each of these experiments, product defects that arise are also known so that the right solution can be found to overcome the product defect.

This research work examines the physical, mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and dry sliding wear performance of hybrid waste flyash particulates (F-class; 0-20 wt% @ step of 5%) – Lapinus fibres (fixed 10 wt%) reinforced Polyamide 66 polymer composites fabricated using the twin screw extruder and injection moulding machine. This follows worn surface morphology to understand the prevailing wear mechanisms responsible for surface damage during sliding. Optimization of control parameters and identification of their order of significance in the dry sliding wear process is performed using Taguchi’s design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Further, ranking optimization of the hybrid composite specimens based on their performance metrics is analysed using the hybrid AHP-R method. It has been observed that the hybrid composite specimens having 10 wt% flyash particulates optimize the overall performance metrics; therefore, it may be recommended to fabricate parts or components for industrial usage. It tends to have an experimental density of 1.18 g/cc, voids content of 7.11%, water absorption of 3.87%, tensile strength of 105.95 MPa, flexural strength of 144.86 MPa, Rockwell hardness of 58.12 HRM, fracture toughness of 4.11 MPa√m, Impact strength of 1.86 J, thermal conductivity of 1.08 W/mK, and specific wear rate of 1.12 × 10−3 mm3/Nm. This observation was attuned to the ranking analysis using the hybrid AHP-R method.

A Data-Driven Holistic Approach to Fault Prognostics in a Cyclic Manufacturing Process

For the installation of a fuel cell stack to convert chemical energy into electricity it is common to apply bipolar plates to separate and distribute reaction gases and cooling agents. For reducing manufacturing costs of bipolar plates a fully automated injection molding process is examined. The high performance thermoplastic matrix material, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), defies against the chemical setting and the operation temperature up to 200 °C. To adjust also high electrical and thermal conductivity, PPS is highly filled with various carbon fillers up to an amount of 65 percentage by volume. In the first step two different structural plates (one-sided) with three different gate heights and molds are designed according to the characteristics of a bipolar plate. To cope with the approach that this plate should be producible on standard injection molding machines with variothermal mold temperature control, injection molding simulation is used. Additionally, the simulation should allow to formulate a quality prediction model, which is transferrable to bipolar plates. Obviously, the basis for a precise simulation output is an accurate description of the material properties and behavior of the highly filled compound. This, the design of the structural plate and mold and the optimization via simulation is presented, as well. The influence of the injection molding process parameters, e.g. injection time, cycle times, packing pressure, mold temperature, and melt temperature on the form filling have been simulated to determine optimal process conditions. With the aid of the simulation and the variothermal mold temperature control it was possible to reduce the required melt temperature below the decomposition temperature of PPS. Thereby, hazardous decomposition products as hydrogen sulfide are obviated. Thus, the health of the processor, the longevity of the injection molding machine as well as the material and product properties can be protected.

In today's increasingly globalized industrial competition and rapid technological advancements, manufacturing companies strive to improve the quality and quantity of their products. However, intensive use and occasional overloading of machines can lead to decreased performance, shortened lifespan, and component failures. Machine failures not only cause costly downtime but also pose safety risks to workers. This study focuses on PT. Mah Sing Indonesia's efforts to optimize the injection molding process by addressing machine downtime through effective preventive maintenance strategies and comprehensive management approaches. Data collected over the course of 2023 highlights the application of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics to evaluate machine performance and identify key areas for improvement. The findings underscore the significance of integrating human resources, technology, management practices, and environmental factors to enhance operational efficiency and productivity in injection molding processes.

Using Additive Manufacturing to Produce Injection Moulds Suitable for Short Series Production

A study on the characteristics of glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics by transfer moulding

With the trend toward higher-power electric-motor-driven injection molding machines, multi-AC servomotor control is needed to control the molding machine, making synchronous positioning control inevitable to prevent excessive mechanical stress in equipment. Synchronous positioning control in injection velocity control is implemented by using position feedback signals from motor pulse generators. In injection pressure control synchronous positioning control is difficult to realize because pressure-detector signals are used in place of position feedback signals. We clarified synchronous positioning control during injection pressure control by using both pressure-detector and position feedback signals. Simulation results showed that synchronous positioning control error was less than ±4μm in pressure control.

This study aims to compare the energy efficiency between the use of a heater band and an infrared heater on an injection molding machine type borche bi 320T. The injection molding machine is one of the main pieces of equipment in the manufacturing process of plastic products and plays an important role in shaping various consumer and industrial products. One of the critical aspects of the operation of injection molding machines is the significant energy consumption, especially related to heating. This study was conducted by measuring the energy consumption of both types of heaters under the same operational conditions. The results showed that the energy consumption of using a band heater was 46.9 kW, while the infrared heater was 38.9 kW, significantly more energy efficient by 17.1% compared to the band heater. Although the initial installation cost of the infrared heater is 87% higher than that of the band heater, the energy savings generated from the infrared heater can reduce operating costs by approximately $39 million per year. Higher energy efficiency means lower electricity costs and, thus, more efficient total production costs. The use of infrared heaters also has a positive impact on the environment. Reduced energy consumption means reduced greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. Therefore, besides the economic benefits, the use of infrared heaters is also in line with sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.

A simulation test for wear in injection moulding machines

Injection Moulding Machine. A new injection moulding machine has recently been produced. This machine has fully automatic operation, so that one operator can control a battery of machines. It is equipped with a safety device which immediately opens the platens and stops the machine if mouldings fail to eject and become lodged between the mould faces. A red warning light on the control panel advises that the safety device has been brought into action.