Inline melt homogeneity measurement in injection molding
Sprache des Vortragstitels:
Englisch
Original Tagungtitel:
Europe Africa Conference 2017 of the POLYMER PROCESSING SOCIETY (PPS)
Sprache des Tagungstitel:
Englisch
Original Kurzfassung:
Unwanted inclusions in the plasticized polymer melt (unmelted granules, wear particles, dirt, air,?) can reduce the visual and structural properties of the resulting injection molded part. We developed a non-invasive ultrasound based measurement system working in the high-pressure and high-temperature environment of polymer processing for the detection and classification of such inclusions. The system is installed between the heating barrel and nozzle of the injection molding machine and it is based on ultrasound transmission measurements during the injection of the polymer melt into the mold. The novel system shows reliable capability for the classification of the part quality before it is demolded. Furthermore, we can detect changes in the polymer melt temperature and density due to problems and/or alterations in the plasticization process or polymer raw material. The developed low-cost inspection system can be used for process monitoring, prediction of the final part quality and optimization of the plasticization parameters in scientific and industrial applications.