Modeling of injection molding process of thermoplastics and processing parameters analysis with SolidWorks software application
Students Name: Voloshyn Mykhailo Petrovych
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: Chemical Technologies of Polymeric and Composite Materials Processing
Institute: Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies
Mode of Study: full
Academic Year: 2023-2024 н.р.
Language of Defence: ukrainian
Abstract: The process of injection molding can be divided into 3 stages: 1) the filling stage, during which the molten polymer is introduced into the mold cavity; 2) the compaction stage, during which high pressure is used to ensure high-quality filling of the mold cavity; 3) the cooling phase, during which the temperature drops and the polymer solidifies. The quality of the final product, during injection molding, is the result of a complex combination of process parameters, the design of the part and the mold, and the material used. Many defects are known that can occur in the process of injection molding, but the main ones are underfilling, shrinkage and warping. For each of the mentioned defects, various methods are used to minimize them, including modeling methods. In order to eliminate warping [1], it is proposed to use the response surface methodology and the genetic algorithm [2]. Krining’s model, which uses numerical modeling and allows obtaining a high-quality product in comparison with traditional methods, was also used [3]. Using a modified complex method, it was possible to reduce the reduction ofthe warping defect by more than 70% due to the control of the wall thickness and the parameters of the injection molding process [4]. The currently popular modeling using neural networks has also been used. Using the backpropagation of the error in a neural network made it possible to accurately predict the formation of warping of a plastic part [5]. Another type of defect is shrinkage, which is associated with the difference in the dimensions of the received part and the mold cavity. Shrinkage of the poly mer material is important for establishing the real dimensions of the part obtained by the injection molding method [6]. In this case, neural networks are also widely used to predict the shrinkage of the obtained molded polymer products [7]. Underfilling, which occurs when the mold is incompletely filled with material, leads to an incomplete part. As a rule, this type of defect occurs in the case of a small dose of material fed into the mold cavity, or premature solidification of the mold [8]. Underfilling 10 is caused by the wrong choice of material, wrong processing parameters, wrong design of the press mold or part [9]. All the above studies indicate that if the process parameters are correctly selected, a high-quality product of good quality can be obtained. Modeling the process of injection molding using various software products, including SolidWorks Plastics, allows you to obtain an optimal set of technological parameters that will allow you to obtain quality products without defects. Research object:simulation of the technological process of injection molding. The subject of the study:the study of the influence of the technological process parameters of the "Stub" part on the development of the weight defect. The purpose of the study:analysis of the results of simulation of the influence of the parameters of the technological process of obtaining the "Stub" part by the injection molding method. Modeling was carried out using the SolidWorks Plastics software product. In this master’s qualification work, the plastic part "Stub" was analyzed as a result of modeling the injection molding process. The "Stub" part has a design flaw that leads to a manufacturing defect, in particular, it has a characteristic sign of gravity. SolidWorks Plastics is a specializedCAD/CAE software used for comprehensive analysis of injection molding and its process simulation with actual operating conditions and defect inspection. Design flaws and other factors responsible for the development of the specified defect were identified. The parameters of the modeling process are considered. The parameters that have the greatest influence on the formation of the gravity defect were selected for the following analysis using a number of simulations of the injection molding process. Optimization of the parameters and its potential impact on reducing the gravity defect are proposed. The master’s thesis consists of an introduction, 8 chapters, conclusions and a list of used literary sources containing 15 references. The material of the work is laid out on 87 pages of printed text and contains 14 tables and 56 figures. Keywords:injection molding; process parameters; defects; weight; SolidWorks Plastics.