Topics covered

Processing of Plastics
Extrusion
Injection molding
Blow molding
Compression and Transfer molding
Casting
Thermo forming
 Polymer Processing

Forming Processes for Thermoplastics:

 Extrusion
 Blow Molding
 Injection Molding
 Thermoforming

Forming Processes for Thermosetting polymers:

 Calendaring
 Spinning
 Compression Molding
 Transfer Molding
Extrusion Continuous manufacturing process

Endless semi finished products

Plastic is completely fused  entire new shape

Primary processing method

Semi finished products like

Products
Tubes, sheets and films
Can be complicated profiles also
Extrusion
Extrusion Equipment

Extruder
A common component for all methods based on extrusion
To create a homogeneous melt from plastic
(powder or pellets)
Functions
Force the melt through a die under required
pressure
Extrusion

Hopper A steady feed to the extruder

Feeding Conveyance
Screw
Fusion Homogenization

L/D of screw ratio determines the efficiency of extruder

For economical High rate of Matching Screw

operation material output and Barrel
Extrusion
Barrel
Extruder Barrel design
Single screw extruder Conventional
Grooved Easy transport
Twin-screw extruder Co-rotating Compounding
Counter rotating Powdered materials

Twin-screw extruder allows sensitive materials to be processed

at low residence time and high temperature without degradation

Band heating (common) Extrusion

Heating system Fluid circulation system
Heated screws High viscosity

Plastics Processing temperature (°C) Application (Extrudates)

PE 130 - 200 Tubes,sheets, films, coverings
PP 180 -260 Tube, flat films, sheets,tapes
PVC 180 -210 Tubes, profiles, sheets
PMMA 160 -190 Tubes, profiles, sheets3
 Melting (Transition) Zone
The melting or transition zone is the portion of the extruder were the
material melts. Heat generated by friction and heat conduction from the
barrel wall results in temperature rise downstream. When the
temperature reaches the melting point of a crystalline polymer or the
glass transition temperature of an amorphous polymer, a melt film
forms at the barrel surface. Eventually a melt pool forms at the rear of
the screw channel:
 Solids Conveying (Feed) Zone

In most extruders, polymers in the form of pellets, powders or flakes

are drawn from a hopper in the gap between a rotating screw and a
heated barrel. They are transported forward, compacted, melted and
eventually the melt is pumped through the die where it gets shaped
into the desired form before solidification by cooling outside.
 The compacted bed of solid pellets is assumed to flow down the
screw channel as a plug. The pressure build-up is expressed in the
general form:
P  Po exp(const  f b  const  fs )Z b
where Po: pressure under the hopper (usually very small)
fb, fs : friction coefficients of the solid bed on the barrel and
screw
Zb: down channel distance

• For forward motion fb must be larger than fs

 Screws are POLISHED (low friction coefficient) and barrels are
ROUGH (sometimes intentionally grooved) for higher friction
Extrusion
DIES
Extruder convert the material into a homogeneous melt
Die determines the shape of the extruded product

Displacement die or spider die

Spider dies used for the manufacture of rigid and flexible tubes and tubular films
It has a displacer which assist the flow, connected to the outer wall by fins
Spider die - advantage – oncoming flow is well centered
- disadvantage- Since melt flow around the fins- create flow marks
To avoid flow marks ‘spiral mandrel’ distributor dies are used
Extrusion
Slit distributor dies
Used to manufacture
flat films & Sheets.
It spread the flow of melt
to a greater width
(round in the fig)
Shape it into a thin layer.
Slit distributor die

Calibrator To fix dimension and shape of the melt

Use vacuum or compressed air. Extrudate is pressed against the

wall of the calibrator and cooled to prevent further deformation
in the subsequent cooling section.

To draw the extrudate from the die through the

Takeoff device calibrator and cooling sections, at constant a rate
Extrusion
Cutoff & stacking device – rigid tubes, sheets & profiles
Final stage
Winding device – films, cables, filaments and flexible tubes

Co-extrusion
Used when

Multi-layer material
is required

Cost reduction by
combining highly
Three layer melt manifold
stress resistant outer layer
with economical inner layer

Co-extrusion is used for multi-layer cable insulation, packing films

and extrusion blow molding
 Requirements for Effective Extrusion

 The polymer must be completely melted before the

end of the extruder
 The temperature must be kept lower than the
degradation temperature
 The pressure must be high enough to push the
molten polymer through the die.
 Screw design is very important and many
patented designs have been developed
 INJECTION MOLDING

Thermoplastics : Polystyrene,PE, PP, ABC, PC,PMMA etc

Injection Molding

Thermosets : Unsaturated polyester resin, Phenol

formaldehyde etc
Injection Molding

Injection Molding Cycle

Injection molding involves two basic steps:

– Melt generation by a rotating screw
– Forward movement of the screw to fill the mold with melt
and to maintain the injected melt under high pressure

Injection molding is a “cyclic” process:

 Injection: The polymer is injected into the mold cavity.
 Hold on time: Once the cavity is filled, a holding pressure is
maintained to compensate for material shrinkage.
 Cooling: The molding cools and solidifies.
 Screw-back: At the same time, the screw retracts and turns,
feeding the next shot in towards the front
Injection Molding

 Mold opening: Once the part is sufficiently cool, the mold

opens and the part is ejected
 The mold closes and clamps in preparation for another
cycle.
 Injection molding is the most important process used to
manufacture plastic products. It is ideally suited to
manufacture mass produced parts of complex shapes
requiring precise dimensions.
 It is used for numerous products, ranging from boat hulls
and lawn chairs, to bottle cups. Car parts, TV and computer
housings are injection molded.
 The components of the injection molding machine are the
plasticating unit, clamping unit and the mold.
Injection Molding

 The total cycle time is: tcycle=tclosing+tcooling+tejection.

Injection Molding
The Injection Molding “Window”

The temperature must be high

enough to melt the polymer
but not too high to cause
thermal degradation
Pressure must be high
enough to avoid short shots
(i.e. partially filled cavities)
but not too high (because
of flash at the mold contact
surfaces)
Injection Molding
Machine
The injection molding machine comprises of:
 The plasticating and injection unit: The major tasks
of the plasticating unit are to melt the polymer, to
accumulate the melt in the screw chamber, to inject
the melt into the cavity and to maintain the holding
pressure during cooling.
 The clamping unit: It’s role is to open and close the
mold, and hold the mold tightly to avoid flash during
the filling and holding. Clamping can be mechanical
and hydraulic
 The mold cavity: The mold is the central point in an
injection molding machine. Each mold can contain
multiple cavities. It distributes polymer melt into and
throughout the the cavities, shapes the part, cools
the melt and ejects the finished product.
Injection Molding
The Injection Mold
The mold consists
 Sprue and runner

system
 Gate

 Mold cavity

 Cooling system

(for thermoplastics)
 Ejector system

Features of injection molding

Direct path from molding compound to finished product
Process can be fully automated
High productivity & quality
Blow Molding
Blow Molding
 Compression molding

Both thermoplastics and thermosets can be molded

Compression molding
Procedure
Load die cores for forming side holes and forms
Load molding material into the die cavities in powder/pellet
Close the press

Curing – molding material flows under influence of heat and pressure

Best curing time determined by trial and error
Open press
Eject molded items from the cavities
Clean tool form particles of flash or molding powder
Molding faults

1. Blistering (due to insufficient cure or low temperature)

2. Short molding ( due to gas or air trapping , insufficient charge)
3. Cracking of the molding upon ejection (due to incorrect tool design)
4. Poor gloss finish (due to uneven Temperature, insufficient curing time)
5. Internal void (due to Insufficient cure or gas being trapped)
6. Oversize moldings (due to tooling error or due to thick flash formation)
7. Soft moldings (due to Insufficient cure or low tool temperature)
 Transfer Molding
Transfer of powder to a complete molding is achieved
by
Placing powder/pellet into a hot chamber
Applying pressure by a punch in the chamber (hydraulic)
Material plasticised and forced through an orifice
(Thus increasing the temperature of the powder)
Plasticised material flows freely and quickly, ensuring filling the mold
impressions
Equipment

Tool containing an impression of the object to be produced

Hydraulic press
Transfer pot and punch
Heating elements for the platens (Top and bottom)
Thermostat control for temperature control
Transfer molding

Transfer molding : Thermosets like Phenolics, Ureas, melamine

: More complex than compression molding

Variables which affect the complexity are:

1. Part design 6. Preheating of the material

2. Type of material 7. Transfer pressure
3. Position of gating 8. Transfer time to fill the
part
4. Type of gates
9. Mold temperature
5. Shape and length of
runners
Problems 10. Air venting

The process does cause heavy wear on the tooling gates due to fast
Flow and abrasive nature of the materials.
Strength and position of the gating which must be placed such as to
avoid damage to the finished product.
 Typical forming processes for thermosetting polymers:
(a) compression molding and (b) transfer molding.
 Thermoforming

Thermoforming is an important secondary shaping operation for

plastic film and sheet. It consists of warming an extruded plastic
sheet and forming it into a cavity or over a tool using vacuum,
air pressure, and mechanical means.
The plastic sheet is heated slightly above the glass transition
temperature for amorphous polymers, or slightly below the
melting point, for semi-crystalline polymers. It is then shaped
into the cavity over the tool by vacuum and frequently by plug-
assist.
Thermoforming Process steps
The process occurs in three steps : Heating, Forming and Cooling

Heating : Semi finished product is heated (Usually by infra red radiation)

Forming :Heated semi finished product is fixed in a clamping device and
then pressed into (negative process) or onto (positive process) by means
of compressed air or drawn into or onto the mold by means of vacuum.
Because of unequal stretching – unequal wall thickness (corner)
To minimize this effect, the semi finished product is pre-stretched.
Cooling : Cooling begins as soon as the heated semi finished product
touches the mold. To shorter cooling time cooling fan is used.

Positive thermo
Forming process
with prestretching
 Thermoforming
 Thermoforming is used to
manufacture refrigerator liners,
shower stalls, bathtubs and
various automotive parts.
 Amorphous materials are
preferred, because they have a
wide rubbery temperature
range above the glass transition
temperature. At these
temperatures, the polymer is
easily shaped, but still has
enough “melt strength” to hold
the heated sheet without
sagging. Temperatures about
20-100°C above Tg are used. Negative molding press
Most common materials are Polystyrene (PS), Acrylonitrile-
Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), PVC, PMMA and Polycarbonate (PC)