Cycle time predictions for the rotational molding process with and without mold/part separation

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Gogos ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
L. G. Olson
2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Löhner ◽  
Dietmar Drummer

Abstract The major disadvantage of rotational molding is the cycle time, which is very long compared to other plastic processing methods. A major percentage of the cycle time besides heating and cooling results from the time necessary to remove gas inclusions from the polymer melt, which are trapped while sintering the polymer powder. In this work the formation of gas inclusions is investigated by conducting a cycle time variation on a uniaxial rotational molding machine. The influence of low pressure during melting on the formation of inclusions is investigated by examining sintering experiments with a pressure variation during the melting of the polymer. Sintering experiments are conducted with different melt residence times to investigate the mechanisms of gas inclusion removal. By comparing the time to reach a pore-free polymeric melt, the cycle time reduction potential under low-pressure application while melting the polymeric powder is estimated.


Machines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
F. J. G. Silva ◽  
M. R. Soares ◽  
L. P. Ferreira ◽  
A. C. Alves ◽  
M. Brito ◽  
...  

The structure of car seats is becoming increasingly complex, with mixing of wire conformation and plastic injection. The plastic over-molding process implies some labor, which can be reduced if novel solutions are applied in this manufacturing area. The handling of the wires used in car seats is the main problem identified in the process, wasting time both in the feeding and in the extraction of the molds used in the wire over-molding process. However, these machines are usually extremely compact and the free space around them is too short. In classic molding injection machines, there are just two half-molds, the female, and the male. In the over-molding process of wires used in car seats, three half-molds are used in order to increase the cycle time. Thus, to solve this problem, the classic robotic solutions are not appliable due to lack of space and elevated cost. This work describes the development of an automated solution able to handle the wires in both the feeding and the extracting phases of the production cycle, avoiding the traditional labor costs associated with this type of machine. Departing from an industrial need, the developed novel solution is described in detail and can be successfully adapted to other situations of low added-value products where it is needed to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the product. The system developed uses mechanical and pneumatic solutions which, combined, can be used to solve the identified problem, occupying a restricted space and requiring a small budget. This solution can be translated into guidelines that will allow the analysis of situations where the same system can be applied.


2016 ◽  
Vol 699 ◽  
pp. 97-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurenţiu Slătineanu ◽  
Oana Dodun ◽  
Margareta Coteaţă ◽  
Gheorghe Nagîţ ◽  
Irina Beşliu

Rotational molding is a manufacturing method which supposes the rotation of the mold, during the solidification of the liquid phase material, so that finally a part having a hollow could be obtained. The method could be applied in manufacturing of metallic and nonmetallic parts. Usually, the equipment for rotational molding ensures slow speed rotating of the mold around two axes placed perpendicularly each other and this fact led to relatively complex equipment for achieving rotational molding. The capacity of the liquid material to entirely cover the internal walls of the mold depends essentially on the liquid material viscosity, on the rotation speed and on the movements applied to the mold. Simplified equipment including a single rotation movement could be materialized. In order to test such a solution, a preliminary experiment was designed and materialized, by using a device adapted on universal lathe. Thus, the objective of the research presented in the paper was to study if it is possible to achieve plastic parts made by rotational molding using a single rotation movement. A polyurethane resin obtained from two liquid components was used in order to obtain the liquid material that could be introduced in the mold. The research results proved the possibility to use simplified equipment for achieving a rotational molding process, at least in certain cases and with some technological limits.


2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Panigrahi ◽  
L. G. Tabil ◽  
W. J. Crerar ◽  
S. Sokansanj ◽  
T. Powell ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
pp. 130614085148001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Ortega ◽  
M. D. Monzón ◽  
A. N. Benítez ◽  
M. Kearns ◽  
M. McCourt ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (20) ◽  
pp. 1388-1399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aouatif Saad ◽  
Adil Echchelh ◽  
Mohamed Hattabi ◽  
Mohammed El Ganaoui

Volume 3 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalyanjit Ghosh ◽  
Srinivas Garimella

Transient heat transfer phenomena in the rotational molding of plastic parts are modeled in this study. Natural convection and radiation from the furnace and flue gases to the mold housing are analyzed. Other models include transient heat transfer through the mold, single-phase conduction through the particulate plastic material prior to phase change, melting of the plastic, and heating of the liquid pool. Subsequent staged cooling and solidification of the mold and plastic using a combination of free and forced convection and radiation is also modeled. Information about the properties of the plastic in powder, liquid and solid forms is obtained from the literature. Assumptions about the behavior of the plastic powder and the molten plastic during the rotational operations are also made in accordance with the available literature. The mold wall, melt and solidified plastic regions are divided into a number of finite segments to track the temperature variation with time during the molding process. The corresponding variations in masses and thicknesses of the melt and solidified plastic regions are also estimated. Consequently, the energy consumption rates in the process are estimated. The model is applied to a specific molding process in a commercial rotational molding plant. Parametric studies of the effect of heating and cooling durations on the plastic temperatures and the energy consumption rates are also conducted. These analyses provide insights about opportunities for optimization of the heating and cooling schedules to reduce overall energy consumption and also improve throughput.


Author(s):  
Abbas Al-Refaie ◽  
Ming-Hsien Li

Injection molding process is increasingly more significant in today’s plastic production industries because it provides high-quality product, short product cycles, and light weight. This research optimizes the performance of this process with three main quality responses: defect count, cycle time, and spoon weight, using the weighted additive goal programming model. The three quality responses and process factors are described by appropriate membership functions. The Taguchi’s orthogonal array is then utilized to provide experimental layout. A linear optimization based on the weighted additive model in goal programming model is built to minimize the deviations of the product/process targets from their corresponding imprecise fuzzy values specified by the process engineer’s preferences. The results show that the average defect count is reduced from an average of 0.75 to 0.16. Moreover, the average cycle time becomes 13.06 seconds, which is significantly smaller than that obtained at initial factor settings (= 15.10 seconds). Finally, the average spoon weight is exactly on its target value of 2.0 gm.


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