PLASTIC COMPONENT MANUFACTURE

-plastics are organic solids or resins

-they generally contain O, C, H, N & other elements
-these organic compounds are called polymers
-polymers are divided into
1.Plastics 2.Fibres 3. Elastomers (rubber)
-plastic can be made to flow by heat or pressure
-plastic components are manufactured by single operation
and not in steps (as in the case of metals)
-they are light weight & suitable to manufacture variety of
products including automobile parts, aircraft components

TYPES OF PLASTICS;
Thermoplastics

Thermosetting plastics

-can be repeatedly softened

by heating & hardened by cooling

-not possible

-formed by addition polymerization

-formed by condensation
polymerization

-can be re-moulded

-not possible

-low molecular weight

-high molecular weight

-products: automobile parts, elec.&

telephone parts

-photo films, insulation tape,

hoses etc.

EXAMPLES OF
THERMOPLASTICS

THERMOSETTING PLASTICS

-cellulosic
-nylons
-polyethylene resins
-polystyrene
-polypropylene
-polycarbonate
-acrylic resin
-vinyl plastics

-epoxy resins
-amino resins
-phenolics
-silicons

Properties of Plastics
-less brittle than glass

-light weight, & yet possess good strength & rigidity

-have dielectric properties & hence suitable for electrical components
-possess good toughness
-mass production is easier than metals
-good deformability, heat resistance

FORMING & SHAPING OF PLASTICS

(characteristics of forming & shaping of plastics)

1.Blow moulding :
Used to produce hollow thin walled products( containers); production rate is
high

2.Casting :
Use to produce simple & intricate shapes with suitable moulds : low production
rate.

3.Compression mould :
Similar to die-forging ; medium production rate

4.Extrusion:
Used to produce long, uniform solid or hollow sections at high production rates

FORMING & SHAPING OF PLASTICS

(characteristics of forming & shaping of plastics)

5.Injection moulding :
Used to produce complex shapes ; high production rate : costly tooling

6.Rotational moulding :
Used for large hollow shapes ; low tooling cost; low production rate

7.Thermoforming :
Used to produce deep cavities; low tooling cost; medium production rate

8.Transfer moulding :
Used to produce more complex parts; high production rate

Plastic Pellets (raw material )

INJECTION MOULDING
- It is a process in which polymer is heated to highly plastic state & forced to
flow under high pressure into mould cavity where it solidifies by cooling.
- It is widely used for moulding thermoplastic components
-Injection moulding machines have high production capacity
-This method is suitable for making parts with complex threads,
intricate shapes, thin walled parts etc.
-Some of the products are:
cups, containers, tool handles, toys, knobs, plumbing fittings, elec. &
communication components
-Limitation of this process :
reliable temp. control & non-corrosive dies

Screw type Injection Moulding

Screw type Injection moulding

Plunger type

Screw Type

Plunger Type

Working principle of Screw type Injection Moulding

Injection moulded products

BLOW MOULDING
-It is used to create hollow enclosed components
-There are two basic types of blow moulding process:
1. Extrusion Blow Moulding
2. Injection Blow Moulding
-most widely used materials for blow moulding :
-low density polyethylene (LDPE)
-high density polyethylene (HDPE)
-polypropylene (PP)
-polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
-polyethylene terephtalate (PET)

-this method is widely used for manufacture of PET bottles

& other disposable containers

Blow moulding

Blow moulded products

Injection blow moulding

Injection blow moulding :

-in this type, the starting parison is injection moulded
-injection mould is opened & parison is transferred to
the blow mould
-soft polymer inflated to conform to the blow mould
-blow mould is opened & product is removed
-compared to extrusion blow mould, this process is slow
& hence less widely used
-suitable for plastic bottles, jars, containers
-this process uses thermoplastics
-thin walled hollow products are possible
-wall thickness of product can be increased by
increasing the parison tube wall thickness

Extrusion blow mold

EXTRUSION BLOW MOULDING:

-the steps involved are:
-extrusion of parison
-parison is inched at top & sealed at bottom
-the two halves of mould are brought together

-parison tube is inflated so that it takes the shape of mould cavity.

-mould is opened & product is removed
-this process is generally automated
- and has very high production rate

ROTATIONAL MOULDING
( this process is similar to centrifugal casting)
-Uses gravity inside a rotating mould to achieve a hollow form
-Also called Roto-moulding
-Generally used for thermoplastic polymers
-Thermosetting & elastomers are also used
-Steps involved :
-Required amount of polymer powder is loaded in the molud
-Mould is heated & simultaneously rotated
-The powder impinges on the internal surface of mould
-A layer of uniform thickness is formed
-The mould is cooled & the plastic solidifies

-Mould is opened & product is removed

Rotational moulding Machine

Rotational Moulding Process

Roto-molded products

EXTRUSION
-It is a compression process, where the material is forced to flow thro a die
orifice to provide long, continuous product whose cross sectional shape is
determined by the shape of orifice

-in this process, the feed stock is pellet or powder

-It is heated, melted & forced to flow thro the die opening by means of rotating
screw conveyor.
The screw conveyor has three sections:

-Feed section: here the feed is moved from the hopper & preheated

-Compression section : here the polymer is transformed into liquid

consistency & compressed
-Metering section : the melt is homogenized & pumped
thro the die opening

Complex shapes with constant cross sections can be extruded

-Wire & cable coating for insulation is an important polymer extrusion
process

-Typical products: plastic rods, pipes, channels, window frames etc.

Extrusion molding

Extrusion moulded products

BLOWN FILM EXTRUSION PROCESS

-it is a widely used process to manufacture thin polyethylene film for
packaging.
-It is a complex process, combining extrusion & blowing to produce a tube of
thin film

-the process begins with extrusion of thin tube

-then immediately drawn upward in molten condition & expanded by air
inflation thro the die
-guide rolls & collapsing rolls are used to restrain the blown tube & to collect
into a windup reel

-the air pressure can be changed to control the width & gage of the film

-the final blown film can be left in tubular form or can be cut as two parallel
thin films

Blown Film Extrusion Process

Blown film extrusion products

THERMOFORMING
-it is a process in which a flat thermoplastic sheet is heated
& deformed into the desired shape
-this process is widely used in packaging of consumer products,
bathtubs, internal lining of refrigerators
Three categories of Thermoforming
1. Vacuum Thermoforming:
-in this process, vacuum is used to draw preheated
sheet into a mould cavity.
2. Pressure Thermoforming :
-in this process, thee sheet is pressurized from above
into the mould cavity.
3. Mechanical Thermoforming:
-in this process, matching positive & negative molds are
brought together against heated sheet & forced
to form the shape.

Thermoformed Products
Thermoforming Process

Vacuum Thermoforming Process:

Process steps:
1.flat plastic sheet is softened by heating
2.It is placed over the concave mould cavity

3.Vacuum draws the sheet into the cavity

4.The plastic hardens on contact with cold mould cavity
5.The product is removed from mould & trimmed

Pressure Thermoforming Process:

-the process is similar to vacuum process
-instead of vacuum, pressure is applied from above the mould

-In this process, top & bottom moulds are used

-pressure is applied from the top mould
-better dimensional control is possible

-costlier than the other two methods

COMPRESSION MOULDING
-It is a process in which the preheated moulding material is placed in a
heated mould cavity & compressed

-This process employs thermosetting resins to make different products

-Large & intricate parts can be moulded

-It is a high volume, high pressure method & suitable for molulding complex,
high strength fibre-glass reinforcements

-widely used for thermosetting plastics

-Used for manufacturing rubber tyres

-Compression moulding process can be either manual,

semiautomatic or fully automatic

Compression molded products

TRANSFER MOULDING
-In this process, thermosetting resin is heated in a separate chamber & then the
softened polymer is forced into a heated mould, where curing occurs.

-Transfer moulding is capable of moulding more irregular shapes that that of

compression moulding
Two types of transfer moulding :

1. Pot Transfer Moulding:

- in this type, the charge is injected from a pot thro a vertical channel into the
cavity

2. Plunger Transfer Moulding:

-in this type, the charge is injected by means of plunger from a heated well,
thro lateral channels into the mould cavity

Transfer Moulding Process

Plunger transfer
Pot transfer

Transfer molded products

Manufacturing process for :

Thermo-plastic plastics

&

Thermo-setting plastics

1.Injection moulding

1.Blown film moulding

2.Blow moulding

2.Compression moulding

3.Rotational moulding

3.Transfer moulding

4.Extrusion moulding
5.Thermoforming

BONDING OF THERMOPLASTICS
-Various methods of bonding :

1. Mechanical fastening: mechanical fasteners like screws, bolts & nuts

-rivets, pins, are commonly used. Simple method of joining.
-not precision. Suitable for lightly loaded parts.
2. Spin welding : one part is held stationary & the other part is rotated
-and forced against the stationary one. Parts are fused together
-by heat generated by friction.
3.Solvent bonding : the thermoplastics are joined by softening them by
-solvents & pressing together.

4.Ultrasonic welding : parts are held together & pulses are transmitted
-by a generator by vibrating tools. Suitable for spot weld.

-Various methods of bonding (continued..)

5.Induction welding : An inert metal is placed in between the parts &

-magnetic field is passed.
-The high frequency (450 KHz) causes
to heat the metal & plastic parts fuse together.

6.Dielectric welding : Used in packaging process. High voltage & frequencies

-produce dielectric heating & fuse the plastic

7.Hot-platen welding : Parts are softened by heated tool & pressed.

-fluorocarbon is used to avoid sticking of tool with parts.
-used for large, irregularly shaped parts.