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
Products

Semi finished products like

Tubes, sheets and films
Can be complicated profiles also

Extrusion

Extrusion Equipment

Extruder
A common component for all methods based on extrusion
Functions

To create a homogeneous melt from plastic

(powder or pellets)
Force the melt through a die under required
pressure

Extrusion

Hopper
Screw

A steady feed to the extruder

Feeding

Conveyance

Fusion

Homogenization

L/D of screw ratio determines the efficiency of extruder

For economical
operation

High rate of
material output

Matching Screw
and Barrel

Extrusion

Barrel

Extruder

Barrel design

Single screw extruder

Conventional
Grooved

Easy transport

Co-rotating
Counter rotating

Compounding
Powdered materials

Twin-screw extruder

Twin-screw extruder allows sensitive materials to be processed

at low residence time and high temperature without degradation
Heating system

Band heating (common)

Fluid circulation system
Heated screws

Extrusion
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 f s ) 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.

Calibrator

Slit distributor die

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.
Takeoff device

To draw the extrudate from the die through the

calibrator and cooling sections, at constant a rate

Extrusion

Final stage

Cutoff & stacking device rigid tubes, sheets & profiles

Winding device films, cables, filaments and flexible tubes

Co-extrusion
Used when
Multi-layer material
is required
Cost reduction by
combining highly
stress resistant outer layer
with economical inner layer

Three layer melt manifold

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: Its 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Blistering (due to insufficient cure or low temperature)

Short molding ( due to gas or air trapping , insufficient charge)
Cracking of the molding upon ejection (due to incorrect tool design)
Poor gloss finish (due to uneven Temperature, insufficient curing time)
Internal void (due to Insufficient cure or gas being trapped)
Oversize moldings (due to tooling error or due to thick flash formation)
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

1. Preheating of the material

2. Type of material

2. Transfer pressure

3. Position of gating

3. Transfer time to fill the part

4. Type of gates

4. Mold temperature

5. Shape and length of

runners
Problems

5. 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 plugassist.

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 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
20-100C above Tg are used.

Most

Thermoforming

Negative molding press

common materials are Polystyrene (PS), AcrylonitrileButadiene-Styrene (ABS), PVC, PMMA and Polycarbonate (PC)