THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES | MATERIALS
verification of thermal ramp curve, peak tempera- ture in the core at the top, centre, and bottom of the composite, with the cooling curves used to verify actual draping temperature. Once heated, the TPC insert is transferred by
3-axis robot from the IR heating system directly to the injection moulding tool, which is equipped with two locating pins for retention of the insert without initial tool contact and stamping of the blank into the final part geometry during rapid tool closure. The TPC is overmoulded with the KT-880 PEEK material. Moulding took place in a 65-ton hybrid horizontal press from Nissei using a single-cavity mould made from standard P-20 steel tooling, along with a cold sprue, runner, and edge gate. The injection unit operated within conventional injection speeds and pressures. In this study, there is only a 6° C difference between the melt temperature and glass transition temperature of the two materials selected. The higher melting temperature of the IOM compound enables increased surface of the composite to remelt and create interface healing when it is injected over the TPC insert. However, a range of material thermo- plastic material combinations can be considered for use with the TPC IOM concept, says Shoup.
CAD support Allegheny Performance Plastics and Solvay used a CAD program for part creation, with injection moulding simulation performed using Autodesk Moldflow to check the overmoulding for possible effects and to troubleshoot knitline, air trap locations, evaluate gate size and position and verify the part could be filled successfully.
For the overmoulding polymer, the material
properties were already generated for Moldflow. The simulation software was used again to help dial in the final process settings and verify gate freeze time and packing time. After stamping and injection moulding, a selection of parts is analysed. This includes tests that investigate local deformation, stresses, surface appearance, consolidation quality in compressed laminate areas, interface strength, tensile pull and three-point bending test. A pull-off test is in development by the company for both the vertical pull-off and interface shear loading of extracted single rib segments in web and flange areas of the outer straight ribs. Testing different rib areas determines the influence of flow-length, flow renewal of the compound during the injection process and interface healing. A robot X-ray system performs 3D computerised tomography. Its results are used to determine potential porosity in both the injected ribs and the composite reinforcement, and offers evaluation of the interface integrity under the ribs and edge overmoulding. A 3D laser scanner measures the 3D shape of the parts, enabling a correlation with the warpage simulation in Mold- flow and determining the influence of shrinkage of both compound and composite insert.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.engelglobal.com �
www.pureloop.com �
www.aimplas.com �
www.alleghenyperformanceplastics.com �
www.solvay.com
® Medical parts
Cleanroom production on BOY injection moulding machines
Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG • 53577 Neustadt–Fernthal • info@dr-boy
info@dr-boy.de
Space-saving positioned ionization
Integrated packaging
Antistatic coating
Higher ground clearance
possible
www.dr-boy.de www.dr-boy.de
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