Unit 3: Plastic Processing: 1. State The General Properties of Plastics
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Sagar DhageUnit 3: Plastic Processing: 1. State The General Properties of Plastics
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Sagar Dhage- Properties of Plastics
- Molding Processes
- Extrusion and Die Swell
- Injection Molding
Common questions
Powered by AIBlow molding uses air pressure to inflate soft plastic into a mold cavity, critical for making hollow parts like bottles . In extrusion blow molding, a parison is extruded, pinched, and sealed before being inflated in a mold . Injection blow molding, however, forms the parison around a rod through injection molding before transferring it to a blow mold for inflation . Extrusion blow molding is complemented by its ability to handle larger parts and is more economically efficient for high production volumes, whereas injection blow molding provides higher precision and detail for smaller and complex shapes, suitable for smaller bottles with strict dimensional tolerances.
Compression molding involves placing a preheated polymer into an open, heated mold cavity, closing the mold, and applying pressure to fill the mold space . Advantages include low-to-zero residual stress and low tooling costs, making it economical for large parts, although cycle times are slower and trimming may be required . Injection molding, on the other hand, involves heating a polymer to a plastic state and injecting it into a closed mold cavity, where it solidifies . Advantages include production of discrete, nearly net-shaped components with faster cycle times, though it may involve higher costs and the requirement for complex molds . Each technique provides specific benefits, with compression molding being cost-efficient for large but less complex parts and injection molding offering speed and precision for complex, high-volume production.
The screen pack and breaker plate serve several essential functions at the die end of an extruder: they filter out contaminants and hard lumps from the polymer melt, build pressure in the metering section, and straighten the melt flow to remove its 'memory' of the helical motion from the screw . These components are critical as they ensure the purity, consistent pressure, and uniform flow of the melt, leading to higher-quality extrudates with minimized defects. Smooth, uniform flow is particularly important for achieving precise dimensional accuracy and consistent visual properties in the final product.
Vacuum thermoforming involves heating a plastic sheet, placing it over a mold cavity, and using a vacuum to draw the sheet into the mold where it hardens upon contact . Pressure thermoforming, in contrast, not only vacuums out the air between the plastic sheet and the mold but also applies additional air pressure above the sheet to press it against the mold . The use of positive pressure in pressure thermoforming allows for greater detail in the formed shape and can be useful for more complex or finely detailed parts, while vacuum thermoforming is efficient for simpler shapes.
Plastic pipe manufacturing via extrusion involves forcing the polymer melt through a die with the necessary cross-section. A mandrel, held in place using a spider, helps form the shape of the pipe by ensuring material flows around the mandrel legs to reunite into a tube . The mandrel often includes an air channel where air is blown into the extrudate, maintaining its hollow form during cooling and hardening . This setup ensures that the pipe maintains its hollow cylindrical shape by providing internal support and balancing the flow around the obstruction created by the mandrel.
In an injection molding machine, the injection unit is responsible for melting and delivering the polymer melt, functioning much like an extruder, while the clamping unit opens and closes the mold each cycle . The injection unit comprises a hopper feeding plastic pellets into a barrel with a rotating screw that mixes, heats, and then injects the melt into the mold . The clamping unit ensures the mold halves remain aligned, withstands the force of injection, and facilitates the opening and closing operations during the cycle . Together, these units enable efficient mixing, melting, and precise molding operations, ensuring accurate and high-quality production.
Plastics have several notable properties making them advantageous over metals and ceramics: they possess low density, good strength-to-weight ratios for some polymers, high corrosion resistance, and low electrical and thermal conductivity. They can also be molded into intricate shapes without further processing, cost-competitive on a volumetric basis, and generally require less energy to produce than metals, with some plastics being transparent and competitive with glass . However, polymers have limitations such as lower strength, low modulus of elasticity, limited service temperatures, viscoelastic properties, and degradation from sunlight and radiation . These properties make plastics ideal for applications where weight, corrosion resistance, and intricate shapes are critical, but less suited for high-load and high-temperature applications where metals might be preferred.
Plastic's properties, such as being lightweight, having good strength-to-weight ratios, and being able to be molded into complex shapes without additional processing, make them highly compatible with net shape processing . This capability reduces material waste and machining time, contributing to cost-effectiveness in manufacturing. The lower energy requirements for processing plastics compared to metals also reduce costs, and their high corrosion resistance prolongs product life without the need for protective coatings . Consequently, plastics offer a cost-effective alternative in applications where their limitations do not impede performance, such as in the automotive and consumer goods industries.
Die swell in extrusion refers to the phenomenon where extruded polymer material expands after exiting the die orifice due to its 'memory' of the larger cross-sectional area within the extruder . This behavior can lead to inaccuracies in the final product dimensions, necessitating corrective measures to achieve desired tolerances and shapes. Manufacturers often have to adjust process parameters like temperature, extrusion speed, and material formulation to mitigate die swell and ensure the dimensional accuracy of the extrudate, maintaining product quality and specifications.
The calendering process is advantageous for producing thin sheets of materials such as rubber or rubbery thermoplastics like plasticized PVC, achieving good surface finish and high gage accuracy . It is widely used in producing products such as PVC floor coverings, shower curtains, vinyl tablecloths, pool liners, and inflatable boats and toys . The process's high production rates and excellent control over material thickness and surface smoothness make it particularly useful for these applications, where aesthetics and material consistency are critical.
