Effect of Melt and Mold Temperature on Fiber Orientation during Flow in Injection Molding of Reinforced Plastics

Abstract

Abstract Injection molding, a highly productive manufacturing process, is one of the most versatile production methods in plastic manufacturing industry. It is capable of producing intricate net shapes without requiring finishing treatment and with good dimensional accuracy. In injection molding of reinforced thermoplastics the properties of the final product highly depend on the state of fiber orientation. Tailoring the fiber orientation in the final product, in order to control the properties, is the basic motivation of this study. Among different parameters, which could affect the orientation patterns, this study is concerned on analyzing the effects of mold and melt temperature on the state of fiber orientation during flow. In contrast to the melt temperature, which has a limited range for variation, mold temperature provides wide range of possible input at different locations such that by revealing its effect it could become one of the most attractive parameters in controlling the properties of injection molded fiber reinforced thermoplastic products.