Evaluation of plastic injection molding for PA6/ABS/CaCO3 nanocomposites using Taguchi method and Moldflow simulation approach

Abstract

Nowadays, nanocomposites are widely used in the industry. Polymer nanocomposites are widely used in the automotive industry because they have very favorable properties. These properties, including mechanical, electrical, and thermal characteristics, change depending on the combination of materials used in composite synthesis. In this paper, the injection molding of an automobile part called a control arm protector is investigated. Since warpage and shrinkage are general and important challenges in injection molded parts, Taguchi test design and Autodesk Moldflow® simulation approach are used to find the best injection condition for the mentioned part. To perform this, PA6/ABS polymer composite combined with nano CaCO3 is used. Three main injection molding process parameters, including melt temperature, mold temperature, and injection pressure, as well as nano CaCO3 amount, are evaluated. Moreover, analysis of the gate location is investigated. In the following, an analysis of variance is conducted to identify the significant parameters. Regression correlations were also established. Finally, optimization of the process is carried out by the desirability method.