Mould temperature control during injection moulding process

Abstract

Mould temperature is one of the most important parameter in injection moulding process of thermoplastic polymers in particular semi crystalline polymers. There are a lots of methods of control mould temperature but it is not simple and easy to measure heat transfer precisely. Injection moulds have usually a large mass and this is equal also to large heat capacity of tools and its thermal inertia. Measuring temperature by using contact equipment causes a lot of mistakes, because that method is based on heat transfer between thermocouple and measured area of mould. Result of research of 3 different method of temperature control of mould surface were present in the publication. For this purpose a special experimental mould was made. Mould has eight independent cooling circuits which were connected to the thermo controller Wittmann with two circuits. The main aim of research was to determine the effect of normal process of injection moulding on temperature changing in different area of mould. Under the cavity 4 thermocouple were placed and connect to the recorder what gave a possibility of uploading data during injection process. For that research mould temperature was change in many different layouts. Data and sequences of changes in temperature collected during tests gave very interesting result for discussion. Furthermore use of differences in temperature profile of the mould causes different temperature profile recorded during injection moulding. Tests were made by using fallowing equipment: Krauss Maffei injection moulding machine KM65-C4 and thermo controller Wittmann TPplus2, Shini Rotameter, infrared camera TESTO-890 and thermocouple signal recorder with 4 thermocouples of diameter 1mm located in injection mould 3mm under cavity surface. Draft of experimental mould and thermocouple location were presented in the article, and results of research as a drafts and charts of temperature changing in different area of mould were included.