Method for Effective Color Change in Extrusion Blow Molding Accumulator Heads

J. S. Hsu, D. Reber, Cincinnati Milacron, 4165 Halfacre Road, Batavia, OH 45103, USA

ABSTRACT
The design of accumulator blow molding heads to promote quick and effective color and material change is examined. Quick color and material change is essential for processors, particularly custom blow molders, to reduce the non-productive machine time and scrap materials generated. The design approach uses basic flow characteristics dealing with temperature-viscosity relationships of the flow channel profiles and conditions of the flow surfaces in the head. Test and photographic data are used to support the findings.

BACKGROUND
The problem of color change in the large part blow-mold process often relates to streaking on parisons. These streaks tend to fade away slowly. Accumulator heads with better color change features may take a few hours. Streaking could sometimes last over 24 hours for some less streamlined designs, to change from dark to the opposite end of the color spectrum (e.g., black to white). The larger the head, the longer it takes. For custom molders who change color on a regular basis, this becomes a costly issue. Besides losing valuable productive machine time and labor, it can also generate from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds of scrap which needs to be handled, ground-up and re-processed. In today's highly competitive market-place, fast color change for large part industrial blow molders is the extra edge one cannot afford to overlook.

SOURCES OF PROBLEM
Before improvements can be made, sources of the streaking problem have to be identified and located. Streaking initiates from somewhere along the melt flow-channels inside die heads

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and/or manifolds. They are the bleed-off from pockets of residual or stagnant material located behind the slow moving areas or corners. Pockets may also be found around the melt distribution (spreading) sections. This is due to unbalanced flow when processing near the limits or outside the designed operating range for a long period of time ( e.g., on large industrial blow mold machines, using less than ~1/3 of shot capacity, molding heavy-wall small parts, with long cycle time, etc.)

ANALYSIS
Flow channel sections, melt and flow characteristics of a given material, and melt and flow characteristics between materials, all have an influence on how well a color/material change is performed. FLOW CHANNEL SECTIONS In an accumulator head, there are many different shapes, sizes and configurations of flow-channel sections connected to one another, either in series or in parallel. At the same time, melt is being split, shaped, turned, directed, bent, distributed, re-knitted, and finally, is collected inside a large diameter. Pressure is the only prime mover that forces the stream of melt through all these passages. As it flows from section to section, changes in channel shape and size causes melt velocity to speed up or slow down. When velocity increases, flow is directed and guided; when velocity decreases, flow wanders and loses direction. Typically at bends or turning corners, pockets of stagnant material fills the voids outside the main melt stream. MELT AND FLOW CHARACTERISTICS Melt viscosity dominates the way the melt flows, and yet it can be influenced by many other factors and flow conditions. Resin and grade (density, MW, MWD, M.I., etc.) are of course the main factors that determine melt viscosity. Colors and additives, melt temperatures, flow rates, channel sizes, and melt

Figure 1. The interacting relationship between melt and flow characteristics.

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pressures all have influences. The interactive relationships of the above variables are illustrated in Figure 1. A very important assumption is that channel flow Figure 2. Power Law index, [n] of generic polymers. surfaces and melt temperatures are the same. For well designed heads, flow surface temperatures are somewhat uniform. But often there are sections at heads and manifolds, located at mechanical joints or hard to heat areas, that have exposed bare metal surfaces which lead to heat loss. Once surface temperatures start to drop, the melt slows down. If the surface temperature drops below the melting point, the melt freezes. Either situation is a source of color change problems. MATERIAL CHANGE CHARACTERISTICS For material changes, problems are similar. One added factor is there is a slight difference in their velocity profiles, as shown in Figure 3, which illustrates profiles for commonly used resins. They all have the highest velocity at the channel center, and next to zero velocity for the layer next to the wall. It holds true for irregular cross sections, except their centers are harder to define. Velocity profiles vary according to the resin's Power Law Index, [n], (see Figure 2). ABS and acrylics, whose [n]=0.25, have flattened profiles resembling plug flow, [n]=0. Polyamide 6.6, whose [n]=0.75, has a more rounded profile similar to Newtonian flow, [n]=1. In the past, polystyrene [n]=0.30 and LDPE [n]=0.35, were used to purge out color compounds from extruder and die heads. This worked because, while not a true plug flow, they were close enough to drag more of the previous material off the flow path wall. The following test is an attempt to simulate more plug-like flow during color/material change, by cooling the melt, then heating

Figure 3. Velocity profile of Power Law fluids (well-developed laminar, isothermal flow inside a round tube.)

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the channel flow surfaces. The melt will have better cohesion and will release from the channel wall.

EQUIPMENT AND TESTING

Desired result Equipment Extruder Accumulator heads Resin Mold Colors [1] Control test Test procedure To alter the velocity profile by controlling surface temperature, resulting in faster color change. 120 mm, 28:1 L/D; grooved feed throat with 250 HP drive Dual 25# accumulator heads (Rear head shut-off ) HMW HDPE; 5 HLMI 22 Gal. Trash can mold [single cavity] Black to clear (natural) Run machine with black master batch for a minimum of 500 lbs. 2 Shut off hopper; run screw and head until empty 3 Lower barrel & head temperature settings to 250oF for 12 hours (min.) 4 Return temperature back to normal settings and soak for 3 hrs (approx.) 5 Load clear material; start color change Approximate 6 hours 1

Time - color change

[2] Test with modifications Manifold and head Add insulation to cover top, sides and ends of manifold; also the infeed section of the accumulator heads. Test Procedure 1) through 3) Same as above. (improve color change) 4) Set barrel zones 10oF below normal operating temp. and all manifold and head zones to max. processing temp. recommended by resin supplier. Soak for 2 to 3 hours. 5) Same as above. Time - color change hours - ( after soak for 2 hrs ) 2 hours - ( after soak for 3 hrs. ) Result Time to change color actually did improve.

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CONCLUSIONS
1) Die heads are designed based on assumptions made in areas of unknown and/or unpredictable conditions. With the numbers of variables involved and the way they react under influences by one another, design accuracy just cannot be achieved for all resins and all processing conditions. This creates conditions for unbalanced and unstreamlined flow. In attempting to streamline flow channels as much as possible, priorities have to be set when it comes to choices and compromises. Most important of course is the head functionality, the economics, etc. 2) Melt flow characteristics inside irregularly-shaped channels are complex. It is difficult to accurately analyze or predict them due to some of the melt and flow variables that are inter-related, as illustrated in Figure 1. When designing, flow is assumed to be laminar and isothermal. In reality, neither is true; instability or melt fracture can occur in highly restricted areas or at high flow rates. Heat is transferred to and from flow surfaces according to the temperature gradients. It is being generated by melt shearing forces or from the die head heaters. 3) In order to compensate for lack of streamlined melt flow, faster color change can be achieved by controlling channel surface temperature. When surface temperature is maintained slightly higher than melt temperature, it creates a thin layer of lower viscosity film which lubricates instead of slowing down the melt stream. That reduces the chances of stagnant pockets being formed. To accomplish this, a) Place controllable and adequate heat sources at proper locations of the die heads and manifolds, b) Cover and insulate any large areas of exposed bare metal surfaces around die heads and manifolds. This is to prevent the heat loss through free convection, and to improve response time when heat is required. It also prevents the surface temperature of any localized area inside the flow channels to fall below the temperature of melt or worse yet, below melting point. In either case, melt next to these areas will slow down, stick, or freeze onto those surfaces. When changing color, they will be the sources of streaking. This added design feature cannot solve all color change problems for large industrial blow molding accumulator heads, but tests so far have shown good improvements on time consumed. Implementation of this is simple and relatively inexpensive, and easy to operate and control. It is worthwhile for molders who change color often to look into this different approach; time and material savings should result.