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POLYMER PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

UNIT IV

Suverna Trivedi
What is Polymer Processing???

It is a manufacturing activity of converting Raw material into finished product of


desirable shape, micro-structure and properties.

Processing techniques
Raw Material Final product of
desired shape.

Examples: Cylindrical rod, hollow tube, rectangular sheet, etc.


Application: Jacketing of wire
Differences in Processing Techniques

Molding Molding is the process of manufacturing by shaping


liquid or pliable raw material using a rigid frame
called a mold or matrix.

Extrusion Extrusion is a process by which we can obtained


product of desired shape using different shapes of
die.
Calendaring Calendaring is a widely used manufacturing process
that involves a set of usually four correlating
heated calendars (rolls) for the production of thin
plastic sheets and films.
Thermoforming Thermoforming is a plastic molding technique that
results in a variety of highly usable products
Simple Extrusion Process
Types of Extrusion

Hydrostatic
Forward Extrusion
Extrusion
(Direct)

Backward Extrusion Impact Extrusion


(Indirect)
Forward:
Material flow in the
direction of RAM.

Backward:
Material flow in opposite
direction of RAM.
Difference between Forward and Backward extrusion
processes

Property Forward Extrusion Backward Extrusion


Handling Easy Difficult
Force More (Due to friction) Less
Design & Manufacturing Easy Difficult (Ram with die)
Brittle Increases brittleness Brittleness remains same
Hydrostatic Extrusion

 Similar to forward extrusion but it can solve the problem of forward extrusion.

 No direct contact between chamber and wok-piece.

 Force is applied to the hydrostatic fluid due to this force work piece move forward.
Impact Extrusion

 Impact load is applied on material.

 When impact is applied, work piece will flow on the clearance between punch
and container.

 It will take the shape of clearance.


Process Parameter

 Melting temperature of Plastic.

 Speed of screw

 Extrusion pressure required

 Size of die used

 Cooling medium
Defects of Extrusion process

Bamboo Defects Pipe Defects

 Final shape of component will  Scaling on side wall of work


be non-uniform. piece creates the air bubble in
 Non-uniform velocity of Ram final product.
Plastic molding
Plastic molding

 Plastic can be moulded into various forms and hardened for commercial use.
 Insertion of molten liquid plastic into shaped mold.
 Examples: Jars, Protective caps, Plastic tubes, Grips, Toys, Bottles, Kitchen utensils, etc.
 The keyboard and the mouse that you use are made through plastic moulding. Even the
plastic parts of the chair that you are sitting on are created this way.
 Some other examples:
 Garden pots
 Cabinet
 Office trays & boxes
 Barriers
 Barricades
Selection of plastic molding process

 Your budget

 Your expertise

 Your resources
Types of molding process

 Injection Moulding
 Blow Moulding
 Compression Moulding
 Film Insertion Moulding
 Gas Assist Moulding
 Rotational Moulding
 Structural Foam Moulding
Injection Molding

 It is one of the most commonly used processing method of the plastic


components.

 It is used to process thin walled plastic parts for a variety of shapes and
sizes.

 The process is suitable for both thermoplastic and thermosetting based


short fibre reinforced composites.

Plastic material melted Product cooled here and


in heating chamber Mold finished part is ejected.
 An automatic process,
 Fast process
 Commercialized process
The complete injection molding process is divided into four stages:
Clamping

Injection

Cooling

Ejection
Reaction injection molding
Merits of Injection Molding

 All types of polymers (thermosetting resin and thermoplastics) can be processed


with injection molding process.
 Fibers tend to become aligned during injection into mold cavity as they pass the
nozzle, this characteristic can used in the composite part design to optimize
directional properties.
 In reaction injection molding, no heat energy is required and mold cost is also
low.
 Structural reaction molding is suitable for producing structural parts in high
volume at low cost. Small to large complex geometries of composite parts can be
produced with this technique.
Limitations

 Mainly suitable for chopped fibre reinforcement.


 The initial capital investment is high.
 Due to high shearing action into the barrel and nozzle, extensive damage to the fibers
may take place.
 Due to high cooling cost and operation cost, it is not preferred for small production
run.
 Polymer burning may take place onto the cylinder walls and then peeling into the melt
which appears as black spots onto the surface of composite part.
 If a little moisture is present in the fibber or polymer, it will appear in the form of
bubble onto the finished part.
 High fiber reinforcement can not be achieved in this process.
THERMOFORMING
INTRODUCTION

 Thermoforming is a plastic manufacturing process in which the thermoplastic


sheets are formed with the application of heat and pressure in a mold.

 The sheet is heated up to predetermined temperature using a heating element


called heater.

 The thermostat is used to maintain the temperature of the heater. When the
temperature becomes substantially high in the mold, the temperature is controlled
by adjusting the heater and providing the cooling air.
Types of Thermoforming

Vacuum forming Match Die


forming

Pressure forming
Vacuum forming

Heating ------Heater
Forming-------Application of Vacuum
Cooling
Pressure forming
Heating ------Heater
Forming-------Application of high pressure
Cooling
Match Die forming

Heating ------Heater
Forming-------Application of punch
Cooling
Parameters that are considered during the thermoforming process:

 Heating temperature
 Heating time
 Vacuum pressure
 High pressure
 Mechanical pressure,
 Cooling time and
 Ejection mechanism.
Materials Used

The different types of thermoplastic materials which can be processed


using thermoforming process are:
 Acrylic (PMMA),
 Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),
 Cellulose acetate,
 Low density polyethylene (LDPE),
 High density polyethylene (HDPE),
 Polypropylene (PP),
 Polystyrene (PS),
 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Application

 Food packaging,
 Automotive parts,
 Trays,
 Building products and aircraft windscreens.

 Thick gauge parts are used as cosmetic surfaces on permanent structures such
as. medical equipment, material handling equipment, electrical and
electronic equipment, spas and shower enclosures, vehicle door and dash
panels, refrigerator liners, utility vehicle beds, and plastic pallets

 Thin gauge parts are primarily used to package or contain a food item,
disposable cups, containers, lids, blisters and clamshells.
Advantages

 Extremely adaptive to design requirement

 Low initial setup costs

 Low production costs

 Less thermal stresses than injection molding and compression


molding

 Good dimensional stability


Demerits

 Poor surface finish

 Parts may have non-uniform wall thickness.

 All parts need to be trimmed.

 Limited number of materials can be used

 Very thick plastic sheets can’t be formed


Calendaring
 The term ‘calendar’ is derived from Greek word ‘Kylindros’, it means ‘to press
between rollers or plates in order to make smooth, glassy and glazed into thin sheets.

 Production of continuous thin sheet by squeezing molten polymer between


counter-rotating rolls.

 Application: Floor tiles; Coated fabrics and Covering for car interiors.
Types of calenders

I type L type Z type

Stack arrangement
 (Each pair of rollers at right
Stack arrangement Vertical Mirror (for rigid vinyl) angles to the next pair in the
chain)
 They loses less heat.
Advantages/Merits:

The best quality plastic sheets produced.

This is a very good job with polymers that are sensitive to heat
because it causes very little thermal decomposition.

It is good when mixed polymers that contain a large quantity of solid
additives that do not receive mixed or flux in very well.

Save money on Raw materials.


Disadvantages/Demerits:

 Installation requires a huge investment.

 If the thickness is less than 0.006 inches, it has a tendency to pores and
voids appear in the sheets.

 If the thickness is greater than approximately 0.06 inches, although there is


a risk of trapping air in the worksheet.

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