Analysis of injection molding simulation of static mixer within the runner system to improve melt homogeneity, filler distribution, and part quality

Demitri Shotwell, Stefanie Glas, Edward Chen, Lih Sheng Turng

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference Paperpeer-review

Abstract

A helical static mixer was introduced into the runner system of a convex-concave circular disc mold and simulated using Moldex3D. The set-up was tested with two mixers with the same diameter, length, and pitch but different mixer element thickness as well as various polymer resins with different rheological properties. The maximum sprue pressure rose with increasing mixer thickness but stayed within normal machine capabilities. Overall, simulations with the thin mixer exhibited improvements regarding melt homogeneity and part quality for polymers such as polyamide 6 (PA6), polycarbonate (PC), and poly-propylene (PP), while the thick mixer had a neutral or negative effect on the same properties. The fiber analysis showed a decrease in fiber alignment in runs including a mixer. Polymers with more extreme rheological properties, such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), revealed unsatisfactory results.

Original languageEnglish
StatePublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes
Event2021 SPE Annual Technical Conference, ANTEC 2021 - Virtual, Online
Duration: 10 05 202121 05 2021

Conference

Conference2021 SPE Annual Technical Conference, ANTEC 2021
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/05/2121/05/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Society of Plastics Engineers. All rights reserved.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Analysis of injection molding simulation of static mixer within the runner system to improve melt homogeneity, filler distribution, and part quality'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this