The investigation of flow behavior of polymeric melts in the water assisted injection molding

Water assisted injection molding (WAIM) is a pretty new way to fabricate hollow or more complicated parts. Basically, the process of WAIM is similar to gas assisted molding. If it is controlled correctly, WAIM can yield thinner, more uniform part walls. However, to obtain better products, a number of questions, regarding to the material properties and process conditions, need to be fully understood. In this study, the complex flow behavior of melts under the assistance of injected water is conducted by examining the coupling effects of the process conditions and the material properties numerically. Further, the verification is performed experimentally as well.