FLOW FRONT ANALYSIS OF TIR LENS OF LEDS

WITH INJECTION MOLDING

Chao-Chang A. Chen, Feng-Chi Lee
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology,
Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract

This research is to investigate the TIR (Total
Internal Reflection) lens as secondary optical
element mounted on LED for landscape and indoor
illumination. The TIR lens is like a cone bell with
the ratio of gate thickness to cavity thickness is
about 1: 10. The simulation software, Moldex 3D is
used to simulate the melt front behavior for 3D
filling. Experimental results show that injection
speed, mold temperature and melt temperature
significantly affect the final quality of TIR lens.
Molding parameters are obtained in this research to
improve the optical performance and that can be
applied on LED market in the future.
Keywords: Injection Molding, Secondary Optical
Elements, TIR Lens, LED

Introduction

Injection molding has become widespread used
for mold precision plastic parts such as optical
lenses optical disc, and diffraction gratings since the
dimensional accuracy and stability can be strictly
satisfied for high precision parts [1, 2]. This research
is to investigate the TIR (Total Internal Reflection)
lens that is mounted on LED for landscape and
indoor illumination. Fig. 1 shows the function of
TIR lens and LED. The function of TIR lens is
designed with a totally internal reflecting face to
collimate radiant light from LED. The TIR lens has
quite large volume of mold filling and the ratio of
gate thickness to cavity thickness is about 1: 10.
Fig. 2 shows the part and gate geometry of TIR lens.
The gate dimension, gate type and gate location are
limited. A commercial mold flow software,
Moldex3D R9.0 was used for simulating the melt
front behavior for investigating the fountain flow
effect and roll up phenomenon with compared with
the experimental results.

The fountain flow effect discussed by Rose [3],
as the phenomenon of deceleration and outward
motion of fluid particles when they approach a
slower moving interface. A "reverse fountain flow"
occurs in the retreating fluid. Li [4] presented that
the viscous flow in the filling stage of injection
molding can be described in terms of an one-
dimensional fully developed main flow and a
complex two-dimensional flow near the advancing
front to often termed as the "fountain flow".

In short shot experimental, that melt into the
cavity melt front can be observed with roll up, weld
line and air trap. Therefore, this research is to
investigate the flow front for 3D volumetric filling
with roll up behavior by injection molding and also
provides with a suggestion of controlled parameters.



Fig. 1 Schematic of TIR lens and LED


Fig. 2 Schematic of TIR lens
Experimental set up and methods

The polymer material and injection molding
machine used in this research were optical grade
PMMA (Asahi Delpet 80N) and a full electrical
injection molding machine (FANUC -15ia),
respectively. The mold temperature was controlled
by a water circulation controller and measured by a
thermal couple. The mold of experiment and
injected TIR lens are shows in Fig. 3.

The short shot experiments were controlled by
the melt volume of polymer with screw position of
injection molding machine. Experiment observed the
behavior of the melt font when melt plastic is shot
into the cavity. Additionally, it can also be adjusted
to the multi injection speed stage by short shot
experiments.

When the short shot experiments were
completed, the molding window experiment is
obtained with the injection velocity and mold
temperature in the first stage of molding window
experiment. The second stage of molding window
experiment was proceeded by the injection velocity
and melt temperature. The air trap and weld line
defects were selected to evaluate the molding
window as the melt front into the gate stage.


Fig. 3 Photo of injection mold and TIR lens

Results and discussion

Fig.4. shows the schematic of fountain flow. In
filling stage of injection molding, the skin of the
melt contacted with the cold mold cavity freezes
rapidly, while the central core of melt remains
molten. When additional melt is injected, it flows
into this central core, displacing the melt already
there, which forms a new flow front. The outward
flow contacts the wall, freezes and forms the next
section of skin while the forward flow forms the
new molten core. Therefore, the flow pattern is often
called fountain flow or bubble flow.

Fig. 5 shows the result of short shot
experiments by injection molding. Fig. 6 shows the
schematic of flow effect. Most fountain flow effects
of conventional injection molding were discussed in
2D instead of 3D. In this research, the TIR lens was
molded by a cavity of 3D filling. The resin filling
into the gate are not restrained as the top of resin
was continued filling, but the lower molten contact
with cold cavity wall freeze rapid. With continuous
3D filling and solidification, the melt polymer was
covered by surface tension force and viscosity of
melt polymer effect. It can lead to packing the
solidify layer of lower polymer. Thus the weld line
and air trap are easily formed. After filling, packing
and cooling stages, the weld line is condensed by
pressure effect and most appears on lens surface

In the first experiment, Fig. 7 shows the results
of molding window were performed by changing
injection speed and mold temperature. Mold
temperature increased from 60 to 100 and the
injection speed increased from 1mm/s to 7mm/s
when melt flow was entered from gate location.

In the secondly experiment, Fig. 8 shows the
results of molding window were performed by
changing injection speed and melt temperature. Melt
temperature increased from 240 to 270 and
setting the injection speed increased from 1 mm/s to
6 mm/s when the melt flow was entered from gate
location. The molding window was accepted since
there is no air trap and weld line phenomenon.

Table 1 shows the setting of final parameters of
injection molding by experimental molding window.
The first injection speed was 40 mm/s that filling the
runner system rapidly. The second injection speed
was set 4 mm/s for preventing the roll up
phenomenon of melt front. When a melt front was
stable, the third injection speed was increased from
20 mm/s to 40 mm/s until all of cavity was filled.
Finally, the packing and cooling parameters were set.

Fig. 9 shows the result of short shot by molding
flow analysis software Moldex3D R9.0 and
experiments. The top view of short shot results
shows that are similar from this direction. But there
are some of air trap and weld line phenomenon in
experimental results.


Fig.4 Schematic of fountain flow


Fig. 5 Short shot experiment of roll up phenomenon.


Fig. 6 Schematic of TIR lens of flow effect


Fig. 7 Molding window of TIR lens by injection
speed and mold temperature.


Fig. 8 Molding window of TIR lens by injection
speed and melt temperature.

Fig. 9 Compare with short shot results by Moldex3D
and experiments.

Tab. 1 Final injection molding parameters of TIR lens
Parameters Stage Value Unit
Injection Speed 1 40 mm/s

2 4


3 20


4 40

Packing Pressure/
Packing Time
1 100/7 MPa/s

2 80/4


3 40/2

Cooling Time

30 s

Conclusions

This study has investigated the significant
injection parameters to the TIR lens of 3D filling
and also found the setting of injection parameters
through short shot experiments.
Some conclusions can be drawn as following:
1. Increasing the mold temperature and melt
temperature can reduce defect and solidified
layer.
2. Decreasing the injection speed from gate location
can reduce the weld line and air trap.
3. Using the short shot experiment to adjust the
multi stage, the injection speed needs to control
the gate of injection rate.

Results of this study can be further applied to
develop related injection compression molding of
thick optical elements with 3D filling of multi-
scaled structures.

References

1. Yang, S.Y.; Ke, M.Z. Experimental Study on
the Effects of Adding Compression to Injection
Molding Process, Advances in Polymer
Technology, v 14, n 1, p 15-24, 1995.
2. Yoshii, Masaki; Kuramoto, Hiroki; Kawana,
Takeshi; Kato, Kazunori. The Observation and
Origin of Micro Flow Marks in the Precision
Injection Molding of Polycarbonate, Polymer
Engineering and Science, v 36, n 6, p 819-826,
1996.
3. W. Rose, Fluid-Fluid interface Steady Motion,
Nature, 1961, 191,242.
4. C. S. Li; C. F. Hung; and Y. K. Shen, Computer
Simulation and Analysis of Fountain Flow in
Filling Process of Injection Molding, Journal of
Polymer Research, v1, n2,p 163-173, 1994.

Moldex3D analysis Part (By screw position)

0.47s

11mm

0.67s

15mm

0.76s

17mm

0.87s

19mm

0.98s

21mm