Figure Outline of forming and shaping processes for plastics, elastomers, and composite

materials. (TP = Thermoplastics; TS = Thermoset; E = Elastomer.)

 Almost unlimited variety of part geometries
 Plastic molding is a net shape process
 Further shaping is not needed
 Less energy is required than for metals due
to much lower processing temperatures
 Handling of product is simplified during
production because of lower temperatures
 Painting or plating is usually not required
1. Thermoplastics
 Chemical structure remains unchanged during
heating and shaping
 More important commercially, comprising more than
70% of total plastics tonnage
2. Thermosets
 Undergo a curing process during heating and
shaping, causing a permanent change (cross‑linking)
in molecular structure
 Once cured, they cannot be remelted
 Compression process in which material is forced
to flow through a die orifice to provide long
continuous product whose cross‑sectional shape
is determined by the shape of the orifice
 Widely used for thermoplastics and elastomers to
mass produce items such as tubing, pipes, hose,
structural shapes, sheet and film, continuous
filaments, and coated electrical wire
 Carried out as a continuous process; extrudate is
then cut into desired lengths
Figure : Components and features of a (single‑screw) extruder for plastics
and elastomers
1. Barrel
2. Screw
 Die - not an extruder component
 Special tool that must be fabricated for
particular profile to be produced
 Regular shapes such as
 Rounds
 Squares
 Irregular cross sections such as
 Structural shapes
 Door and window moldings
 Automobile trim
 House siding
Figure 12.8 (a) Side view cross‑section of an extrusion die for solid regular
shapes, such as round stock; (b) front view of die, with profile of
extrudate. Die swell is evident in both views.
 Examples: tubes, pipes, hoses, and other
cross‑sections containing holes
 Hollow profiles require mandrel to form the
shape
 Mandrel held in place using a spider
 Polymer melt flows around legs supporting the
mandrel to reunite into a monolithic tube wall
 Mandrel often includes an air channel through
which air is blown to maintain hollow form of
extrudate during hardening
Figure : Side view cross‑section of extrusion die for shaping hollow cross‑sections such as tubes and
pipes; Section A‑A is a front view cross‑section showing how the mandrel is held in place; Section
B‑B shows the tubular cross‑section just prior to exiting the die; die swell causes an enlargement of
the diameter.
 Polymer melt is applied to bare wire as it is
pulled at high speed through a die
 A slight vacuum is drawn between wire and polymer
to promote adhesion of coating
 Wire provides rigidity during cooling - usually
aided by passing coated wire through a water
trough ‫ض‬
( ‫)حو‬
 Product is wound onto large spools at speeds
up to 50 m/s (10,000 ft/min)
Figure : Side view cross‑section of die for coating of electrical wire by extrusion.
Polymer is heated to a highly plastic state and
forced to flow under high pressure into a mold
cavity where it solidifies and the molding is then
removed from cavity
 Produces discrete components almost always
to net shape
 Typical cycle time 10 to 30 sec, but cycles of
one minute or more are not uncommon
 Mold may contain multiple cavities, so multiple
moldings are produced each cycle
 Complex and intricate shapes are possible
 Shape limitations:
 Capability to fabricate a mold whose cavity is the
same geometry as part
 Shape must allow for part removal from mold
 Part size from  50 g (2 oz) up to  25 kg (more
than 50 lb), e.g., automobile bumpers
 Injection molding is economical only for large
production quantities due to high cost of mold
 Injection molding is the most widely used
molding process for thermoplastics
 Some thermosets and elastomers are injection
molded
 Modifications in equipment and operating
parameters must be made to avoid premature
cross‑linking of these materials before injection
Two principal components:
1. Injection unit
 Melts and delivers polymer melt
 Operates much like an extruder
2. Clamping unit
 Opens and closes mold each injection cycle
 Injection Molding Machine

Figure A large (3000 ton capacity) injection molding machine

(Photo courtesy of Cincinnati Milacron).
 Injection Molding Machine

Figure Diagram of an injection molding machine, reciprocating screw type

(some mechanical details are simplified).
Consists of barrel fed from one end by a hopper containing supply
of plastic pellets
 Inside the barrel is a screw which:

1. Rotates for mixing and heating polymer

2. Acts as a ram (i.e., plunger) to inject molten plastic into
mold
▪ Non‑return valve near tip of screw prevents melt
flowing backward along screw threads
▪ Later in molding cycle ram retracts to its former
position
 Functions:
1. Holds two halves of mold in proper alignment
with each other
2. Keeps mold closed during injection by applying a
clamping force sufficient to resist injection force
3. Opens and closes mold at the appropriate times
in molding cycle
Injection Molding Cycle

Figure Typical molding cycle: (1) mold is closed

Injection Molding Cycle

Figure : Typical molding cycle: (2) melt is injected into cavity.

Injection Molding Cycle

Figure: Typical molding cycle: (3) screw is retracted.

 Injection Molding Cycle

Figure: Typical molding cycle: (4) mold opens and part is ejected.
 Injection molding machines differ in both
injection unit and clamping unit
 Name of injection molding machine is based
on the type of injection unit used
 Reciprocating-screw injection molding machine
 Plunger-type injection molding machine
 Several clamping designs
 Mechanical (toggle)
 Hydraulic
Figure Illustration of mold features for injection molding. (a) Two-plate mold with important
features identified. (b) Four parts showing details and the volume of material involved. Source:
Courtesy of Tooling Molds West. Inc.
Figure The rotational molding (rotomolding or rotocasting) process. Trash cans, buckets, and
plastic footballs can be made by this process.
 A widely used molding process for
thermosetting plastics
 Also used for rubber tires and polymer matrix
composite parts
 Molding compound available in several
forms: powders or pellets, liquid, or preform
 Amount of charge must be precisely
controlled to obtain repeatable consistency
in the molded product
 Compression Molding

Figure Compression molding for thermosetting plastics: (1) charge is loaded,

(2) and (3) charge is compressed and cured, and (4) part is ejected and
removed.
 Simpler than injection molds
 No sprue and runner system in a compression
mold
 Process itself generally limited to simpler part
geometries due to lower flow capabilities of
TS materials
 Mold must be heated, usually by electric
resistance, steam, or hot oil circulation
 Molding materials:
 Phenolics, melamine, urea‑formaldehyde,
epoxies, urethanes, and elastomers
 Typical compression-molded products:
 Electric plugs, sockets, and housings; pot handles,
and dinnerware plates
Molding process in which air pressure is used to
inflate soft plastic into a mold cavity
 Important for making one‑piece hollow
plastic parts with thin walls, such as bottles
 Because these items are used for consumer
beverages in mass markets, production is
typically organized for very high quantities
 Accomplished in two steps:
1. Fabrication of a starting tube, called a parison
2. Inflation of the tube to desired final shape
 Forming the parison is accomplished by
either
 Extrusion or
 Injection molding
 Extrusion Blow Molding

Figure Extrusion blow molding: (1) extrusion of parison; (2) parison is pinched at the top and sealed at
the bottom around a metal blow pin as the two halves of the mold come together; (3) the tube is inflated
so that it takes the shape of the mold cavity; and (4) mold is opened to remove the solidified part.
 Injection Blow Molding

Figure Injection blow molding: (1) parison is injected molded around a blowing rod; (2) injection mold is
opened and parison is transferred to a blow mold; (3) soft polymer is inflated to conform to the blow
mold; and (4) blow mold is opened and blown product is removed.
Variation of injection blow molding in which
blowing rod stretches the soft parison for a more
favorable stressing of polymer than conventional
blow molding
 Resulting structure is more rigid, more
transparent, and more impact resistant
 Most widely used material is polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) which has very low
permeability and is strengthened by stretch blow
molding
 Combination of properties makes it ideal as container
for carbonated beverages
Stretch Blow Molding

Figure Stretch blow molding: (1) injection molding of parison;

(2) stretching; and (3) blowing.
Vacuum Thermoforming

Figure 12.35
Vacuum
thermoforming:
(1) a flat plastic
sheet is softened
by heating
 Vacuum Thermoforming

Figure Vacuum thermoforming: (2) the softened sheet is placed over a concave
mold cavity
Vacuum Thermoforming

Figure: Vacuum thermoforming: (3) a vacuum draws the sheet into the cavity
Vacuum Thermoforming

Figure: plastic hardens on contact with the cold mold surface, and the
part is removed and subsequently trimmed from the web.