COMPRESSION MOULDING

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 INTRODUCTION
Compression Moulding is a technique principally for thermoset plastic
moulding in which the moulding compound (generally preheated) is
placed in the heated open mould cavity, mould is closed under pressure,
causing the material to flow and completely fill the cavity, pressure being
held until the thermoset material has cured.
In this process a measured quantity of a plastic material is shaped or
formed by heat and pressure. A known weight or volume of the moulding
powder is kept in an open mould cavity. The mould consists of two
halves, a male and a female part, and is normally preheated. Mould halves
are attached to the upper or lower platens of a press. These mould halves
are called the core or plunger and the cavity. Heat is applied either directly
to the mould or indirectly through the platens. A systematic diagram of
Compression Moulding is given in Fig.1.

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 Fig. 1

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 INTRODUCTION
The moulding compound, generally in powder form, is placed in the
mould cavity after which the mould is closed. Heat and pressure is applied
causing the plastic material to soften, flow and fill the cavity completely.
Depending on the characteristics of the plastic material and the design of
the mould, the temperature ranges from 140°C to 250°C & pressure range
from 2000 to 10,000 psi. The mould remains heated and closed until the
plastic material cures and sets.
A moulding pressure of 2000 psi on the total projected area of the part is
generally recommended. To this must be added approximately 800 psi for
every inch of the vertical height of the moulded part, to arrive at total
moulding pressure required.
After the material has cured sufficiently, the mould is opened and the
piece is ejected by knock out pins. The cure time depends on the size and
thickness of the part. This may vary from 20 seconds to 10 minutes. The
cure time cannot be predicted accurately, but must be determined by
experience or by trial.
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 MATERIALS
Thermosetting resins: Phenol formaldehyde, Urea formaldehyde,
Melamine formaldehyde, Polyester, Epoxy.

Special Thermoplastics: Ultra high molecular weight HDPE.

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VARIABLES AND FLOW PROPERTIES
VARIABLES :- FLOW PROPERTIES:-
The following variables to pay There are three independent flow
attention during moulding. properties of concern thermoset
moulding.
1. Flow Characteristics
2. Curing Characteristics 1. The ease of flow (fluidity),
3. Particle Characteristics 2. The total flow that occurs
before the material sets,
(‘grinds’) 3. The time available for
flow
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 PROCESS OPERATION

1. Pelleting (an optional stage) 2. Preheating (also optional);

3. The moulding stage; 4. Finishing operations.

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 PROCESS OPERATION
1. PELLETING:
Pelleting permits accurate measurement of the charge to the mould
reduces contamination and facilitates preheating. It does not,
however, always fit in very well with more automated compression
systems.

2. PREHEATING:
Preheating is useful in that it reduces expensive moulding time,
allows rapid heating of large pellets or masses of powder. Helps to
remove moisture and other volatiles prior to moulding and because
it advances the cure has been claimed to reduce moulding shrinkage.

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 PROCESS OPERATION
3. THE MOULDING STAGE:

The powder material (specified) is placed inside the heated mould

cavity and mould is closed, predefined pressure is continuously
applied on to the moulding.

Since the material will start to cure as soon as it comes into contact
with the heated mould. It is important that flow and shaping be
completed before the gel point is reached ( i.e. the material shows
first signs of being crosshttps://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
linked)
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 PROCESS OPERATION
The optimum cure (i.e. cross-linking) for one property is not
necessarily the best cure for another. It is therefore necessary to
establish what properties are important in the finished moulding and
use cure times and temperatures that give a good compromise to the
various requirements, including that of cost. It is particularly
important that flow and cross-linking process are controlled and are
in the correct sequence. While improvements in the operation can
often be made by such refinement as breathing (venting) they will be
no value if the basic process is not correct.
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 PROCESS OPERATION
4. FINISHING OPERATION:

The part finishing is done depending upon the product comes out
after curing. Sometimes it is observed that additional material is
coming out from the moulding as a flash which can be removed after
curing. To make more attractive some other finishing operations can
be performed on to the finished product.

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 MOULDING SEQUENCE
The moulding sequence in compression moulding is as follows
(Fig. 2) :-

(i) Mould open, Cavity cleaned,

(ii) Pellet loaded, Mould closing,
(iii) Mould closed - Curing stage,
(iv) Mould open, Moulding ejected. Fig. 2

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 MOULDING CYCLE
The compression moulding cycle, in many instances the dwell time
will comprise a larger fraction of the moulding cycle than indicated in
Fig. 3.

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Fig. 3 13
 MACHINERY & EQUIPMENTS
COMPRESSION PRESS

Simplicity is the keynote of the compression moulding press. It

basically consists of two platens that close together, applying heat and
pressure to mould some material into the desired shape. Most
compression presses are hydraulically operated though some are also
operated pneumatically. The platens move up and down on four
corner posts under pressures that typically can range from 20 to 1000
tons, depending upon press size. Platen themselves can range in size
from 8 in. square to 5 ft.square.
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 MACHINERY & EQUIPMENTS
COMPRESSION PRESS

Various degrees of automation are available in most modern hydraulic

presses to feed material and eject the part after cure. Older, simpler systems
had temperature, pressure, dwell and time controls. Today’s modern
equipment has more sophisticated microprocessor controllers.

Presses used for moulding thermoset are available in many different shapes
and design and can be classified as either hand, mechanical or hydraulic
types. Most compression moulding presses are of the upstroke type as
shown in the figure 4.

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 HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
UPSTROKE TYPE:
In this type, a hydraulic ram moves the bed or bolster of the press upward
to close the mould. The strain rods or tie rods hold the upper and lower
parts of the press in accurate alignment. So that the two parts of the
mould do not mismatch. Adjusting collars on the strain rods allow the
daylight opening between platens to be adjusted to the requirements of
the mould. The daylight opening is the maximum distance between upper
and lower p1aten. This opening must be large enough so that the
compression moulding can be removed from the die.

The two parts of the mould are bolted to the upper and lower platens of
the press. These platens have heating channels, which are backed with
asbestos board insulation. During setting-up, the two platens of the press
must be checked for parallelism.

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HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
UPSTROKE TYPE:

The disadvantage of the simple

upstroke type compression
moulding press is that the return is
slow, relying entirely on gravity,
although pressure can be applied
fairly quickly. This limitation can
be sorted out by incorporating a
pushback ram in the machine.

Fig. 4

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 HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
DOWNSTROKE TYPE:

A downstroke press has a fixed lower bolster and

a moving upper bolster (fig.5). The down stroke
machines are better suited to the moulding of
unusually large components, which require a
longer stroke. The downstroke type press,
overcomes the disadvantages of the up stroke
press.

Fig. 5
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HEATING AND COOLING OF MOULDS

Heating is generally done by cartridge type electrical heaters even

though hot oil system can also be used. The mould cooling is done
by circulation of cold water through the channels.

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 TYPES OF MACHINES

Presses used for moulding thermosets are available in many

different shapes and designs and can be classified as either hand,
mechanical or hydraulic type.

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 TYPES OF MOULDS

Compression moulds are usually constructed of case-hardened tool

steel, in order to withstand the high pressures of compression

moulding. There are three basic types of Compression moulds :

1. FLASH TYPE

2. POSITIVE TYPE

3. SEMI POSITIVE – FLASH TYPE

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 FLASH TYPE
The flash type of mould is used to produce a
shallow shape (Fig. 6). With this type of mould.
a slight excess of the moulding powder is
loaded into the mould cavity and, on closing
the top and bottom force. The excess powder is
forced out and 'flash' is formed. This can be
removed quite readily, though it tends to make
the process somewhat wasteful. However the
moulds are relatively cheep and are suitable for
building up into tools containing multi-
impressions. Another advantage is that, while Fig. 6
to some extent it is wasteful as far as raw
materials are concerned, very slight labour
costs are necessary in weighing out the powder.
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 POSITIVE TYPE
The positive type of mould produces a vertical flash in the direction of
moulding pressure (Fig. 7). In this mould, the upper part of the mould (the
force) fits closely into the lower part (the cavity). This type of mould is
also easy to manufacture, but no allowance is made for placing excess
powder in the cavity. Should this occur in error, the mould will not close.
If however, the correct charge added, only a small amount of the flash
results and it can be easily removed. A disadvantage with such a mould is
that the gas liberated during the chemical curing action will be trapped,
thus resulting in blisters. This type of mould is suitable for moulding high
bulk factor material and is used only on a small scale for molding
thermosets.

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 POSITIVE TYPE
It is however, used for moulding laminated plastics and certain rubber
components. Some of the reasons for discarding this type of mould are the
necessity for weighing or measuring an exact charge, excessive wear on
sliding fit surface of the top and bottom forces and difficulty of ejecting
the moulding.

Fig. 7
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 SEMI POSITIVE – FLASH TYPE
The semi-positive flash type of compression
mould combines the features of both the flash and
positive type(Fig. 8). The moulding powder is
forced into a complicated mould, at the same
time, making allowance for excess powder and
flash. This type of mould is expensive to
manufacture and maintain and is therefore used
where long runs are required. With such a mould,
it is also possible both horizontal and vertical Fig. 7
flash. The area of the faces of the mould which
come in contact with each other when the mould
is closed, is generally referred to as the 'land'.
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 ADVANTAGES
• Lowest cost molds
• Little "throw away" material provides advantage on expensive
compounds
• Often better for large parts
• Lower labor costs
• Minimum amount of wasted material & Improved material efficiency
• Internal stress and warping are minimized.
• Dimensional accuracy & stability is excellent.
• Shrinkage is minimized and closely reproducible.
• Thick sections and large parts are practically possible.
• Lower molding pressures allow molding of large parts on presses of
lower tonnage
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 LIMITATIONS
• Offers least product consistency
• Not suitable for fragile mold features, or small holds
• Uneven parting lines present a mold design problem
• High impact composites make flash control & removal difficult.
• The depth of the molded holds is limited to 2 or 3 times their
diameter
• Shot weight must be tightly controlled
• Dimension across the parting line may be difficult to hold but
good accuracy may be obtained through tight process control.
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 APPLICATIONS

Radio & appliance knobs, Ash trays & Electrical parts. (Electrical

switch and fuse boxes), Domestic electrical equipment microwave

containers and tableware. Business machine housings. Gas and

electricity meter housing, Dish aerials etc

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