The accurate and precise measurement of process stream temperatures during injection molding can be difficult, since the cyclic operation results in spatial and temporal variations of the stream temperature. This paper examines the application of a spectral infrared (IR) pyrometer to monitor the cooling of a polymer melt within the mold cavity during a typical injection molding cycle. An outline for interpreting the radiation signal collected with the IR pyrometer is presented. The discussion includes theoretical aspects as well as experimental results. The theoretical approach accounts for the polymer transparency (attenuation behavior) at the spectral wavelength of the pyrometer and also for the temperature gradient within the polymer, thereby establishing the concept of a critical depth for a given pyrometer/polymer combination. The final analysis reveals good agreement between the predicted and measured results for the transient cooling conditions of the polymer within the mold cavity. Depending on the degrees of polymer transparency used in the theoretical prediction, the deviation between the measured and predicted transient bulk temperatures after mold filling (during the mold cooling stage) varies from ±2°K to ±9°K.
Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) are one of the most powerful and widely used metrological instruments in the manufacturing industry. There is virtually no workpiece whose dimensions cannot be measured with a properly equipped CMM system [1-6]. This National Science Foundation funded project (NSF-ILI: DUE-9851082) is to enhance two existing CMMs in the Metrology laboratory at Kettering University by acquiring two motorized probe heads, an automatic probe exchange system, a stylus changing probe and rack system, a laser digitizing system, and PC-DMIS CMM inspection software. The enhanced CMM systems allow for integration of modern, automated, and CAD-directed coordinate metrology as well as state-ofthe-art laser digitizing technology into Manufacturing Engineering laboratories and curriculum at Kettering University. The project impacts students enrolled in the freshman course, MFGE-101 Manufacturing Processes and upper level courses such as Numerically Controlled (NC) Systems, Polymer Processing, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Systems.
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