Development of an Injection Mold with High Energy Efficiency of Vulcanization for Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding of the Fisheye Optical Lens

Kuo, Chil-Chyuan; Tasi, Qing-Zhou; Hunag, Song-Hua; Tseng, Shih‐Feng

doi:10.3390/polym15132869

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…A notable advantage, however, is that the WCC’s molds or dies exhibit no cooling water leakage during plastic injection molding when utilizing a one-process fabrication approach with rapid tooling technology [ 38 , 39 ]. This study utilized silicone rubber [ 40 ] to produce the injection molds with a WCC and CCC [ 41 ]. Additionally, conventional molded steel [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ] can be employed to create injection molds with WCC or CCC through metal additive manufacturing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Kuo,

Lin,

et al. 2024

Polymers

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A conformal cooling channel (CCC) follows the mold core or cavity profile to carry out uniform cooling in the cooling stage. However, the significant pressure drop along the cooling channels is a distinct disadvantage of the CCC. In this study, an innovative waterfall cooling channel (WCC) was proposed and implemented. The WCC cools the injected products via surface contact, replacing the conventional line contact to cool the injected products. The WCC was optimized using numerical simulation software. Silicone rubber molds with two kinds of cooling channels were designed and implemented. The cooling time of the molded part was evaluated using a low-pressure wax injection molding machine. The experimental results of the cooling time of the molded part were compared with the simulation results from numerical simulation software. The results showed that the optimal mesh element count was about 1,550,000 with a mesh size of 1 mm. The simulation software predicted the filling time of the water cup injection-molded product to be approximately 2.008 s. The cooling efficiency for a silicone rubber mold with a WCC is better than that of the silicone rubber mold with a CCC since the core and cavity cooling efficiency is close to 50%. The pressure drop of the WCC is smaller than that of the CCC, which reduces the pressure drop by about 56%. Taking a water cup with a mouth diameter of 70 mm, a height of 60 mm, and a thickness of 2 mm as an example, the experimental results confirmed that the use of the WCC can save the cooling time of the product by about 265 s compared with the CCC. This shows how a WCC can increase cooling efficiency by approximately 17.47%.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Kuo,

Lin,

et al. 2024

Polymers

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“…This is possible because traditionally immediate-need TDVs are manufactured using computer numerical control (CNC) machines, which increase production and maintenance costs for this section that represents manufacturing preparation for a part/sub-part [25]. TDVs used in production that are currently suitable for additive manufacturing are represented by the following categories: templates for layout/marking [26,27], positioning/assembly devices [28,29], moulds for vacuum forming [30,31], moulds for injection moulding of plastics or vulcanisation of rubber [32][33][34], presses for bending thin sheets [35][36][37], and moulds for making composite parts [38][39][40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manufacturing Process of Helicopter Tail Rotor Blades from Composite Materials Using 3D-Printed Moulds

Torpan,

Zaharia

2024

Applied Sciences

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Conventional processes require a mould for the manufacture of each test product, which often results in high costs but is ideal for large series of products. In contrast, for prototypes, additive manufacturing processes are a suitable low-cost time-saving alternative. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the capabilities of 3D-printed tooling in a real-life scenario for composite blades with low production numbers and prototypes in order to allow development and production costs to decrease and to also reduce lead times in the early phases of new projects. The 3D printing process is economically advantageous in terms of production costs for the composite blade mould, reducing the cost three times compared to the conventional manufacturing process. To obtain the composite helicopter blade, the following phases were carried out: the starting design of the mould, 3D printing and assembly of the mould sections, and blade manufacturing. The economic analysis of the two mould manufacturing methods shows an approximately equal ratio between the manufacturing costs of the 3D-printed mould and the manufacturing costs of the blade, whereas in the conventional processes, the costs for mould manufacturing represent 75% of the total cost and the rest (25%) of the cost is spent on blade manufacturing.

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“…Computerized simulation has proven to be an indispensable tool for evaluating CCCs [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. This tool enables mold designers to assess and demonstrate the advantages of adopting this injection mold design type over traditional molds with conventional cooling channels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the field of injection mold simulation, there is an abundance of literature and research focused on the integration of conformal channels. This effort leverages a range of commercial software solutions, including but not limited to Moldex3D ® , Moldflow ® , and Solidworks ® Plastic [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. These platforms are purpose-built to simulate the complete injection process holistically, including its myriad variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these analyses focused on parts with high geometric complexity or features that make conventional channel cooling inefficient. This includes parts with considerable depth and curved contours, as well as those whose dimensions or shape make them more susceptible to deformation during injection and demolding [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]. The current study evaluates all the parameters usually examined in this type of analysis, unlike prior studies which focused on only a few parameters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the Cooling Efficiency of Polymer Injection Molds by Computer Simulation Using Conformal Channels

Vargas-Isaza,

Benitez-Lozano,

Rodriguez

2023

Polymers

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Injection molds are production tools that require detailed analysis based on the quality of the resulting part, the impact on cycle times, and the expected production volume. Cooling channels also play a critical role in mold performance and product quality as they largely determine cycle time. Designs that incorporate conformal cooling channel (CCC) geometries that conform to or align with the part contour are currently being explored as an alternative to conventional cooling channel designs in injection molds. In this study, a simulation of CCC geometries was performed and their effects on mold temperatures and warpage were investigated. Two cross-sectional geometries, circular and square, were selected for a three-factor level design of experiments (DOE) analysis. The response variables used were mold temperatures and part warpage. A cup-shaped part with upper and lower diameters of 54 and 48 mm, respectively, a height of 23 mm and a thickness of 3 mm was used for the injection molded part. A comparison was also made between two materials for the injection mold, steel and polycarbonate. The DOE results showed that the distance between the CCC and the injected part and the diameter or side of the square have significant effects on the response variables for both systems (steel and polycarbonate molds). In addition, a comparison between conventional and conformal cooling channels was analyzed using a cup-shaped part and a less rigid part geometry. The finite element simulation results show a 9.26% reduction in final warpage in the cup-shaped part using CCCs compared with the conventional cooling methods in steel. When using parts with lower geometry stiffness, the use of CCCs reduced final part warpage by 32.4% in metal molds and by 59.8% in polymer molds.

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Development of an Injection Mold with High Energy Efficiency of Vulcanization for Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding of the Fisheye Optical Lens

Cited by 7 publications

References 37 publications

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Manufacturing Process of Helicopter Tail Rotor Blades from Composite Materials Using 3D-Printed Moulds

Evaluating the Cooling Efficiency of Polymer Injection Molds by Computer Simulation Using Conformal Channels

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