The effect of processing on the properties of three transfer moulding grades of perfluoroalkoxy was investigated. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest exposure to high shear rates and residence time at processing temperature detrimentally affect the polymer, however there is a lack of information published in this area. This work set out to provide a better understanding of the material behaviour under various processing conditions. A bespoke capillary rheometer was used to determine flow characteristics at various temperatures between 5-400s-1. The materials were found to be shear thinning, with the virgin grades exhibiting Newtonian behaviour at low shear rates. The viscosity of the carbon black filled PFA was found to have a higher viscosity than the virgin materials, despite it having a higher Melt Flow Rate. Spectroscopy was found to be unsuitable for investigation of polymer containing carbon black due to laser heating. However changes due to residence time at processing temperature in the virgin material could be detected using statistical analysis of Near Infrared spectra. Whether the mechanical properties of the virgin material changed following exposure to high shear rates or residence time varied on manufacturer, with Dyneon 6502TZ appearing to be more process stable than Chemours 350TJ. This information can be used to optimise the transfer moulding process, and assist in meeting the requirements of the Chemical Processing Industry for larger and more complex lined piping components. / Innovate UK and CRP Ltd

No

Yes / The clinical application of composites seeks to exploit the mechanical and chemical properties of materials which make up the composite, and in researching polymer composites for biomedical applications the aim is usually to enhance the bioactivity of the polymer, while maintaining the mechanical properties. To that end, in this study medical grade Poly(L-lactic) acid (PLLA) has been reinforced with short phosphate-based glass fibers (PGF). The materials were initially mixed by melting PLLA granules with the short fibers, before being extruded to form a homogenous filament, which was pelletized and used as feedstock for compression moulding. As made the composite materials had a bending strength of 51 MPa ± 5, and over the course of eight weeks in PBS the average strength of the composite material was in the range 20–50 MPa. Human mesenchymal stromal cells were cultured on the surfaces of scaffolds, and the metabolic activity, alkaline phosphatase production and mineralization monitored over a three week period. The short fiber filler made no significant difference to cell proliferation or differentiation, but had a clear and immediate osteoinductive effect, promoting mineralization by cells at the material surface. It is concluded that the PLLA/PGF composite material offers a material with both the mechanical and biological properties for potential application to bone implants and fixation, particularly where an osteoinductive effect would be valuable. / funded in part by the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing (EP/L01534X/1), the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacture in Medical Devices (EP/K029592/1), and Glass Technology Services Ltd., Sheffield, UK.

Plastic injection moulding machines are a positive example of the possibilities in terms of performance and energy efficiency of modern hydraulic drives technology. In addition to the performance and energy efficiency of the machines, the quality of the plastic mouldings and an easy to use machines control is the focus. To ensure a constant plastics part quality the set process parameters of the injection moulding machines are kept constant by appropriate closed loop control strategies today. Assuming a constant quality of the processed plastic raw material, this strategy is effective. If it comes to a qualitative variation in the processed plastics, which often leads to a change in viscosity of the plastics melt, keeping processing parameters constant will not lead to a constant quality of the moulded parts. The deviations in the plastics viscosity have such a great influence on the moulding process that the relevant process parameters have to be adjusted manually in many cases. Often the stroke of the reciprocating screw system has to be adapted to reach a constant filling volume of the cavity and therefore avoid burr formation or short shots. In this paper an approach for adaptive process control is introduced. This control loop is able to correct the set points of specific machines parameters online within the production cycle and therefore is able to avoid changes in the produced parts quality.

This diploma thesis deals with a study on production process management for a selected component of the joint-stock company ZDAS. This component is cast piece. The first section is paying attention to the production process of a cast piece, starting from the offer, offer processing, proposal of manufacturing process, production of a cast piece inclusive of testing and, according to customer´s requirement, rough machining, where the last phase of order is a transport of product to customer. Another section is focusing on the productional subdivision of the moulding shop, where the moulding shop inputs and outputs, the mould making are described as well as evaluation of the plan fulfilment of castings production in the monitored periond. The closing section contains proposals that should lead to the improvement of production, conditions of their implementation and potential contributions.

Yes / Ultrasound injection molding has emerged as an alternative production route for the manufacturing of micro-scale polymeric components, where it offers significant benefits over the conventional micro-injection molding process. In this work, the effects of ultrasound melting on the mechanical and morphological properties of micro-polypropylene parts were characterized. The ultrasound injection molding process was experimentally compared to the conventional micro-injection molding process using a novel mold, which allows mounting on both machines and visualization of the melt flow for both molding processes. Direct measurements of the flow front speed and temperature distributions were performed using both conventional and thermal high-speed imaging techniques. The manufacturing of micro-tensile specimens allowed the comparison of the mechanical properties of the parts obtained with the different processes. The results indicated that the ultrasound injection molding process could be an efficient alternative to the conventional process.

Yes / An idealised model of core-out in water assisted injection moulding (WAIM) is set up to isolate the effect of cooling by the water on the deposited layer thickness. Based on simulations, this is investigated for a specific case as a function of Pearson number and power law index. It is found that cooling significantly reduces the layer thickness to the extent that a change in the flow regime ahead of the bubble, from bypass to recirculating flow, is possible. For shear thinning melts with high temperature coefficient of viscosity, the simulations show very low layer thickness, which may indicate unfavourable conditions for WAIM. Although in the real moulding situation, other effects will be superimposed on those found here, the results provide new insights into the fundamentals of WAIM. Investigation of other effects characterised by Fourier and Reynolds numbers will be reported subsequently. Some early process measurement results from an experimental WAIM mould are presented. Reductions in residual wall thickness are observed as the water injection set pressure is increased and the duration of water bubble penetration through the melt is determined experimentally. The formation of voids within the residual wall is noted and observed to reduce in severity with increasing water injection pressure. The presence of such voids can be detected by the signature from an infrared temperatures sensor.

Published Article / South Africa is constantly loosing contracts for the manufacturing of innovative projects to the East, due to its non-competitive mould-making industry. The paper will report on progress made in a specific focus area in mould-making, namely Hybrid Moulds for injection moulding. Hybrid Moulds refers to a hybrid between Additive Fabrication and conventional methods through the use of amongst others, Direct Metal Laser Sintering techniques, combined with conventional CNC machining (High Speed) techniques. Although the emphasis is on an economically viable process for limited production runs, once the moulds have been developed, it normally is pushed to its limits to realize production quantities. One of the competitive edges is the cutting of lead-times, which obviously impacts on production costs. Another aspect is the ability to manufacture short runs of injection moulded parts in the required engineering material Realising that Laser Sintering of metals is an expensive manufacturing process, a concurrent manufacturing process was developed. Intricate mould details, which normally are time-consuming to manufacture through EDM processes, were grown as inserts, while the less-complex parts of the mould is machined in Aluminium through 3 and 5 Axis High Speed CNC Machining. Using a 3-axis CNC wire cutter, pockets will be created where the more complex Laser Sintered Metal inserts will be fitted. One of the competitive edges is the cutting of lead-times, which obviously impacts on production costs. Another aspect is the ability to manufacture short runs of injection moulded parts in the required engineering material.

Published Article / Metal injection moulding (MIM) offers advantages for mass production of components over conventional production methods for parts with complex shapes and large production runs. The MIM process includes mixing a fine metallic powder with a polymeric binder to produce a homogeneous feedstock. This enables the production of metallic components in a similar manner to plastic injection moulding. After undergoing a process of binder removal the components undergo a conventional sintering cycle. As significant shrinkage occurs (as much as 30%) this must be considered when designing the die cavity. This paper describes the design and manufacture of a die to produce tensile specimens. Extensive injection moulding trials to produce acceptable tensile components were undertaken. The complexities and possible implications of the design of a mould on the process are discussed. The outcomes of this research will be used by the CSIR for further development and application of the MIM technology for manufacture of high value components, such as dental implants.

Natural fibre composites (NFCs), which are polymers reinforced with cellulosic bast fibres, have the potential to be applied into a range of building products. They are seen as an alternative to glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) in some applications, because of natural fibres (NF) relatively high strength and low density. Moreover, natural fibres have a set of beneficial traits, such as thermal insulation, thermal stability, biodegradability, and are inherently renewable. Those characteristics are of importance when NF are used as reinforcements in polymer composites, but developments in mechanical performance, reliability and economic viability are still required in order to be adopted fully by industry. The goal of this thesis was the development of a processing methodology for NFC laminate and subsequent material characterisation to assess the developed material suitability for building applications. Research objectives included materials selection, processing route development for laminates and tubes, manufacture of NFC laminates and analysis of mechanical properties in order to find an optimal composition. Hemp and flax fibres were selected as the reinforcement, because both have high mechanical properties and are important bast fibre crops in the European region with established cultivation and processing methods. As a matrix, fossil-fuel based and partially bio-derived thermoset resin systems were used. Handling and processing methodologies were developed for laminates and composite tubes based on filament winding and compression moulding techniques. The effects of the selected factors, namely material composition, volume fraction, processing parameters, reinforcement linear density, yarn twist, lamination sequence, yarn waviness and hybrid hemp-wool reinforcement were subsequently described in mechanical properties analysis of laminates. The influence of weathering conditions on the mechanical performance of the NFCs was examined. Furthermore, a study of NFC tubes under compression was performed. Results showed that the developed laminates reinforced with NF yarns have sufficient mechanical properties to be utilised in sandwich panels and/or tubes. However, a low resistance to moisture-related weathering restricts the developed NFCs for indoor applications.