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Plastic Products
Plastics can be shaped into a wide variety of
products:
 Molded parts
 Extruded sections
 Films
 Sheets
 Insulation coatings on electrical wires
 Fibers for textiles

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Trends in Polymer Processing
Applications of plastics have increased at a much faster
rate than either metals or ceramics during the last 50
years
 Many parts previously made of metals are now being made of
plastics
 Plastic containers have been largely substituted for glass bottles
and jars
Total volume of polymers (plastics and rubbers) now
exceeds that of metals

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 Plastic Shaping Processes are
Important
 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
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 Two Types of Plastics
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 re melted
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Two Types of Plastics

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 Polymer Melts
To shape a thermoplastic polymer it must be heated
so that it softens to the consistency of a liquid

In this form, it is called a polymer melt

Important properties of polymer melts:

 Viscosity
 Viscoelasticity

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 Viscosity of Polymer Melts
Due to its high molecular weight, a polymer melt is a thick fluid
with high viscosity.

Most polymer shaping processes involve flow through small

channels or die openings.
 Flow rates are often large, leading to high shear rates and
shear stresses, so significant pressures are required to
accomplish the processes.

“Viscosity is a property of liquids,

showing that liquid's resistance to
flow. A liquid with a high viscosity
would mean it flowed slowly. A liquid Ketchup, a highly viscoelastic fluid
with a low viscosity would mean it (like the polymer melt)
flows rather quickly.”
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Viscosity and Temperature
Viscosity decreases with temperature, thus the
fluid becomes thinner at higher temperatures

Temperature Viscosity

Figure 13.2 Viscosity as a function of temperature for selected

polymers at a shear rate of 103 s-1.
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 Viscoelasticity
Combination of viscosity and elasticity.

Possessed by both polymer solids and polymer melts.

Examples: Shampoo, hand cream, mayonnaise,
toothpaste, yoghurt.

Temperature, time and shear rate are important and

affect the properties of viscoelastic materials (here the
polymer melts).
Example: die swell in extrusion, in which the hot plastic
expands when exiting the die opening.
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 Extrusion
 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; then cut
into desired lengths.
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 Extruder
Figure 2 Components and features of a (single-screw)
extruder for plastics and elastomers.

Feedstock is Polymer is Melt is

moved from transformed homogenized
hopper and into fluid, air and sufficient
preheated. mixed is pressure
extracted, and developed to
material is pump it
compressed. through die
opening. 14
Two Main Components of an
Extruder
• Barrel
• Screw

Die - not an extruder component

Special tool that must be fabricated for
particular profile to be produced.

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 Extruder Barrel
 Internal diameter typically ranges from 25 to 150 mm (1.0
to 6.0 in.)
 L/D ratios usually between 10 and 30: higher ratios for
thermoplastics, lower ratios for elastomers
 Feedstock fed by gravity onto screw whose rotation moves
material through barrel.
 Electric heaters melt feedstock; subsequent mixing and
mechanical working adds heat which maintains the melt

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 Extruder Screw
Divided into sections to serve
several functions:

 Feed section - feedstock is

moved from hopper and
preheated.
 Compression section - polymer
is transformed into fluid, air
mixed with pellets is extracted
from melt, and material is
compressed.
Figure 3 Details of an extruder screw
inside the barrel.  Metering section - melt is
Pressure is largely determined by dc. homogenized and sufficient
pressure developed to pump it
through die opening.
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 Die End of Extruder
Progress of polymer melt through barrel leads ultimately to the die
zone.
Before reaching die, the melt passes through a screen pack - series of
wire meshes supported by a stiff plate containing small axial holes
Functions of screen pack:
 Filter out contaminants and hard lumps

 Build pressure in metering section

 Straighten flow of polymer melt and remove its "memory" of

circular motion from screw

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 Die Configurations and Extruded Products
The shape of the die orifice determines the
cross-sectional shape of the extrudate
Common die profiles and corresponding extruded shapes:
 Solid profiles
 Hollow profiles, such as tubes
 Wire and cable coating
 Sheet and film
 Filaments

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 Extrusion of Solid Profiles
Regular shapes such as
 Rounds
 Squares
Irregular cross sections such as
 Structural shapes
 Door and window moldings
 Automobile trim
 House siding

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 Blow Extrusion
Blow extrusion, in which molten extrudate is forced past a tubing
mandrel, expanded into a balloon shape by a stream of air, drawn
upward by rollers, and pinched into a collapsed sheet to be cut into a
number of products.

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 Wire and Cable Coating
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

Product is wound onto large spools at speeds up to 50 m/s

(10,000 ft/min)

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 Injection Molding
 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.

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 Injection Molded Parts
 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
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 Polymers for Injection Molding
 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.

Parts manufactured by
injection molding
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 Injection Molding Cycle

Figure 13.22 Typical molding cycle: (1) mold is closed. (2) melt is injected into cavity.
(3) screw is retracted. (4) mold opens and part is ejected.

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 Injection Unit of Molding Machine
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

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 Clamping Unit of Molding Machine
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.

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 Injection Molding Machines
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
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 Shrinkage
Reduction in linear size during cooling from molding to
room temperature.
Polymers have high thermal expansion coefficients, so significant
shrinkage occurs during solidification and cooling in mold.

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 Shrinkage Factors
Shrinkage decreases if the following quantities increase:

 Fillers in the plastic tend to reduce shrinkage

 Injection pressure – higher pressures force more material

into mold cavity to reduce shrinkage

 Compaction time - similar effect – longer time forces more

material into cavity to reduce shrinkage

 Molding temperature - higher temperatures lower polymer

melt viscosity, allowing more material to be packed into
mold to reduce shrinkage
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 Blow Molding
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
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Materials and Products in Blow Molding
Blow molding is limited to thermoplastics
Materials: high density polyethylene, polypropylene (PP),
polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate
(PET)

Products: disposable containers for

beverages and other liquid
consumer goods, large shipping
drums (55 gallon) for liquids and
powders, large storage tanks (2000
gallon), gasoline tanks, toys, and
hulls for sail boards and small
boats
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Blow Molding Process

Accomplished in two steps:

1. Fabrication of a starting
tube, called a parison
2. Inflation of the tube to
desired final shape
parison

Forming the parison is accomplished

by either
 Extrusion or
 Injection molding
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 Extrusion Blow Molding

Figure 13.30
Extrusion blow
molding

(1) extrusion of (2) parison is (3) the tube (4) mold is

parison pinched at the top is inflated so opened to
and sealed at the that it takes remove
bottom around a the shape of the
metal blow pin as the mold solidified
the two halves of cavity part
the mold come
together 43
Extrusion Blow Molding

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 Injection Blow Molding
Figure 13.32 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.

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Injection Blow Molding

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 Stretch Blow Molding
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 47
 Stretch Blow Molding

Figure 13.33 Stretch blow molding: (1) injection

molding of parison; (2) stretching; and (3) blowing.

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Stretch Blow Molding

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Compression Molding
A method of molding in which
the molding material,
generally preheated, is first
placed in an open, heated
mold cavity typically is
around 200 degree Celsius.

The mold is closed with a top

force or plug member,
pressure is applied to force
the material into contact
with all mold areas, and heat
and pressure are maintained
until the molding material
has cured.

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 Compression Molding
• A widely used molding process for thermosetting
plastics.e.g epoxies, phenolics , polyurethanes .

• Also used for making rubber tires or boots.

• Molding compound available in several forms:

powders , pellets, or liquid.

• There is a flash formed which subsequently

removed by trimming.

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 Compression Molding

Compression molding (1) charge is loaded;(2) and (3) charge is

compressed and cured

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 Compression Molding
Advantages
There are a number of advantages of compression
molding. These are:

1. Molds are simpler

2. Require low maintenance
3. Less scrap
4. Low residual stresses in the molded part

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 Transfer Molding
 Transfer molding consists of melting the
thermosetting plastic resin in a separate chamber and
then injecting it into heated closed mold.

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 Transfer Molding

(1)Charge is loaded into pot, (2) softened polymer is pressed into mold
cavity and cured, and (3) part is ejected
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 Transfer Molding
Process Capabilities
• Typical parts made by transfer molding are:

1. Electrical connector.
2. Electronic components.

Notes : The molds tend to be more expensive than those for

compresion molding.

Suitable for intricate shapes with varying thickness.

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Plastics Forming
 Thermoforming
 Cold Forming and Solid Phase Forming.

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 Thermoforming
 Thermoforming is a process for forming thermoplastic sheet or films
over a mold by means of application of heat and force.

 Heating is usually accomplished by radiant electric heaters, located on

one or both sides of the starting plastic sheet at a distance of roughly
125 mm.

 Forced application is in term of air pressure or vacuum pressure.

 The sheets used in thermoforming process usually are made by sheet

extrusion and are available as a coiled strip.

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 Thermoforming
 The methods by which the forming step is accomplished can be
classified into two basic categories.
1. Vacuum thermoforming
2. Pressure thermoforming

 Vacuum thermoforming – The earliest method (developed in 1950s) ,

in which negative pressure is used to draw a preheated sheet into a
mold cavity .
 Pressure thermoforming – An alternative to vacuum forming
involves positive pressure to force the heated plastic into the mold
cavity.
The process sequence is similar to vacuum thermoforming but the
different is the sheet is pressurized from above into the mold cavity.

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 Thermoforming

VACUUM THERMOFORMING (1) A FLAT PLASTIC SHEET IS SOFTED BY HEATING; (2) THE SOFTED
SHEET IS PLACED OVER A CONCAVE MOLD CAVITY; (3) A VACUUM DRAWS THE SHEET INTO THE
CAVITY AND (4) THE PLASTIC HARDENS ON CONTACT WITH THE COLD MOLD SURFACE, AND THE
PART IS REMOVED AND SUBSEQUENTLY TRIMMED FORM THE WEB. 60
 Thermoforming

Pressure thermoforming. The sequence is similar to vacuum thermoforming, the difference

being (2) sheet is placed over a mold cavity (3) positive pressure forces the sheet into the cavity

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Thermoforming Products

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 Cold Forming
 Cold forming process is carried out at room
temperature.
 Plastics such as polypropylene (PP), polycarbanate
(PC) and ABS are easily cold formed as they are
sufficient ductile at room temperature.
 Process that have been used in the cold working
metals such as rolling,forging, coining and deep
drawing also can be used to form thermoplastics.

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 Solid-Phase Forming
 This forming process is carried out at temperature of
10 or 20 degree celcius below the melting temperature
of the plastic.

 The forming operation takes place while the polymer is

still in a solid state.

 These two processes(cold & solid-phase forming) are

not used as widely as hot processing methods and
generally are restricted to special application.
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Rotational Molding
In this process, a thin walled metal mold is
made in two pieces and is designed to be
rotated about two perpendicular axes.

A pre-measured quantity of powdered plastic

(thermoplastic or thermosetting) material
is placed inside the warm mold.

The mold is heated usually in a large oven

and is rotated continuously about the two
principal axes.

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Rotational Molding

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Rotational Molding Products

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 Foam Molding
 Products such as styroform cups, food container are
made by foam Molding.
 The raw material used is polystyrene beads.

 A common method of foam molding is to use pre-

expanded polystyrene beads in which the beads are
expended partially by steam in an open-top chamber.
 The beads then are placed in a storage bin and allow
to stabilize for a period of 3 to 12 hours.
 Then they can be molded into desired shapes .

 Blowing agent used is pentane.

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Foam Molding

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 Casting
 Some thermoplastics (such as nylons and acrylics) and
thermosetting plastics (epoxies, phenolics, polyurethanes
and polyester) can be cast into variety of shapes.

 In the basic conventional casting of thermoplastic, a

mixture of monomer,catalyst, and various additives is
heated to above its melting point and poured into the
mold.

 Potting and encapsulation is a part of plastic casting that is

important to electronics industry.

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 Casting
 Potting and encapsulation involve casting the plastic
material (typically a liquid resin e.g expoxy) around an
electrical components such as transformer to embed it in
the plastic.

 Potting is carried out in housing or case, which becomes

an integral part of the component and fixes it in position.

 In Encapsulation, the component is coated with a layer of

the plastic,surrounding it completely and then solidfying.

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Casting

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 Potting
In electronics, potting is a process
of filling a complete electronic
assembly with a solid compound
for resistance to shock and
vibration, and for exclusion of
moisture and corrosive agents.
Thermosetting plastics are often
used.
A small transformer potted in
epoxy. The surface visible on the
right is formed by the potting
compound that has been poured
into the plastic box.
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 Encapsulation
Automotive engine temperature sensor encapsulated
with ZYTEL® glass-reinforced PA66.

Warner Electric’s self-supporting clutch coil for automotive

air conditioners encapsulated in ZYTEL® 70G33 L. 74
Interchangeable mould permits use of the same tool Solenoid from Amisco (Cinisello Balsamo, Italy)
to encapsulate coils terminated with either leads
or connectors. encapsulated with ZYTEL® 74G20 .
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SUMMARY

Process Characteristics
Extrusion Continuous, uniformly solid or hollow, and complex cross section; high
production rates; relatives low tooling costs; wide tolerance.

Complex shapes of various sizes; thin walls; very high production rates;
Injection molding costly tooling; good dimensional accuracy.

Large parts with high stiffness-to –weight ratio; less expensive tooling than
Foam molding injection moulding; low production rate.

Blow molding Hollow, thin-walled parts and bottles of various sizes; high production
rates; relatively low tooling costs.

Large, hollow items of relatively simple shape; relatively low tooling costs;
Rotational molding relatively low production rate.
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Thermoforming Shallow or relatively deep cavities; low tooling costs; medium production
rates. 75
Process Characteristics

Compression molding Part similar to impression ; expensive tooling; medium

production rate.

Transfer molding More complex parts than compression moulding; higher

production rates;

Casting Simple or intricate shapes made and inexpensive process;

widely used in electrical and electronic industry.

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