In‐mold rheology and automated process control for injection molding of recycled polypropylene

Joshua Krantz; Zarek Nieduzak; Juliana Licata; Sarah O'Meara; Peng Gao; Davide Masato

doi:10.1002/pen.26836

journal article Open Access Jun 19, 2024

In‐mold rheology and automated process control for injection molding of recycled polypropylene

Joshua Krantz

Zarek Nieduzak Juliana Licata Sarah O'Meara Peng Gao

Davide Masato

Polymer Engineering & Science Vol. 64 No. 9 pp. 4112-4127 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/pen.26836

Abstract

AbstractManufacturing plastic parts with secondary feedstocks has risen to the forefront of importance in recent years. However, the variation in molecular weight and rheology of secondary feedstock can lead to inconsistent part quality. This work evaluates the effectiveness of a novel closed‐loop adaptive process control system that adjusts nozzle pressure in response to in‐mold pressure data. Five different recycled polypropylene blends, with a broad distribution of flow properties, were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the control system at reducing processing variation. The experimental results show that the process control strategy reduced the variation within the mold, as seen by in‐mold pressure curves and calculated in‐mold viscosity values. Additionally, the parameters that control the automated process adjustments were investigated, showing the importance of optimization. The analysis of the correlation between in‐mold rheology and mechanical properties showed a slight variation in the mechanical properties and parts weight with a coefficient of variation of under 5%. Overall, the results demonstrate the ability of pressure‐controlled molding and automated viscosity adjustment to reduce the variability when molding a secondary feedstock.Highlights
Pressure‐controlled injection molding of recycled polypropylene.
Automated closed‐loop adaptive process control methodology.
Methodology resulted in a reduction in pressure variation during molding.
Changes in mechanical properties and in‐mold viscosity were investigated.
Results show the potential of pressure‐controlled molding at reducing variation.

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Details

Published: Jun 19, 2024
Vol/Issue: 64(9)
Pages: 4112-4127
License: View

Authors

J

Joshua Krantz

Department of Plastics Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA

Z

Zarek Nieduzak

Department of Plastics Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA

J

Juliana Licata

Department of Plastics Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA

S

Sarah O'Meara

Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA

P

Peng Gao

Department of Plastics Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA; Department of Engineering and Design Western Washington University Bellingham Washington USA

D

Davide Masato

Department of Plastics Engineering University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts USA

Funding

U.S. Department of Energy

Cite This Article

Joshua Krantz, Zarek Nieduzak, Juliana Licata, et al. (2024). In‐mold rheology and automated process control for injection molding of recycled polypropylene. Polymer Engineering & Science, 64(9), 4112-4127. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.26836

In‐mold rheology and automated process control for injection molding of recycled polypropylene

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