Improving Process Efficiency – 1st Stage Injection

This is the first in a series of posts I will make on easy ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Reducing the 1st Stage Injection time is one of the easiest ways to reduce both the cycle time and energy required to inject the polymer.

Regarding Energy: Increasing the rate of injection will increase the shear applied to the polymer. As with all polymers, as the shear rate increases the polymer viscosity is reduced due to shear thinning. This reduction in viscosity causes the overall amount of energy required to fill the mold cavity.
Regarding Cycle Time: Decreasing the time required to fill the mold will cause the polymer within the mold to begin cooling faster. This will reduce the overall amount of cooling time necessary to prepare the part for ejection.
-Andy

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