Experiment No.

01
Objective:
• To study the working of a vertical injection molding machine
• To examine the effects of process variables (cooling rate, clamping pressure and
injection pressure) on dog bone structure weight, dimensions, and machine output.
Abstract:
Injection molding machine molds can be fastened in either a horizontal or vertical position. The
majority of machines are horizontally oriented, but vertical machines are used in some niche
applications such as insert molding, allowing the machine to take advantage of gravity. Some
vertical machines also do not require the mold to be fastened. Examine dog bone shape at
different cooling rates, Injection Pressure and clamping pressure.
Equipment:
Vertical Injection moulding machine, Vernier calliper, Cutting tools, Scrapper, Weight balance.

Figure 1

Materials:
HDPE, LDPE and PP. Report material type, grade, and manufacturer.
Safety Aspects:
Use heat resistant gloves when working close to the vertical injection moulding machine. Safety
glasses are also provided.

Procedure:
• Turn on the power supply button.
• Set the temperature of the barrel at 140-180°C (depending upon polymer) and allow the
preheating of the barrel. Allow almost half an hour for the temperature to be uniform
throughout the barrel. Insert the material (HDPE, LDPE, PP) in the hopper.
• Turn on the switch by which the hydraulic ram will push the material into the barrel. Wait
for some time so that the material gets heated and the solid bed of pellets is transformed
into a uniform polymer melt pool.
• Turn the button for clamping unit towards right and the clamping unit will be moved
upward at the set pressures.
• Turn on the button for the injection unit which will cause the injection unit to be moved
downward at the set pressures. The material will then pass through the nozzle and enter
into the mold.
• Leave the material in the mold for 10-30 seconds for it to cool down. Remove the sample
at different cooling rates and observe the dog bone structure weight, dimensions, and
machine output.

Observations and Calculations:

 Figure 2

Varying Injection Pressure:

Sr. Injection Pressure Clamping Cooling rate Thickness Weight
no. (kg/cm2) Pressure (s) (mm) (g)
(kg/cm2)
1 40 35 10 3.66 4
2 45 35 10 3.51 4
3 50 35 10 3.63 4

Injection pressure vs Thickness

3.64 3.63

3.62 3.61
Thickness (mm)

3.6
3.58
3.56
thickness
3.54
3.52 3.51

3.5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Injection pressure(kg/cm2)

Conclusion: By increasing injection pressure shrinkage reduced in an irregular manner, as

thickness is increasing.
2.Varying Clamping Pressure:

Figure 3

Sr. Injection Pressure Clamping Cooling rate Thickness Weight

no. (kg/cm2) Pressure (s) (mm) (g)
(kg/cm2)
1 40 25 20 3.61 4
2 40 30 20 3.68 4
3 40 35 20 3.60 4

Clamp pressure vs Thickness

3.69 3.68
3.68
3.67
Thickness (mm)

3.66
3.65
3.64
3.63
thickness
3.62 3.61
3.61 3.6
3.6
3.59
0 10 20 30 40
Clamp Presure(kg/cm2)
Conclusion: Increase in clamping pressure will increase the shrinkage by reducing thickness in
non-uniform manner.
3.Varying Cooling Rate:

Figure 4

Sr. Injection Pressure Clamping Cooling rate Thickness Weight

no. (kg/cm2) Pressure (s) (mm) (g)
(kg/cm2)
1 40 35 10 3.46 4
2 40 35 20 3.62 4
3 40 35 30 3.49 4

Cooling Rate vs Thickness

3.65 3.62
Thickness(mm)

3.6

3.55
3.49 Series1
3.5
3.46
3.45
0 10 20 30 40
Cooling Rate(kg/cm2)
Conclusion: increase in cooling rate decrease the thickness of specimen in un-continuous
manner. Hence, shrinkage increased by increasing cooling.
Discussion:
Literature review of the equipment and procedure was not available so it also not available here.
Some errors are found in the readings due to time shortage and inexperience working.
Furthermore, our results are comprehensible with omission of some errors. Conclusions are
attached above. Cooling rate and clamping pressure are directly relating to shrinkage while
injection pressure relates inversely to shrinkage.
Applications:
Injection molding is a manufacturing process commonly used for:
 Automotive body parts.
 Cell phone casings.
 Water bottle and containers.
 Fabricating items from plastic trinkets.
 Toys manufacturing.

Questionnaire:
2: Rheology of the material depends upon the appropriate cooling. Better cooling will lead to the
crystallinity and our specimen is semi-crystalline.
3: Different cooling rates can change the phases and the crystal morphologies. There are four
different morphologies: faceted shape, fine stripe, fine stripe dendrite, and flocculent dendrite. The
size of the crystals depends on amount of nucleation and the cooling rate from the melt, i.e. fast
cooling from the melt leads to create numerous, smaller spherulites, this lead to improve the
mechanical properties.
4: When barrel is heated before the production the main purpose of that heating is that polymeric
material doesn’t degrade in continuous heating. And when barrel is already heated then polymeric
material will melt easily. Conductive heating has a number of effects on processing. Small screws
turning slowly use less drive power per pound of output than do larger screws because conductive
heating plays a larger role.
5:

Materials Moulding Degradation Polarity Degree Of

Temperature (K) Difference Crystallization
(K)
PP 305-339 693 Non-polar 10-80%
 LDPE 293-368 783 Non-polar (at 70-80%
low density)
HDPE 293-343 623 Non-polar (at 40-55%
low density)

6:
a. High injection pressures create internal stresses in the molded part. In plunger type
machine there is usually excessive pressure loss. On the other side same parts can be
molded in reciprocating screw machines with much lower pressures. Indeed, pressures
can be reduced to as much as one half to two thirds those of the plunger type machines,
particularly with high viscosity materials. Thus, parts produced in reciprocating screw
machines have better physical properties than the same part made from a plunger type
machine.
b. Screw type machines are more complicated than plunger type machines. As PVC is
heat sensitive so it is easier to handle it in screw type machine. some polymers require
greater heat input to effect plasticization. For example, the heat requirement for HDPE
is about 310 BTU/lb. As a result of greater shearing action and the attendant viscous
heat generated in screw type machines. So HDPE is easier to handle in these type of
machines.

References:
https://www.ptonline.com/columns/extrusion-barrel-heat-and-melting

http://www.nordicplast.lv/en/production/ldpe-pellets-hdpe-pellets-and-pp-
pellets

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/app.21283

https://www.researchgate.net/post/polar_and_non-polar_polymer

https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=jzc0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA289&lpg=PA289&dq