• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.195-200
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• 2001

There is a great demand for reducing the amount of material used in mass-produced plastics parts, for material cost constitutes up to 75% of the total production cost. Plastics do not easily decay which causes environmental problem. Furthermore, material reduction therefore decreases the amount of oil needed for the manufacture of plastics and thus help conserve this natural resource. Therefore, microcellular foamed plastics(MCPs) was developed at MIT to solve these problem alternation 1980's. Until now, however, microcellular foaming process not designed systematically because the key factors governing the process were not clear. The goal of this research is to obtain the optimal design of the microcellular plastics by using axiomatic approach.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.1414-1417
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• 2003

In chemical forming process, mixed materials of LDPE, EVA and forming agent are used. However mechanical properties has been dropping remarkably through this forming process. In this study, Above materials(LDPE, EVA) were used in microcellular foaming injection process. And various effective factors in this process were selected by Axiomatic approach and systematically estimated by DOE(Design of Experiments). As a results, injection type and rate of mixing resins have more influence on forming rate than other factors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.49-50
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.1187-1188
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• 2010

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.491-495
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• 2004

The industries use polymer materials for many purposes for they have many merits. The costs of these materials take up too great a proportion of the overall cost of products that use these materials as their major material. It is advantage for polymer industries to reduce these costs. The microcellular foaming process was developed in the early 1980s to solve this problem and proved to be quite successful. Microcellular foaming process uses inert gases such as $CO_2$, $N_2$. As these gases solve into polymer matrices, many properties are changed. The microcellular foaming process makes the glass transition temperature of polymers to low, and diminish the residual stress of polymer matrices. Besides, the microcellular foaming process has several merits, impact strength elevation, thermal insulation, noise insulation, and raw material saving etc. This characteristic of microcellular foaming process has influenced by cell morphology. The cell morphology means cell size and cell density. The cell morphology has influenced by many factors. The examples of factor are pressure drop rate, foaming temperature, foaming time, saturation pressure, saturation time etc. Among their factors, pressure drop rate is the most important factor for cell morphology in microcellular foaming injection molding process. This paper describes about the cell morphology change in accordance with the pressure drop rate of microcellular foaming injection molding process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.5 s.236
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• pp.647-654
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• 2005

This research Proposes a Process design of injection molded microcellular plastic gears for enhancing the fatigue strength/durability and accuracy of the gears applying thermodynamic instability to microcellular foaming process. To develop the injection molded plastic gears by way of microceliular process, it is absolutely necessary the following two process design. The first is microcellular forming process for enhancing the strength/durability of plastic gears. To be microcellular process succeeded, based on the microcellular principle, mechanical apparatus is designed where nucleation and cell growth are to be generated renewably. The second is the counter pressure process which is mainly fur improving the tooth surface roughness and the accuracy of microcellular gears. For the former process, screw, nozzle and gas equipment are newly designed, and for the latter, counter pressure by nitrogen gas is intentionally brought about into mold cavity when injecting plastic gears. Based on the proposed process design, using gear mold, experiments of injection molding show that, in internal space of plastic gears, microcellular nuclear cells less than 5 lim in diameter have been generated homogeneously via electron microscope photos.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.98-104
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• 2018

Deflected 4-way panels of ceiling air conditioners produced by injection molding process have caused dew condensation at the edge of products. In order to prevent this drawback with reducing weight and deformation, this study proposed renovated process adopting microcellular foaming. According to results from 2-sample t-test and analysis of variance(ANOVA), the critical factors affecting weight were melt temperature and injection speed. In addition, the vital effects on deformation were structure at the edge, mold temperature and cooling time. Optimal conditions of these parameters were derived by regressive analysis with CAE and response surface method(RSM), and then applied to an actual design and process stage to analyze performance. As a results, it clearly showed that new process improved process capability as well as reduced both weight and deformation by 18.8% and 71.9% respectively compared to the conventional method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.637-644
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• 2001

Polymer materials have a lot of merits including the low cost and the easiness of forming. For these reasons they are widely using at many manufacturing industries. Microcellular foaming process appeared at MIT in 1980s to save a quantity of material and increase mechanical properties. There are many process variables in appling microcellular foaming process to the conventional injection molding process. They can be solved by using Axiomatic Design Method which is very useful design method for designing a new product. Its main character is scientific and analytical. The information about the thickness of cavity plays an important role in making an effective foam. The goal of this research is to design mold system for advance of foaming magnitude with axiomatic design method. There is a relation between the change of cavitys thickness and foaming magnitude made after inserting a gas. R/t is a conception that indicate proportion between radius and thickness of cavity in mold system. By means of SEM observation of side surface of cavity sample, foaming magnitude of polymer in microcellular foaming process is decreasing gradually as the value of R/t is increasing. In this paper, an advanced mold system was presented by mapping the relation between functional requirements and design parameters.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.6 s.171
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• pp.168-174
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• 2005

Nowadays, the companies use polymer materials for many purposes fur they have many advantages. The costs of these materials take up too high a proportion of the overall cost of products that use these materials as their major material. It is advantage for polymer industries to reduce these costs. The microcellular foaming process was developed in the early 1980s to solve this problem and proved to be quite successful. Microcellular foaming process uses inert gases such as $CO_2,\;N_2$. As these gases solve into polymer matrices, many properties are changed. The microcellular foaming process makes the glass transition temperature of polymers to low, and diminish the residual stress of polymer matrices. Besides, the microcellular foaming process has several merits, impact strength elevation, thermal insulation, noise insulation, and raw material saving etc. In previous research, many facts of microcellular foaming process are founded its characteristics. But previous researcher found the characteristics of microcellular foaming process with pure gas, for example $CO_2,\;N_2$ and so on, they did not found the characteristics of microcellular foaming process with one more gases. If one more gases inlet the resin, the characteristics of microcellular foaming process is changed very amazingly. In this paper, discuss on the characteristics of microcellular foaming process wi th gas cocktail about cell morphology.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.186-191
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• 2000

We use so many plastic products in everyday. Because polymer materials have a lot of merits including low cost and easiness of forming, they are widely using at many manufacturing industries. Microcellular foaming process appeared at MIT in 1980's to save a quantity of material and increase mechanical properties. The information about the thickness of cavity plays an important role in appling microcellular foaming process to the conventional injection molding process. It is essential to make an effective foam. The goal of this research is to measure the relation between the change of cavity's thickness and foaming magnitude made after inserting a gas. R/t is a conception that indicate proportion between radius and thickness of cavity in mold system. By means of SEM observation of side surface of cavity sample, foaming magnitude of cavity is mold system. By means of SEM observation of side surface of cavity sample, foaming magnitude of polymer in microcellular foaming process is decreasing gradually as the value of R/t is increasing. The proposed foaming magnitude changes data of polymer in relation to mold system can be applied in more extensive injection molding process, such as optimum design of mold for microcellular foaming process.