• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

In this study, we applied microcellular foaming injection molding process to improve the performance of system air-conditioner drain fan which had been produced by injection molding process and studied the optimization of process conditions through 6-sigma process and response surface method (RSM) to reduce weight and deformation of products. Additive type, melt temperature, mold temperature, and injection screw shape were selected as the factor affecting the weight and deformation of the products by carrying out analysis of trivial many through ANOVA and design of experiment (DOE) method. Among the effect factor, we set the addictive type to Long G/F and screw shape to foaming screw which had the highest level of weight reduction and deformation reduction. The amount of foaming agent gas was set at 60 ml, which was the limit beyond which the weight of product did not decrease any more. For melt temperature and mold temperature, we studied the conditions where both weight and deformation were minimized using the RSM. As a result, we set the melt temperature to $250^{\circ}C$, fixed mold temperature to $20^{\circ}C$, and moving mold temperature to $40^{\circ}C$. The improvement effect was analyzed by appling the selected optimal conditions to the production process using the microcellular foaming injection molding. The results showed that the mean weight of product was measured to be 1,420g which was 19% lower than that measured in the current process. The standard deviations of the weights were found to be similar to those in the current process and it showed a low dispersion. The mean deformation was measured to be 0.9237mm, which represented a 57% reduction compared to the mean deformation in the current process, and the standard deviation decreased from 0.3298mm to 0.1398mm. Moreover, we analyzed the process capability for deformation, and the results showed that the short-term process capability increased from 2.73 to 6.60 which was even higher than targeted level of 6.0.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.354-361
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• 2010

The paper presents an efficient computation of optimal tool length for 5-axis mold & die machining. The implemented procedure processes an NC file as an initial input, where the NC data is generated by another commercial CAM system. A commercial CAM system generates 5-axis machining NC data which, in its own way, is optimal based on pre-defined machining condition such as tool-path pattern, tool-axis control via inclination angles, etc. The proper tool-length should also be provided. The tool-length should be as small as possible in order to enhance machinability as well as surface finish. A feasible tool-length at each NC block can be obtained by checking interference between workpiece and tool components, usually when the tool-axis is not modified at this stage for most CAM systems. Then the minimum feasible tool-length for an NC file consisting of N blocks is the maximum of N tool-length values. However, it can be noted that slight modification of tool-axis at each block may reduce the minimum feasible tool-length in mold & die machining. This approach can effectively be applied in machining feature regions such as steep wall or deep cavity. It has been implemented and is used at a molding die manufacturing company in Korea.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2016

In the polymer shaping process that uses molds, the quality of the molded products is determined not only by the flow of the (molten) polymer but also by the air venting in the cavity. Inadequate air venting in the cavity can cause defects in the product, such as voids, short shot, or black streaks. As it is critical to consider the location and size of the vents for proper venting of the air in the cavity, a method that predicts the flow of air and material is required. The venting of air by the flow of rubber inside the cavity was simulated by using a multi-phase computational fluid dynamics method. Through computer simulation, the interface of rubber and air over time was predicted. Then, the velocity and pressure distribution of the venting air were observed. Our research proposes a fundamental method for analyzing the multi-phase flow of polymer materials and air inside the cavity of a mold.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.184-188
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• 2015

There is a need for light weight and high stiffness characteristics in the building structure as well as aircraft and cars. So fiber reinforced plastic with the addition of reinforcing agent such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber is utilized in this regard. In this study, mechanical strength, flow property and part shrinkage of glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced PA6 were examined according to reinforcement content such as 10%, 20%, and 30%, and reinforcement type. The mechanical property was measured by a tensile test with specimen fabricated by injection molding and the flow property was measured by spiral test. In addition, we measured the part shrinkage of fiber reinforced PA6 that affects part quality. As glass fiber content increases, mechanical property increased by 75.4 to 182%, and flow property decreased by 18.9 to 39.5%. And part shrinkage decreased by 52.9 to 60.8% in the flow direction, and decreased by 48.2 to 58.1% in the perpendicular to the flow direction. As carbon fiber content increases, mechanical property increased by 180 to 276%, flow property decreased by 26.8 to 42.8%, and part shrinkage decreased by 65.0 to 71.8% and 69.5 to 72.7% in the flow direction and the direction perpendicular to the flow respectively.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2007

The energy efficiency of a self-powered wireless sensing system for pressure monitoring in injection molding is analyzed using Bond graph models. The sensing system, located within the mold cavity, consists of an energy converter, an energy modulator, and a ultrasonic signal transmitter. Pressure variation in the mold cavity is extracted by the energy converter and transmitted through the mold steel to a signal receiver located outside of the mold, in the form of ultrasound pulse trains. Through Bond graph models, the energy efficiency of the sensing system is characterized as a function of the configuration of a piezoceramic stack within the energy converter, the pulsing cycle of the energy modulator, and the thicknesses of the various layers that make up the ultrasonic signal transmitter. The obtained energy models are subsequently utilized to identify the minimum level of signal intensity required to ensure successful detection of the ultrasound pulse trains by the signal receiver. The Bond graph models established have shown to be useful in optimizing the design of the various constituent components within the sensing system to achieve high energy conversion efficiency under a compact size, which are critical to successful embedment within the mold structure.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.301-304
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• 2010

본 논문에서는 다수 캐비티 금형의 러너 내 불균일한 전단분포로 인해 발생되는 충전불균형에 따른 치수정밀도, 기계적 강도 등 물성의 차이가 발생되는 문제점을 해소하기 위해서 수지가 처음 분기되는 2차 러너의 구조에 변화를 주어 다수 캐비티 사출성형에서 충전균형을 위한 러너시스템을 제시하였다. 이 러너시스템은 전단률차이에 의한 즉, 온도가 불균일한 수지의 흐름을 혼합함으로써 수지의 흐름을 균일하게 하여 충전균형을 이루도록 하였다. PP수지를 대상으로 각 캐비티 간 균형충전에 대해 이 러너시스템이 효과가 있는지 검증하기 위해 CAE프로그램(Moldflow)을 이용한 유동해석을 통해 그 효과를 나타내 보았다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.273-275
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• 2008

Generally, automobile cooling fan is used to lower the temperature of radiator. The cooling fans are manufactured by plastic injection molding process. The center of gravity of cooling fan is often deviated from the center because of the use of deteriorated materials. As the unbalance of the cooing fan can generate noise, it is required to test the performance of the cooling fans. In this work, automatic fan balancer which can distinguish between the good and the bad, futhermore idenfify the position and magnitude of unbalance is develpoed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.80-86
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• 2021

Plastics are widely used in mechanical and other fields due to their light weight, design flexibility, and molding processability. In processing plastics, defective products are mixed and reprocessed to improve production efficiency and reduce costs. In this study, an experiment was conducted to confirm the coefficient of thermal expansion of HDPE during this reprocessing. The coefficient of thermal expansion was measured at different measurement directions and heating rates. As a result, we observed that the coefficient of thermal expansion in the direction perpendicular to the injection direction is greater than that in the horizontal direction.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.11-16
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• 2021

Recently, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems, which are superior to conventional two-dimensional (2D) vascular systems that mimic the in vivo environment, are being actively studied to reproduce drug responses and cell differentiation in organisms. Conventional two-dimensional cell culture methods (scaffold-based and non-scaffold-based) have a limited cell growth rate because the culture cannot supply the culture medium as consistently as microvessels. To solve this problem, we would like to propose a 3D culture system with an environment similar to living cells by continuously supplying the culture medium to the bottom of the 3D cell support. The 3D culture system is a structure in which microvascular structures are combined under a scaffold (agar, collagen, etc.) where cells can settle and grow. First, we have manufactured molds for the formation of four types of microvessel-mimicking chips: width / height ①100 ㎛ / 100 ㎛, ②100 ㎛ / 50 ㎛, ③ 150 ㎛ / 100 ㎛, and ④ 200 ㎛ / 100 ㎛. By injection molding, four types of microfluidic chips were made with GPPS (general purpose polystyrene), and a 100㎛-thick PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) film was attached to the top of each microfluidic chip. As a result of observing the flow of the culture medium in the microchannel, it was confirmed that when the aspect ratio (height/width) of the microchannel is 1.5 or more, the fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet without a backflow phenomenon. In addition, the culture efficiency experiments of colorectal cancer cells (SW490) were performed in a 3D culture system in which PDMS films with different pore diameters (1/25/45 ㎛) were combined on a microfluidic chip. As a result, it was found that the cell growth rate increased up to 1.3 times and the cell death rate decreased by 71% as a result of the 3D culture system having a hole membrane with a diameter of 10 ㎛ or more compared to the conventional commercial. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to expand and build various 3D cell culture systems that can maximize cell culture efficiency by cell type by adjusting the shape of the microchannel, the size of the film hole, and the flow rate of the inlet.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.824-833
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• 2012

The shrinkage and the warpage of the moulded part are influenced by the design of the product and injection mould. In a flat part with a partly thick volume, the warpage of the flat part is created from the difference of the shrinkage between thin and thick regions. The warpage of the flat part with a partly thick volume can be reduced by a proper design of the cooling system in the injection mould. The goal of this paper is to design properly cooling channels of injection mould to manufacture a flat part with a partly thick volume. The conformal cooling channel is adopted to improve cooling characteristics of a region with the thick volume. The linear cooling channels are assigned to the other region. The proper design of the conformal cooling channels is obtained from three-dimensional injection molding analysis for various design alternatives. The moulding characteristics of the designed mould with both conformal and linear cooling channels are compared to those of the mould with linear cooling channels from viewpoints of temperature, shrinkage and warpage of the moulded part using numerical analysis. Injection mould with both conformal and linear cooling channels for the flat part with a partially thick volume is fabricated. In addition, injection moulding experiments are performed using the fabricated mould. From the results of the injection moulding experiments, it has been shown that the designed mould can successfully fabricate the flat part with a partially thick volume.