• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.501-508
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• 2008

Small injection molded articles such as lens and mobile product parts are usually molded in multi-cavity mold. The problem occurring in multi-cavity molding is flow unbalance among the cavities. The flow unbalance affects the dimensions and physical properties of molded articles. First of all, the origin of flow unbalance is geometrical unbalance of the delivery system. However, even the geometry of the delivery system is well balanced, cavity unbalance occurs. This comes from the temperature distributions in the cross-section of runner. Temperature distribution depends upon injection speed because heat generation near runner wall is high at high injection speed. Among the operational conditions, injection speed is the most significant process variable affecting the filling unbalances in multi-cavity injection molding. In this study, experimental study of flow unbalance has been conducted for various injection speeds and materials. Also, the filling unbalances were compared with CAE results. The dimensions and weights of multi-cavity molded parts were examined. The results showed that the filling unbalances vary according to the injection speeds and resins. Subsequently, the unbalanced filling and pressure distribution in the multi-cavity affect the dimensions and physical states of molded parts.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.144-149
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• 2008

Configuration of filling imbalance which is originated from imbalanced share rate of melt on runner is changed by runner layout, runner shape, material property, injection pressure, injection speed, melt temperature and mold temperature. In this paper, we conducted a study of runner layout and shape that are main factors of filling imbalance. Other factors such as the sharp corner effect and the groove corner effect are recently released were also considered. The results of study are showed that filling rate of between inside and outside cavity was influenced on shape of runner. Especially, this study suggests a new runner system for filling balance by adapting the two effects of unary branch type runner at multi cavity mold and theoretical investigated flow in the sharp corner type runner.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2015

For mass production of plastics, injection molds have multi-cavities. However, filling imbalance between cavity to cavity always has occurred in multi-cavities mold, and this has caused low quality of plastics part. In this study, the closed-loop-control system which can control temperature of hot manifold and nozzle in hot runner mold for filling balance has been suggested, and a series of experiment about difference of filling time and weight in cavity-to-cavity was conducted. As a result of using closed-loop-control system, a remarkable improvement in reducing filling imbalance was confirmed.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.19-22
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• 2013

Almost all injection molds have multi-cavity runner system for mass production, which are designed with geometrically balanced runner system in order to accomplish filling balance between cavity to cavity during processing. However, even though geometrically balanced runner is used, filling imbalances have been observed. So, many studies for improving filling balance in the multi-cavities molds are worked up. In this study, the Melt-Buffer which is a new runner system for filling balance has been suggested, and a series of experiment about degree of filling balance in cavity-to-cavity was conducted in the mold with the Melt-Buffer. From the experiment, the filling balance was increased up to 5~6% by using the Melt-Buffer.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.41-46
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• 2003

The objective of this paper is to present a methodology for automatically balancing multi-cavity injection molds with the aid of flow simulation. After the runner and cavity layout has been designed, the methodology adjusts runner and gate sizes iteratively based on the outputs of flow analysis. This methodology also ensures that the runner sizes in the final design are machinable. To illustrate this methodology, an example is used wherein a 3-cavity mold is modeled and filling of all the cavities at the same time is achieved. Based on the proposed methodology, a multicavity mold with identical cavities is balanced to minimize overall unfilled volume among various cavities at discrete time steps of the molding cycle. The example indicates that the described methodology can be used effectively to balance runner systems for multi-cavity molds.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 2014

Large residual stresses are remained in the conventional injection molded products because of the high cavity pressure in packing phase during injection molding process. Conventional injection molding (CIM) invokes distribution of cavity pressure and it has a limitation to obtain product with uniform physical property. Multi-cavity conventional injection molding contains quality deviation among the cavities since flow imbalance occurs during filling phase. Injection compression molding (ICM) is adopted to overcome these limitations of CIM. In this study, molding characteristics of CIM and ICM have been investigated using multi-cavity injection mold. Researches were performed by both experiment and computer simulation through observations of birefringence for transparent resins, polycarbonate and polystyrene in CIM and ICM. As a result, low and uniform birefringence and mold shrinkage were showed in the specimens by ICM that could give a uniform cavity pressure. Deviation of physical property among the specimens in multi-cavity mold shown in CIM was significantly reduced in the specimens by ICM. Through this study it was concluded that the ICM in multi-cavity molding was valid for molding products with uniform property in an individual cavity and also reduced property deviation among the cavities.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.2 no.5
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• pp.25-29
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• 2008

Almost all injection molds have multi-cavity runner system for mass production, which are designed with geometrically balanced runner system in order to accomplish filling balance between cavity to cavity during processing. However, even though geometrically balanced runner is used, filling imbalance have been observed. Filling imbalance could be decreased by modifying processing conditions such as injections rate, mold temperature, injection pressure, melt temperature that are related to shear, viscosity. In this study, a series of experiment was conducted to investigate filling imbalance variation when modifying runner layout and ploymer and to determine which processing condition influences as the primary cause of filling imbalance in geometrically balanced runner system. The filling imbalance was desreased up to result range of $3{\leq}DFI{\leq}8(%)$ by using a new runner system for balanced filling.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2007

Almost all injection molds have multi-cavity runner system for mass production, which are designed with geometrically balanced runner system in order to accomplish filling balance between cavity to cavity during processing. However, even though geometrically balanced runner is used, filling imbalance have been observed. Filling imbalance could be decreased by modifying processing conditions such as injections rate, mold temperature, injection pressure, melt temperature that are related to shear, viscosity. In this study, a series of experiment was conducted to investigate filling imbalance variation when modifying runner layout and polymer and to determine which processing condition influences as the primary cause of filling imbalance in geometrically balanced runner system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.1552-1557
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• 2010

The cylindrical gear in power window motor assembly is important to doors of automobile. This study is performed for the purpose of getting a manufacturing technique instead of large quantities import and six-cavity mold production. This multi-cavity cylindrical gear is produced under five procedures. The first, mold design of mass-production, the second, making a CAE model for mass-production, the third, manufacturing of sample mold, the fourth, trying-out and measuring of 3 dimensional design, the fifth, acquisition of data analysis and mold modification. Among them, analysis of mass-production using CAE, designing and manufacturing of multi-cavity are successfully performed. In the results, it is concluded that the mold for one gate and eight-cavity based on hot-runner is suitable for making a cylindrical gear.

• 한국금형공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.95-98
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• 2008

Almost all injection molds have multi-cavity runner system for mass production, which are designed with geometrically balanced runner system in order to accomplish filling balance between cavity to cavity during processing. However, even though geometrically balanced runner is used, filling imbalances have been observed. So, many studies for improving filling balance in the multi-cavities molds are worked up. In this study, the Melt-Buffer which is a new runner system for filling balance has been suggested, and a series of experiment about degree of filling balance in cavity-to-cavity was conducted in the mold with the Melt-Buffer. From the experiment, the filling balance was increased up to $5^{\sim}6%$ by using the Melt-Buffer.