Injection Molding Simulation for Part Manufacture with Polystyrene

Abstract

Being able to predict potential defects is a very important aspect of the manufacturing process. The simulation of the injection molding process enables mold and part designers to perform tests during design and development stage and therefore results in a more cost effective and efficient production cycle. This study examines the injection molding simulation of a polystyrene plastic part. The simulation analyzes how melted plastic flows through a mold in order to identify manufacturing defects, while it offers a wide range of simulation parameters and optimizations. Injection molding of the plastic part with the processing guidelines given from the simulation procedure proved successful in the actual manufacturing process. In particular, a significant number of simulations were conducted so that their effect to the final product could be identified. Applying different parameters and optimizations led to several defective parts and identified problems into the process. Common injection molding issues like the short shot occurrence, determining the best injection location or studying the pressure at end of packing had to be addressed by adjusting the simulation parameters and analyzing the results produced. After the procedure's completion it became obvious that the initial processing parameters had to be optimized as otherwise would result in extra manufacturing costs and in delays of production.