JP3293562B2 - Injection molding method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an injection molding method for eliminating surface defects called sink marks which occur in a molded article having a partially thick portion such as a rib or a boss.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In injection molding or injection press molding, when a product shape has a partially thick portion such as a rib or a boss, the cooling and solidification of the thick portion is delayed as compared with other portions. A surface defect called sink occurred on the surface of the thick portion. Since the high-temperature portion shown in FIG. 2A solidifies and contracts in volume, sink marks occur on the surface on the side opposite to the ribs as shown in FIG. 2B. In order to eliminate this, compensating filling is performed to compensate for the volume shrinkage caused by cooling and solidification of the molten resin in the pressure holding process, but after the resin in the gate part loses fluidity (after the gate seal is completed), the pressure is maintained. There was no pressure effect and it was practically impossible to eliminate the sink marks. In particular, a crystalline resin such as a polypropylene resin has a large molding shrinkage, and the occurrence of sink marks cannot be avoided.

[0003]

In the case of molding a product having a partially thick portion in injection molding or injection press molding, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of sink marks on the surface of the thick portion. could not. In order to make this sink mark less noticeable, various efforts have been made in terms of product design and molding conditions, but they have not been satisfactory. In particular, since shrinkage becomes large for a crystalline resin such as a polypropylene resin having a large molding shrinkage, it is a great restriction from the viewpoint of product design, and it takes time to determine molding conditions.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, in the first invention, a molten resin is injected and filled into a mold cavity, then cooled and solidified to form an injection mold. In the molding method, after injection of the molten resin, the mold is slightly opened within a time in which the molten resin can flow, a gap is provided between the surface of the molded product and the surface of the mold cavity, and the mold is held for a predetermined time. The mold was re-clamped and shaped within the time during which the molten resin could flow. Further, in the second invention, in the first invention, after the molten resin is re-injected in a state where both the dies are slightly opened, the mold is formed by re-clamping.

[0005]

[Function] Even if the product shape has a partially thick portion such as a rib or a boss, a gap as a heat insulating layer is provided on the surface side (anti-rib / boss side) of the product to prevent the rib / boss from being formed. Cooling and solidification proceeds only from the boss side). For this reason, the injected resin is delayed in cooling and solidification on the surface side of the product as compared with the opposite surface side, so that it is still in a molten state and can flow.
By performing re-clamping within a time when the product surface side is still in a molten state and after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of injection, it is possible to cause resin to flow and prevent sink marks.

[0006] Since the cooling and solidification on the opposite surface side (rib / boss side) of the thick portion including the rib / boss portion precedes the surface side of the product greatly, the surface side is in a molten state. Also, the cooling and solidification on the opposite side is almost completed. The resin in the high-temperature portion in the molten state on the front surface has a substantially uniform thickness with a thin skin layer formed on the surface as shown in FIG. There is a high-temperature molten resin inside the skin layer, and the molten resin can be made to flow by pressing. The rib side (non-surface side) is cooled and solidified, and the volume shrinkage is substantially completed. That is, the resin in the molten state exists with a uniform thickness inside the skin layer. If a re-clamping operation is performed in this state, the cooling and solidification of the molten resin proceeds uniformly from the surface side of the product. In this way, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of sink marks even on a molded article having a large molding shrinkage and having a partially thick portion made of a crystalline resin.

[0007] Depending on the shape of the product, the amount of volume reduction of the molten resin caused by cooling and solidification is too large, so that even if re-clamping operation is performed, the amount of resin is insufficient and the surface of the product cannot be uniformly pressed. There is. In such a case, injection (re-injection) for replenishing the molten resin is performed before starting the re-clamping operation. This re-injection needs to be completed before the gate seal is completed.

[0008] The same effect can also be exhibited in lamination molding in which a skin material is inserted into a mold cavity and injection molding is performed. That is, the skin material is on the surface side (opposite the rib side) of the molded article, and this functions as a heat insulating layer. In combination with the gap between the surface of the molded product (in this case, the surface of the skin material) and the cavity surface of the mold, heat insulation on the surface of the molded product can be effectively performed. Therefore, even if there is a skin material, the effect of preventing sink marks does not change.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an injection molding apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view of a molded product used in an experiment for confirming the effect of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, an injection molding apparatus 100 according to the present invention comprises an injection apparatus 200, a mold clamping apparatus 300, a mold apparatus 400, and a control apparatus 500. The mold device 400 includes a fixed mold 4 attached to the fixed platen 401.
03 and a movable mold 404 attached to the movable plate 402. The movable plate 402 and the movable mold 404 can be moved forward and backward by the mold clamping cylinder 301 of the mold clamping device. The mold clamping device 300 includes a mold clamping cylinder 301 for opening and closing the mold of the mold device. The movable mold moves forward and backward by being guided by a tie bar (not shown) with respect to the fixed mold. .

The injection device 200 comprises an injection unit 201, an injection cylinder 202 and a hydraulic motor 203. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 500 includes a molding device control unit 501, an injection control unit 510 that controls plasticization of the molding material resin and injection of the molten resin into the mold cavity, opening and closing of the mold, Mold clamping controller 5 for controlling mold clamping force
20 and a comparison control unit 530 for controlling the mold opening timing. The comparison control unit 530 includes a switching timing condition setting unit 534, a timer 533, and a temperature monitoring unit 532.
And a mold clamping control unit 520. Further, the mold clamping control unit 520 is connected to the molding device control unit 501, the mold clamping position monitoring unit 522, the mold clamping condition setting unit 521, the comparison control unit 530, and the like. In the present embodiment, an injection molding machine having a direct pressure type mold clamping device is used, but an injection molding machine of a toggle type mold clamping device, or a vertical injection molding machine or an electric type mold clamping device is used. An injection molding machine may be used.

Next, the outline and operation method of the injection molding method of the present invention will be described. The molding method using an ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin and a PP (polypropylene) resin as a molding material will be described in detail as an example. The molded product is a top plate with a rib of 400 mm square having a shape as shown in FIG. 3, and the thickness of the top plate portion and the rib portion is 3 mm. Gate shape is 0.5mm in diameter
It is a pinpoint gate.

First, the case where the molding material is ABS will be described. The injection device 200 injects and fills the molten ABS resin into the mold cavity clamped by the clamping device 300 with a clamping force of 350 tons. Three seconds after the completion of the injection filling, the movable mold 404 is retracted by the mold clamping device 300 so that the gap between the surface of the molded product and the surface of the mold cavity becomes 1 mm. After maintaining this state for 8 seconds, the movable mold 404 is advanced by the mold clamping device 300 to perform re-clamping, and a 350 ton mold clamping force is applied to the mold device 400. After holding this state (cooling / solidification step) for 30 seconds, the molded product 600 is taken out after opening the mold.

Next, the case where the molding material is PP will be described. The injection device 200 injects and injects a molten PP resin into the mold cavity clamped by the mold clamping device 300 with a clamping force of 350 tons. Three seconds after the completion of the injection filling, the movable mold 4 is moved by the mold clamping device 300 such that the gap between the surface of the molded product and the surface of the mold cavity becomes 1 mm.
04 is retracted to open the mold. Since the PP resin is a crystalline resin and has a large amount of shrinkage upon solidification, it is necessary to replenish the molten resin in an amount commensurate with the volume reduction due to the shrinkage.
Therefore, after the mold opening is completed, the molten PP resin is injected and filled again by the injection device 200. Then, after holding the mold in the open state for 8 seconds, the mold is re-clamped and a mold clamping force of 350 tons is applied to the mold apparatus 400. After maintaining this state for 30 seconds, the molded product 600 is taken out after opening the mold.

A supplementary explanation of the reinjection performed in the case of PP will be given. At the time of the first injection, 95% of the total injection resin amount was injected and filled. At the time of the second injection (re-injection), 5% of the total injected resin amount was injected and filled.

Next, Table 1 shows the results of comparison between the injection molding method according to the present invention and the conventionally used injection molding method. The sink was measured at a position 50 mm away from the pinpoint gate at the center as shown in FIG.

[Table 1] Notes: (1) The molding conditions of the conventional method for both ABS and PP are mold clamping force / 350 tons, holding pressure / resin pressure converted value of 400 kgf.
/ Cm2, and dwell time / 7 seconds. (2) The molding conditions of Example 1 are as follows. Mold clamping force: 350 tons, Holding pressure / resin pressure converted value: 400 kgf
/ Cm2, holding time / 3 seconds → then hold 1 second after opening 1 mm mold → then re-clamp with 350 ton clamping force, holding time /
30 seconds → Mold opening and removal of molded product (3) The molding conditions of Example 2 are as follows. Mold clamping force: 350 tons, Holding pressure / resin pressure converted value: 400 kgf
/ Cm2, holding time / 3 seconds → The mold was opened 1 mm and a holding pressure of 80 kgf / cm2k was applied for 1 second in terms of resin pressure → Then, the holding pressure was removed and the mold was kept open for 8 seconds → Re-clamping with 350-ton clamping force, holding time / 30 seconds → Mold opening, removal of molded product

As apparent from Table 1, ABS resin, P
In the case of the P resin, the degree of sink on the surface side of the thick portion is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional molding method, and is about 1/15 to 20. Thus, the injection molding method of the present invention is a revolutionary measure against sink marks. The concerns in the present invention are the surface condition (transferability of the mold) and the shaping property of the molded product, and it is noted that these were in good condition without any difference from the conventional injection molding method. Keep it.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, according to the injection molding method of the present invention, even if the molded article has a partially thick portion, it cannot be avoided by the conventional injection molding method. It became possible to eliminate sink marks generated in the part. According to the present invention, a molded product having a partially thick portion can be efficiently designed and produced with high quality.
In other words, not only amorphous resin, but also crystalline resin such as polypropylene resin with large molding shrinkage, molding conditions can be easily determined without restrictions from product design, and efficient production is possible. Become. In addition, when using crystalline resin, the required amount of resin to be filled during initial injection filling is small, and re-injection to compensate for volume shrinkage due to cooling and solidification is performed in the mold open state to reduce the required mold clamping force. Can be significantly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an injection molding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating the occurrence of sink marks on a thick-walled portion and a preventive measure.

FIG. 3 is a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view of a molded product used in an experiment for confirming the effect of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Injection molding device 200 Injection device 201 Injection unit 202 Injection cylinder 203 Hydraulic motor 300 Mold clamping device 301 Mold cylinder 400 Mold device 401 Fixed plate 402 Movable plate 403 Fixed mold 404 Movable mold 500 Control device 501 Molding device control unit 510 Injection control unit 520 Mold clamping control unit 521 Mold clamping condition setting unit 522 Mold clamping position monitoring unit 523 Position detection sensor 530 Comparison control unit 531 Temperature sensor 532 Temperature monitoring unit 533 Timer 534 Switching timing condition setting unit 600 Molded product

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An injection molding method in which a molten resin is injected and filled in a mold cavity, and then cooled and solidified to form the mold. After injection of the molten resin, the mold is slightly opened within a time in which the molten resin can flow. Wherein a gap is provided between the surface of the molded article and the cavity surface of the mold to maintain the mold for a certain period of time, and the mold is re-clamped and shaped within a period in which the molten resin can flow. 2. The injection molding method according to claim 1, wherein the molten resin is re-injected in a state where both molds are slightly opened, and then the mold is re-clamped to shape the resin.