Process Factors Influence on Cavity Pressure Behavior in Microinjection Moulding

Process monitoring of microinjection moulding (μIM) is of crucial importance when analysing the effect of different parameter settings on the process and then in assessing its quality. Quality factors related to cavity pressure can provide valuable information about the process dynamics and also about the filling behavior of different polymer melts. In this paper, a pressure sensor mounted inside a tool cavity was employed to analyse maximum cavity pressure, pressure increase rate during filling and pressure work. The influence of four μIM parameters, melt temperature, mould temperature, injection speed, and packing pressure on these three pressure-related process parameters was investigated. A design of experiment study was conducted by moulding a test part, a microfluidic component, in three different polymer materials, PP, ABS, and PC. The results show a similar process behavior for all three polymers, in particular a higher injection speed led to a reduction of the pressure work while a lower mould temperature reduces the pressure rate.