airmould®/aquamould® – fluid assisted injection...
TRANSCRIPT
AIRMOULD®/AQUAMOULD® – Fluid Assisted Injection Molding
AIRMOULD® Internalgaspressuretechnique
AIRMOULD CONTOUR® Externalgaspressuretechnique
AQUAMOULD® Waterassistedinjectionmolding
Gas assisted injection molding
Water assisted injection molding
There are two BATTENFELD gas assisted processes: AIRMOULD® Internal gas pressure
AIRMOULD®istheprocessdevelopedandpatentedbyBATTENFELDforgasassisted injectionmolding.Alongsidethisinternalgaspressureprocess.
AIRMOULD CONTOUR® External gas pressure BATTENFELDalsoofferstheexternalgaspressureprocessAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.
Bothprocesses,withtheirpossibilitiesandadvantages,arepresentedindetailbelowandthecomponentsrequiredforexecutionoftheprocessaredescribed.
AIRMOULD®istheprocessdevelopedandpatentedbyBATTENFELDforgasassistedinjec-tionmolding.Alongsidethisinternalgaspressureprocess.BATTENFELDalsoofferstheexternalgaspressureprocessAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.
Bothprocesses,AIRMOULD®andAQUAMOULD®,havetheirspecialadvantagesandcomplementeachother.
EithertheAIRMOULD®orAQUAMOULD®processissuitable,dependingonthegeometryofthemoldedparts,ontheplasticandontherequirementsplacedontheparts.
BATTENFELDsupportsitscustomersintheirchoiceoftheprocessandtheplantcomponentsrequired.Forapreliminaryassessmentoftheareasofapplicationofthetwoprocesses,itishelpfultoconsiderthewallthicknessesofmoldedparts:
Wall thickness AIRMOULD® AQUAMOULD®
Thick walled X X
Very thick walled – X
Thin walled X –
Thin walled with thick areas X X
AIRMOULD® – Gas assisted injection molding
AIRMOULD® Internal gas pressure technique
Differentgasinjectionprocessescanbeapplied.
Thesearespecialmoldtechniquesorequipmentandcontrolvariantsoftheinjectionmoldingmachine.
Thetypeofinternalgaspressuretechnologyappliedtoamoldedpartdependsonthepartgeometry,therawmaterialandtherequirementsontheproduct.
WiththeAIRMOULD®processandtheAIRMOULD®modularsystem,allprocessvariantscanbeexecuted.
Thegasinjectiontakesplace,eitherthroughtheAIRMOULD® machinenozzleorthroughAIRMOULD®injectionmodules,directlyinthesprueorinthecavity.
Afterthefillingiscomplete,thegaspressureismaintainedlongenoughforthemoldedparttocooldownsufficientlyfordimensionalstability.
Here,auniformpressureismaintainedoverthewholegaschannel,inhibitingvolumecontraction.
Beforethemoldisopened,thegaspressureisreleasedandthenitrogenescapesintotheenvironment.
Inthisway,moldedpartscanbeachievedwhicharefreeofsinkpointsandlowinstress.
There are two BATTENFELD gas injection processes:
The different processes are: Partialfillingprocess
Shrinkagecompensationprocess
Overflowcavityprocess
Meltbackpressureprocess
Corepullprocess
Multifoamprocess
AIRMOULD®fromBATTENFELDisprotectedbyanumberofpatentsinGermanyandab-road.Whetherfurtherlicencesarerequiredmustbedeterminedfromcasetocase,depen-dingonmoldedpart,processandlocation.
PlasticGas(Nitrogen)
SolidifiededgelayerMold
Reductionoftheclampingforcerequired Reductionofcycletime Weightreduction Designpossibilities
Fluidsaregasesandliquids.Thefluidinjectionprocessisaninjectionmoldingprocessinwhichagasoraliquidisinjectedintothemelt.Thegasortheliquidisinjectedinsuchawaythatcavitiesareformedinthemoldedpart.
With fluid injection, it is possible to manufacture molded parts offering vital advantages:
Dependingonthegeometryofthemoldedpartsandthedesiredproperties,oneorseveraloftheseimprovementscanberealised.
Qualityimprovement Avoidanceofsinkpoints Reductionoffrozenstresses Reduction/avoidanceofwarp
Internalgaspressuretechnique
Externalgaspressuretechnique
Internal gas pressure process
What is fluid assisted injection molding?
The AIRMOULD® Internal gas pressure processes in detail
The core pull process
Themeltisfirstinjectedintothemoldcavityvolume,reducedbytheinsertedcores(1).Then,atthesametimeasthecoresarewithdrawn,thenitrogenisinjectedintothecavitythroughinjectionmodules(2).Thegaspressureismaintainedthroughoutthecoolingperiod(3)tocompensateforshrinkageandisreleasedbeforethemoldisopened(4).
1 2 3 4
The multifoam process
Afterinjectionofaspecificquantityofskinmaterial,thecorematerialisinjected.Thevolume,however,isnotsufficienttofillthemoldcavity(1).Thefillingiscompletedbytheinjectionofnitrogen(2).Thegaspres-sureismaintainedthroughoutthecoolingperiod(3)tocompensateforshrinkage,andisreleasedbeforethemoldisopened(4).Thegassingiscarriedoutthroughaninjec-tionmoduledirectlyintothemoldcavityorthroughtheAIRMOULD®machinenozzle.Inthiscase,itispossibletosealthespruewithskinmaterial.Themultifoamprocesscanalsobecombinedwiththemoldandprocesstechniquesdescribedabove.
1 2 3 4
Intheconventionalinjectionmoldingofribbedmoldedparts,iftheholdingpressureisinsufficient,thereisadangerofsinkmarksoccurringoppositetheribbedareas.
Here,thesinkmarksandwarpcanbeinhibitedwithAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.UnlikeAIRMOULD®,inthecaseofAIRMOULD CONTOUR®,thenitrogenisnotinjectedintothecentreofthemelt,butbetweenthemoldedpartandthemoldcavity.
The sequence of the process is as follows:First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Then,throughinjectionmodulesspeciallydevelopedforAIRMOULD CONTOUR®,nitrogenisinjectedbetweenthemeltandthesurfaceofthemoldcavity(2).Thegaspressureactsasaholdingpressurecushionontheplastic,alsokeepingitinwallcontactwiththeoppositesideofthemoldduringcooling.Duringthecoolingtime(3),thenitrogenactsasholdingpressureoveraselectedarea,thuspreventingtheoccurrenceofsinkmarksoppositetheribbedareasonthevisiblesideoftheparts.Beforethemoldisopened,thegaspressureisreleased(4).
1 2
3 4
The partial filling process
Thepartialfillingprocessisalsoknownasthestandardinternalgaspressureprocess.Thecavityisprefilledwithmelt(1),thenthegasisinjected(2),whichdisplacesthemeltandcausesthecompletefillingofthecavity.Thegaspressureismaintainedasholdingpressure(3)andisreleasedagainbeforethemoldisopened(4).WhengassingthroughtheAIRMOULD®machinenozzle,itispos-sibletosealthesprue.
1 2 3 4
The shrinkage compensation process
First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Thennitrogenisinjectedasholdingpres-sure(2)andactstopreventshrinkage(3).Thegasformsgaschannelsinthemoldedpart,soitcanstillactduringthecooling.Thegaspressureinhibitssinkmarks.Thegassingiscarriedout,dependingonthemoldedpart,throughinjectionmodulesinthemoldorthroughtheAIRMOULD®machinenozzle.Beforethemoldisopened,thegaspressureisreleasedagain(4).
1 2 3 4
The melt back pressure process
First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Ifnecessary,holdingpressureisappliedabovethemelt.Thenitrogenisinjectedthroughaninjectionmoduleintothegaschannelattheendoftheflowpath(2),forcingmeltbacktothescrewandbarrel.Thenthemachinenozzleisclosed.Thegaspressureismaintainedthroughoutthecoolingperiod(3)tocompensateforshrinkageandisreleasedbeforethemoldisopened(4).
1 2 3 4
The overflow cavity process
First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Ifnecessary,holdingpressureisappliedabovethemelt.Thenitrogenisnowinjected(2),displacingmeltfromthecavityintotheoverflow.Thegaspressureismaintainedasholdingpressurethroughoutthecooling(3)inordertoinhibitshrinkage.Beforethemoldisopened,thegaspressureisreleased(4).
1 2 3 4
AIRMOULD CONTOUR® External gas pressure
PlasticGas(Nitrogen)
MoldInjectionmodule
PlasticGas(Nitrogen)Mold
BreathingcoreHydraulicsystemEinspritzbaustein
Diagram:ModularSystemandinjectionmoldingmachine
The AIRMOULD® Modular System
Pressure generation units – Series DE
TheunitsoftheDESeriesarecompact,noiseinsulatedandmountedonwheels.Oneunit,accordingtooutput,cansupplyseveralinjec-tionmoldingmachineswithnitrogen,provid-ingaworkingpressureof300bar.
Theunitsmaybeinstallednearoratadistancefromtheinjectionmoldingmachine.Theconnectiontotheinjectionmoldingma-chineisprovidedbyhighpressuregashoses,pipesandscrewedfittings.
Advantages of the DE units: Highperformanceandcompactconstruction
Lowspacerequirement
Onepressuregenerationunitcansimultane- ouslysupplyseveralinjectionmoldingmachines
Largevolumepressurereservoir
Thestandardunitsaresuppliedwithanoutputof100–450Nl/min,butothersizesareavailableonrequest.
Combined nitrogen and pressure generation units – Series SEDE
ThecombinedunitseachconsistofoneSEandoneDEunit,installedtogetherinacompacthousing.
TheonlysupplyrequiredbytheSEDEunitsiselectricalpower.
Theaspiratedambientairiscompressed,cleaned,driedandthenfedtothemembranesystem,whichfiltersoutthenitrogenwithapurityofatleast98%.
IntheAIRMOULD®nitrogengenerationunitsoftheSESeries,thenitrogenisfilteredfromtheambientairthroughamulti-membranesystem.
Theunitsarecompactlyconstructedandmountedonwheels.Theycanbeinstalledatanydistancefromtheinjectionmoldingmachine.
ThenitrogengenerationunitsoftheSESeriesareoptimallymatchedwiththeDEpressuregenerationunits.
Advantages of the SE systems: Nocompressedairrequiredforthesupply
Nitrogenpurityatleast98%(atfulloutput)
SEsystemsareexactlymatchedtoDEsystems
Availablewithastandardoutputof100–450Nl/min(othersizesonrequest).
Type Provided quantity Drive power ND max. Working pressure Reservoir Weight* Dimension (DxWxH)
NI/min Nm3/h kW bar ltr kg mm
DE 11 100 6 2.2 330 50 410 1,340x750x1,960
DE 12/32 150 9 3.0 330 50 410 1,590x940x1,930
DE 13/33 250 15 5.5 330 50 410 1,590x940x1,930
DE 14/34 450 27 5.5 330 2x50 450 1,590x940x1,930
Type Provided quantity Drive power ND max. Working pressure *Weight Dimensions (DxWxH)
NI/min Nm3/h kW bar kg mm
SE 12/32 150 9 5.5 12 580 1,590x940x1,930
SE 13/33 250 15 7.5 12 590 1,590x940x1,930
SE 14/34 450 127 15.0 12 650 1,590x940x1,930
Type Provided quantity Drive power ND max. Working pressure Reservoir *Weight Dimensions (DxWxH)
NI/min Nm3/h kW bar ltr kg mm
SEDE 11/31 100 6 4.0+2.2 330 2x50 945 1,590x940x1,930
SEDE 12/32 150 9 5.5+3.0 330 2x50 975 1,590x940x1,930
SEDE 13/33 250 15 7.5+4.0 330 2x50 1,100 2,460x940x1,930
SEDE 14/34 450 27 15.0+5.5 330 2x50 1,200 2,460x940x1,930
*con
ditio
nally
*con
ditio
nally
Nitrogen generation units – Series SE
*con
ditio
nally
Differentmoldedparts,machinesizesandareasofapplicationrequiredifferentinternalgaspressuresystems.Foroptimumadaptationtoindividualrequirementsandcircumstances,BATTENFELDhasdevelopedtheAIRMOULD®ModularSystemwhichsupportsbothAIRMOULD®andAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.
TheAIRMOULD®ModularSystemisamachineindependentsystem,whichcanbeusedbothonBATTENFELDinjectionmoldingmachinesandonmachinesfromothermanufacturers.
The AIRMOULD® Modular Systemconsists of 4 basic components:
Pressure generation units Forthisprocess,theinertgasnitrogenisused,which doesnotreactwiththeplastic.Thisiscompressedtoa sufficientlyhighpressure.Forlowgasconsumption,the useofnitrogenincylindersorcylinderbatteriesisthe firstchoice.
Nitrogen generation units Forlargevolumes,eithertheuseofliquidnitrogenor ofairseparationdirectlyontheprocessor’spremises usingAIRMOULD®nitrogengenerationunitsisrecom- mended.Thesearematchedtothepressuregeneration unitswithregardtosizeandoutput.
Gas pressure control Regulationofthegaspressuretakesplacebymeansof smallpressureregulationmodules.Itiscontrolledeither throughthemachinecontrolsystemorbyaseparate controlunit.
Gas injection ThegasisinjectedeitherthroughtheAIRMOULD®nozzle orthroughgassingmodulesfitteddirectlyinthemold.
AllcomponentsaremutuallycompatibleandcanbeusedequallyforAIRMOULD®andforAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.
ThegaspressurecontrolsystemconsistsoftheelectricalcontrolunitincombinationwithoneormorepressureregulatororMonomodules.
Theelectricalcontrolunitisdesignedforuseeitherasastationaryorasamobilecontrolsystem.
Structure of the control unitThestationarygaspressurecontrolsystemconsistsoftheelectricalcontrolunitintegratedintheBATTENFELDmachinecontrolunitUNILOG B6andoneormorepressureregulatorormonomodules.
Thecontrolsystempermitstheoperationofuptoeightpres-sureregulatormodules.
Thepressureregulatormodulesareconnectedtotheinjec-tionmoldingmachinebyasimpleplugorpipedfitting.
Interface and programmesThemobilecontrolunitisconnectedtotheinjectionmold-ingmachineviaaninterface.TheinterfaceusedistheEM62interfacefromVDMA,whichisstandardisedforfluidinjection.TheAIRMOULD®interfacedevelopedbyBATTENFELDalsocontinuesinuse.BATTENFELDsuppliessuitableconvertersforadaptationtobothinterfacetypes.
The mobile control unit may, for example, providethe following programmes:
Pressuremonitoringprogramme Impulseprogramme(automaticblow-outoftheinjection
modules) Controlofmobileinjectionmodules Controlofcorepullfunctions(directionalcontrolvalves)
Thesignalexchangeistestedwiththediagnosticsfunction.ThesafetyfunctionsandprogrammeelementsguaranteethefaultlessoperationofAIRMOULD®andAIRMOULD CONTOUR®.
Screenviewt:Actualvaluegraphic
ViewoftheAIRMOULD®selectcommandscreen
AIRMOULD® Pressure control and regulation
Features of the stationary control unit:
Thepressureprofilesselectedaredisplayedgraphically. Theactualvaluepressurecurvesforallpressureregulator
modulescanbedisplayedsimultaneously. Aparticularadvantageforthemachineoperatoristhe
factthatthegaspressurecurvescanbedisplayedinone graphic,togetherwiththemachinegraphsforthepres- surevalues,distances,timesetc.
Thedataaresavedtogetherwiththemachinedata. DataoutputviaaUSBstick.
Stationary control unit
Mobile control unit
Through the machine interface, depending on the design of the mold,various AIRMOULD® control componentscan be connected:
Ifthegasinjectiontakesplaceatonepointonlythrough anAIRMOULD®machinenozzleorthroughaninjection moduleinthemold,aMonomodulewithahandpro- grammingdevice,directlyconnectedwiththeinjection moldingmachineviatheinterface,istheleastexpensive solution.
Iftwoinjectionmodulesinthemoldhavetobecon- trolled,twoMonomoduleswithahandprogramming devicecanbedirectlyconnectedviaaduplexcableand themachineinterface.
Ifseveralinjectionmodulesinthemoldhavetobecon- trolled,orcorepullfunctionsormobileinjectionmodules havetobeoperated,themobilecontrolunitisused.It cancontrolupto4pressureregulatororMonomodules.
Advantages of the mobile control unitwith touch screen operation:
Highresolutiongraphicscreen(VDAColour) Easyoperation Menuguided,operatorfriendlyinput Pressureprofileinputwithsetcurveanduptoninefreely
programmablepositions Alltimeindicationswith1/100saccuracy Actualvaluegraphicforpressurecurvesinprofileform
foruptofourpressureregulatormodulessimultaneously Uptofourpressureormono-modulescanbeconnected CompatiblewithallAIRMOULD®components,e.g.
pressureregulatormodules,Monomodules,pressuremo- tionmodules
Externaldatastorageondiskette StandardwithGerman/English Alltextcharacterscanbedisplayed Programmeforcontrolofcores(motionvalves):Software
(standard),Hardware(option) Programmeforcontrolofmobileinjectionmodules Diagnosticsfunction(checkofsignalexchange) Manualoperationfunction(checkblowfunction,process
injectionmodulesandcores)
Fixedinjectionmodulesarepermanentlyintegratedintothemold.Theyareusedwhenthefittingdirectionofthemodulecoincideswiththereleasedirectionofthemoldedpart.
Ifthisisnotthecase,thesemodulescanbebuiltintoamovingslideorequippedwithaseparatedrivetomovethembackandforth.BATTENFELDhasdevelopedinjectionmodulesforAIRMOULD®withexternaldiametersof3,5and8mminvariousstandardlengths.
Injection modules
Fortheinjectionofnitrogenthroughthemachinenozzle,theAIRMOULD®nozzleswerecon-ceivedtointroducethenitrogenintotheheartoftheplasticmelt.TheAIRMOULD®nozzlespreventnitrogenenteringthescrewcylinderduringthegasinjection.
TheAIRMOULD®nozzleisdesignedasanopennozzle.Itisusedwhennoshut-offnozzleisrequiredforthemelt.Thismeansthatitcanalsobeeasilyretrofittedonexistinginjectionmoldingmachines.Itsspecialadvantageisitscompactsize.
If,forreasonsrelatedtotherawmaterialorthemoldedpart,however,ashut-offnozzleisnecessary,theAIRMOULD®nozzleheadisconnectedwithapinorcrossboltshut-offnozzle.
Advantages: High gas throughflow
Forinternalgaspressureinjectionmolding,thegaspressurehastobebuiltupquickly. AllBATTENFELDinjectionmodulesthereforefeaturehighgasthroughflow.
Gas throughflow optimisation Allmodulesaretestedforgasthroughflowbeforedelivery.Thisensuresthatallgas modulesofonediameterpermitthesamegasthroughflow.
Easy installation Theinjectionmoduleisinstalledandsealedfromtherearofthemold.
Easy cleaning Ifnecessary,cleaningcanbecarriedoutinafewsecondsbyunscrewingthemodule headwhenthemoldisopen.
Optimum choice Moduleswithdiametersof3,5and8mmareavailableinstandardlengths.This ensuresthesupplyofspareparts,evenatshortnotice.
Individual adjustment of immersion depth Foroptimumadjustmentofthemodule’simmersiondepth,theadaptersuppliedcan begroundtotherequiredlength.Anyadjustmentoftheimmersiondepthnecessary foroptimisationisalsopossiblebystraightforwardgrindingdownoftheadapter.
Small aperture in the molded part Theapertureinthemoldedpartcorrespondswiththediameteroftheinjection module..
AIRMOULD® Gas injection
Nozzles
AIRMOULD®Nozzle
Injectionmodules
Injectionmoduleswithadapter
Thegaspressureisregulatedbyatleastonepressurecontrolmodule(bluehousing)oroneMonomodule(yellowhousing).Thegasinthelinebetweengasinjectionandpressuremoduleislostateverycycle.Inordertominimisethesegaslosses,theconnectionsshouldbeasshortaspossible.
BATTENFELDpressuremodulesaresmall,compactunits.Thispermitstheirinstallationandmountingnearthegasinjectionpoint,onthemachineoronthemold.Inthisway,pressureregulationisguaranteedandnitrogenconsumptionisminimised.Theconnectionisprovidedbyshort,low-volumehighpressuregashosesandelectricalcables.
Thegaspressureisregulatedbyhighprecisionvalves.Thevalvesaredirectlyelectricallycontrolledandneednoadditionalcompressedairorhydraulics.Thankstothespecialconstructionofthepressureregulatormodules,thereisprecisepressureregulationandmonitoringofbothsmallandlargegasvolumes.ThepressurecontrolmodulesandMonomodulesarefittedwithintakeandoutputfilters.
Inordertoprotecttheprecisepressureregulatorvalvesagainstfoulingbyvolatilegaseoussubstancesreleasedfromtheplasticondepressurisation,allpressurecontrolandMono-modulesareequippedasstandardwithpressurereliefthroughaseparatequickreliefvalvewithasilencer.Thisquickreliefisalsoadvantageousforlargegasvolumes.
Formanyapplications,gasinjectionatonlyonepointissufficient.Fortheseapplications,theMonomodules(yellowhousing)havebeendeveloped.TheMonomodulesofferthesameadvantagesasthepressureregulatormodules.Thedifferencesareintheelectricalcontrolsystem.Thiscantakeplaceasdescribedhere:.
Two selectable operating modes:
Operating mode 1: Functionaspressureregulatormodule incombinationwiththestationary machinecontrolunitnorthemobile controlcabinet.
Operating mode 2: Functionasautonomouslyworking Monomodule.Inthiscase,neitherthe stationaryorthemobilecontrolunit arerequired.TheMonomodulesarepro- grammedbymeansofthehandpro- grammingdevice.
TheconnectionoftheMonomoduleswiththeinjectionmoldingmachineismadedirectlyviathemachineinterface.Usingtheduplexcable,uptotwoMonomodulescanbedirectlyconnectedtotheinterfacewithoneinjectionmoldingmachine.
AIRMOULD® Gas pressure regulation
Quick pressure relief function forpressure regulator and Monomodules:
AllpressureregulatorandMonomodules areequippedwithreadilyaccessibleand easilyreplaceableintakeandoutput filters.
Inordertoprotecttheprecisepres- sureregulatorvalvesagainstfoulingby volatilegaseoussubstancesreleased fromtheplasticondepressurisation,all pressureregulatorandMonomodules areequippedasstandardwithpressure reliefthroughaseparatequickrelief valvewithasilencer.
Thisquickreliefisalsoadvantageousfor largegasvolumes.
Monomodules
Pressure control modules
AIRMOULD® Modular System: Configuration possibilities AIRMOULD® and AQUAMOULD® – Examples
AIRMOULD®
AIRMOULD® AIRMOULD®
AIRMOULD CONTOUR®
AQUAMOULD® AQUAMOULD®
AQUAMOULD® – Water assisted injection molding
IntheAQUAMOULD®process,waterisinjecteddirectlyintothemelt.
Advantages: Shortcoolingtimesthankstodirectcoolingoftheplastic
Weightreductionthankstocavities
Lowwarpmoldedparts
Moreuniformresidualwallthicknessdistributions
Smoothcavitysurfacesinsidethemoldedpart
Longcavitiescanberealised
Lowcostsforthemedium,water
AQUAMOULD® Water injection technology
TheprocesstechnologyintheAQUAMOULD®processissimilartotheinternalgaspressureprocessAIRMOULD®.Theessentialdifferenceisthat,inthecaseofAQUAMOULD®,waterisinjectedinsteadofnitrogen.WithAQUAMOULD®,moldedpartscanbeachievedwhicharenotonlyfreeofsinkpoints,butalsolowinstress.
The water injection technology is particularly suitablefor the following product groups:
Moldingsinwhichtheaestheticsdominate,e.g.handles,thickwalledparts
Functionalpartsforwhichmediumconductingchannelsarenecessary, e.g.pipes,linescarryingmedia
Internal water pressure process
Inadditiontotheprocessofpartialfillingwithplasticandsubsequentcompletefillingofthecavitybytheinjectionofwater,thereareotherwaterinjectionprocesses.Thetypeofinternalwaterpressuretechnologyappliedtothemoldedpartconcerneddependsonthepartgeometry,therawmaterialandtherequirementsontheproduct.
Applicable process options: Partialfillingprocess
Ancillarycavityprocess
Meltbackpressureprocess
Multifoamprocess
AQUAMOULD®fromBATTENFELDisprotectedbynumerouspatentsinGermanyandabroad.Whetherfurtherlicencesarerequiredmustbedeterminedfromcasetocase,de-pendingonmoldedpart,processandlocation.
The AQUAMOULD® Internal water pressure processes in detail
The partial filling process
Inthepartialfillingprocess,thecavityisprefilledwithmelt(1),thenwaterisinjected(2),displacingthemeltandcausingthecompletefillingofthecavity.ThewaterisinjectedthroughanAQUAMOULD®injectionmoduleintothespruedistributorordirectlyintothemoldedpart.Thewaterpressureismaintainedasholdingpressure(3)untilthemoldedparthascooleddownsufficiently.Thewaterisdrainedoffbeforethemoldisopened(4).
1 2 3 4
The overflow cavity process
First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Ifnecessary,holdingpressureisappliedabovethemelt.Thewaterisnowinjected(2),displacingmeltfromthecavityintotheoverflow.Thewaterpressureismaintainedasholdingpressure(3)untilthemoldedparthascooleddownsufficiently.Thewaterisdrainedoffbeforethemoldisopened(4).
1 2 3 4
The melt back pressure process
First,thecavityiscompletelyfilledwithmelt(1).Ifnecessary,holdingpressureisappliedabovethemelt.ThewaterisinjectedthroughanAQUAMOULD®injectionmoduleintothewaterchannelattheendoftheflowpath(2),forcingmeltbackintothescrewvestibule.Thenthemachinenozzleisclosed.Thewaterpressureismaintainedasholdingpressure(3)untilthemoldedparthascooleddownsufficiently.Thewaterisdrainedoffbeforethemoldisopened(4).
1 2 3 4
The multifoam process
Afterinjectionofaspecificquantityofskinmaterial,thecorematerialisinjected.Thevolume,however,isnotsufficienttofillthemoldcavity(1).Thefillingiscompletedbytheinjectionofwater(2).Thewaterpressureismaintainedasholdingpressure(3)untilthemoldedparthascooleddownsufficiently.Thewaterisdrainedoffbeforethemoldisopened(4).Themultifoamprocesscanalsobecom-binedwiththemoldandprocesstechniquesdescribedabove.
1 2 3 4
PlasticWaterMold
InjectionmoduleHydraulicsystem
Advantages: Highperformance,compactunits
Lowspacerequirement
Supplyoftwoinjectionmoldingmachines simultaneously(option)
Highwaterinjectionperformancethanks toreservoirsystem
Pressure generation units
Thewatermustbecompressedtoasufficientlyhighpressureforinjection.
Water pressure control
Thewaterpressureisregulated.Regulationofthepressuretakesplacebymeansofcompactpressureregulationmodules.Itiscontrolledeitherthroughthemachinecontrolsystemorbyaseparatecontrolunit.
Water injection
ThewaterisinjectedthroughAQUAMOULD®injectionmodulesfitteddirectlyinthemold.AllAQUAMOULD®componentsaremutuallycompatible.Thismeansthattheoptimumsystemcanbeconstructedfortheapplication.
Pressure generation units – Series WE
Type Final pressure ND Pump HD Pump Heater Reservoir approx. Dimensions approx. Weight
bar kW kW kW ltr mm kg
WE 60 330 0.37 1.1 6.0 1x32 1,950x800x1,800 480
WE 100 330 0.37 1.5 6.0 2x32 1,950x800x1,800 530
WE 200 330 0.37 3.0 21 2x32 1,950x800x1,800 610
Theinjectionofwateriscarriedoutwithregulatedpressure,whichhasadirectinfluenceonthedeliveryvolume.Thewaterpressurecontrolsystemconsistsoftheelectricalcontrolunitincombinationwithoneormorewaterpressureregulatormodules.
Screenviewt:Actualvaluegraphic
ViewoftheAIRMOULD®selectcommandscreen
Das AQUAMOULD® Modular System AQUAMOULD® Pressure control and regulation
ThepressuregenerationunitsoftheWESeriesforAQUAMOULD®areconstructedascompact,noise-insulatedunitsandmountedonwheels.Industrialwaterisused.Allpartsincontactwithwateraremadeeitherofcopper(lowpressureregion)orstainlesssteel(highpressureregion).
Theconnectiontotheinjectionmoldingma-chineisprovidedbystainlesssteelpipes,highpressuregashosesandscrewedfittings.
Standardpressuregenerationunitsforwateraresuppliedwithoutputsfrom60to200l/h.Othersizesareavailableonrequest.
WEpressuregenerationunit
Themobilecontrolunitisconnectedtotheinjectionmoldingmachineviaaninterface.TheinterfaceusedistheEM62interfacefromVDMA,whichisstandardisedforfluidinjection.
Stationary control unit
Mobile control unit
ThestationarypressurecontrolsystemconsistsoftheelectricalcontrolunitintegratedintheBATTENFELDmachinecontrolunitUNILOG B6andofuptoeightwaterpressureregu-latormodules.Thecontrolsystempermitstheoperationofuptoeightpressureregulatormodules.Thepressureregulatormodulesareconnectedtotheinjectionmoldingmachineisbyasimpleplugorpipedfitting.
Thepressureprofilesselectedaredisplayedgraphically.Theactualvaluepressurecurvesforallpressureregulatormodulescanbedisplayedsimultaneously.Aparticularadvantageforthemachineoperatoristhefactthatthegaspressurecurvescanbedisplayedinonegraphic,togetherwiththemachinegraphsforthepressurevalues,distances,timesetc.
Thedataaresavedtogetherwiththemachinedata,withdataoutputviaaUSBstick.
The mobile control unit provides the following programmes:
Pressuremonitoringprogramme Controloftheopeningandclosingfunctionofthewaterinjectionmodules Controlofcorepullfunctions(directionalcontrolvalves)
Advantages:
Highresolutiongraphicscreen(VDA Colour)
Menuguided,operatorfriendlyinput Pressureprofileinputwithsetcurveand
uptoninefreelyprogrammablepositions Alltimeindicationswith1/100sac-
curacy Actualvaluegraphicforpressurecurves
inprofileformforuptofourpressure regulatormodulessimultaneously
Uptofourpressureormono-modules canbeconnected
Programmeforcontrolofmobileinjec- tionmodules
CompatiblewithallAIRMOULD®com- ponents,e.g.pressureregulatormodules, mono-modules,pressuremotionmodules
Externaldatastorageondiskette StandardwithGerman/English Alltextcharacterscanbedisplayed Programmeforcontrolofcores(motion
valves):Software(standard),Hardware (option)
Diagnosticsfunction(checkofsignal exchange)
Manualoperationfunction(checkblow function,processinjectionmodulesand cores)
Pressure control modulesTheregulationofwaterpressuresiscarriedoutbypressurecontrolmodules.ThecompactconstructionoftheAQUAMOULD®pressurecontrolmodulespermitstheirinstallationintheimmediatevicinityofthemold,providingverypreciseregulationandminimisingpressuredropandperformancelossesinthewaterinjection.Thewaterpressureisregulatedinprofileform.Thisresultsinanoptimuminfluenceonthewatervolumedeliveryduringinjectionandonthewaterpressureduringtheholdingandcoolingphases.Leakage-freeproportionalvalveswithawaterthroughflowofupto500ml/sregulatethewaterpressurepreciselywheninjectingeithersmallorlargevolumesofwater.
Asthevalvesaredirectlyelectricallycontrolled,apressureorhydraulicoilsupplyisnotnecessary.
Water injection
AQUAMOULD®Injection modulesThewaterisinjecteddirectlythroughinjectionmodulesinthemold.
The demands on injection modules are:
Smallconstruction Largesectionforwaterflow Openingandclosingfunction Leakage-free Simpleassembly
Water removal from the molded part
Inordertoemptythewateroutofthemoldedpartwiththemoldclosed,thefollowingsolutionshaveproveneffective:
Services for AIRMOULD® and AQUAMOULD®
Support from conception to series production
Molding design for the process
Specification of melt and gas or water injection
Design of injection molding machine, mold, AIRMOULD® or AQUAMOULD® Modular System, automation
Complete production solutions, including all components required, for AIRMOULD® or AQUAMOULD®
Trials in a BATTENFELD technical facility
Schulungen bei BATTENFELD oder beim Kunden
Training courses at BATTENFELD or on the customer’s premises
AQUAMOULD® Water pressure regulation
Advantages:
Safeseparationbetweenwaterandoil Positioncontrolbyproximityswitch Easyfitting
Alternating compressed air feedIfalternatingcompressedairisinputthroughthewaterinjectionmoduleandthegeometryofthemoldedpartandthefittingpositionofthemoldpermit,thewaterinthemoldedpartcanberemovedthroughthewaterinjectionaperture..
Gravity removalIfthegeometryofthemoldedpartandthefittingpositionofthemoldpermit,thewaterinthemoldedpartcanberemovedfromthepartthroughtheAQUAMOULD®pressureregulatormodule..
Blowing out with compressed gasIfasecondinjectionmoduleisfittedattheendofthechannelformedbythewater,thegasinjectedthroughthismodule,e.g.compressedair,canexpelthewaterinthecavitythroughtheAQUAMOULD®injectionmodule.
Vacuum removalBytheapplicationofavacuum,thewatercanbere-movedthroughtheAQUAMOULD®injectionmodule.
TheAQUAMOULD®ModularSystemisoptimallytunedtotherequirementsoftheAQUAMOULD®processandhasprovenitselfinpractice.
ThecompetenceofthemachinemanufacturergivestheuseroftheAQUAMOULD®processtheassistanceherequiresinthedesignandselectionofthemostsuitableAQUAMOULD®system.
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