Questions for Polymer Design

Part 1
1) A part is manufactured out of an amourphous polymer, now they want to
substitute the amourphous polymer due to a semi-crystalline polymer.
a. Is it recommended to process the new material into the same mold?
b. Because of design reasons, the blue semi-crystalline part will be
changed to light blue. What happens after the design change?
c. Is it recommended to process the new color into the same mold?
2) For PPS-GF40 we need a mold temperature of 140°C . Is it recommended to
implement oil cooling into the mold, but on the other hand, oil cooling is very
expensive. Is it wise to save money and implement water cooling into the
mold?
3) Describe creep and relaxation phenomena and also give an example for both
effects.
4) What is the different between ductile and brittle?
5) What happens in case of low and high holding pressure time? Is there a ideal
holding pressure time?
6) Which material (amorhous or semi-crystalline) is often used for tribological
application? Why do we often use this material for these applications?
7) Please add 5 design principles for designing polymer parts? Explain these
design principals.
8) Which parameters affecting part shrinkage?
9) We manufacture three identical plates. Only different is the gate position.

I) II) III)

a. What is the best gate position (I,II,III)?

i. Which gate has shortest flow length?
ii. Which gate has needs less pressure?
iii. Which gate has less shrinkage?
iv. Which gate has less warpage?
b. Sketch the warpage for gate two and three.
c. Sketch the fiber orientation for gate two and three.
10) In the picture below you can see one plate.
a. Please find best gate position, to get high weld line strength.
b. Sketch stress distribution into picture
c. Calculate Fp

11)Which gate (A or B) is better? Explane

12)We manufacture an L-profile

a. Sketch contour after cooling?
b. Is there a better solution for the L-contour (sketch and explain)?
13)Please sketch the contour after cooling? What is the reason for this
deformation?

14)We manufacture a PC-cub for drinking application.

a. Sketch possible mold (with cooling)
b. Make possible geometry solution for the cub
c. Describe pros and cons for this solution
d. Write a list of requirements for this cub
e. Are there internal stresses? (calculate the internal stresses)
f. At which position is stress max.
15)What is environmental stress cracking? (Describe in two words)
16)We have two polymer parts. What are the possible screw-fits?
17)Write pros and cons of self threading screws, thread with insert and screw fit
with bush
18)What is the most important reason for polymer injection molding?
19)Why we use amorphous polymer for housing?
20)Is there a reason to manufacture housings out of semi-crystalline polymer?
(Examples)
21)What is crazing?
Part 2

1. Name 5 design principles for polymer parts and explain why they are important.

2. Why is it not recommended to design a press fit with polymer parts?

3. How does fiber reinforcement change the mechanical properties of a polymer?

4. Which mechanical properties are changed by using recycled material?

5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the following three screw fits?

6. The following part is loaded by a force F. Discuss whether gate location A or B is better.
F

F
B
7. Name the molding parameters which affect shrinkage and qualify their influence

8. Is it possible to process a transparent part with a semi-crystalline material

9. A semi-crystalline polymer with a crystalline phase is transparent. Explain how this

is possible.
10. How does a high nucleation rate affect the mechanical properties of a semi-
crystalline material? How can the nucleation rate be affected?
Part 3

Polymer Design: Questions (Tim Schneider)

1. The part properties depend on several reasons, name them:

• Polymer material
• Design
• Processing
• Part geometrie + Material quality = Polymer + Morphology
(Page 4 and 50)

2. Name the possible failure modes of a molded part:

• Gating (Typ/Position)
• Non round shape
• Melt shearing
• Non uniform wallthickness
• Warpage
• Void
• Flash
• Incomplete filling / Burn mark
• Welt line
(Page 5)

3. Influence of fiber reinforcement in the stress strain behavior (“Spannungs Dehnungs-

Diagramm”) (with and without)
• Page 22

4. Stress strain behavior of PBT for different tempretures:

• Page 23

5. On which parameters depends the achievable flow lenghs?

• Wall thickness
• Viscosity
• Melt temperature
• Filling pressure
(Page 25)
6. How is the achievable flow length depending on the filling pressure and the wall
thickness(1200bar, 800bar, 400bar)? Show it in a diagramm:
• Page 25

7. Process cicle: Show the characteristic times and pressures in a diagramm

• Page 31

8. Was bedeuten die Diagramme auf Seite 32+33?

9. How is the dependancy of the weight of a part, its holding pressure and the warpage?
• As longer the holding pressure, as higher the wight, and as lower the warpage
• Page 34

10. How does the mold shrinkage depend on the fiber oriantation?
• “längs” lower, “quer” higher shrinkage
• Page 36

11. What is the problem of polymers by long therm static loading?

• They creep
• Page 40

12. How is a polymer parts stress behavior on an hot air atmosphere?

• Thermo oxidative ageing can cause polymer degragation
• Page 45

13. Whar do you have to look for, if you have to use a polymer part outside?
• Use UV-stabilized or colourde compounds
• Energy rich radiation can cause polymer degredation
• Page 46

14. What do you have to look for, if you use an UV-stabilizor?

• If you use carbon black, you have to use 3-5%
• The stabilizor can change the properties to use the material
Food industry
• Page 46

15. Which material ist better by dynamic loading semi cristalline or amorphous?
• Semi crysteline is better
• Page 47

16. Friction (Reibung) behavior of polymers?

• Semi cristalline better tribological bahavior than amorphous (kleiner
Reibkoeffizient)
• Non reinforced better than reinforced
• Page 48

17. How depend the wall thickness at the costs and the shrinkage?
• Minimal wall thickness
minimal costs and shrinkage
• Page 51

18. Which parameters affect patr shrinkage, and how?

• Melt temp. increase
shrinkage increase
• Mold temp. increase
shrinkage increase
• Injection rate: there is an optimal injection rate, where the shrinkage is minimal
• Increase holding pressure
decrease shrinkage
• Increase holding time
decrease shrinkage
• Increase the part thickness
increase shrinkage
• Page 52
19. What does “Diesel Effect” means?
• Burning flowfront or at a welt line.

20. What is better, a welt line, where the two flow fronts met under 180° or under a lower
angle?
• The lower angle is better, because of the better “Durchmischung”
better
stability
• Page 56

21. What does ESC mean?

• Enviromental stress cracking
destroyed because of mechanical and chemical
load at the same time.
• If you have only mechanical or chemical load the part won`t be destroyed.
Part 4

1. Write down the influencing parameters for melt processing and explain in which
way they influence the process.

2. Why is it necessary to make thin wall parts and in fact of this, how can we rise the
stiffness of parts?

3. On which facts mold shrinkage and material morphology depends on?

4. What are the affects on part quality?

5. Write down typical failure modes of injection molding.

6. Write down some differences between polymer material and steel.