Polymer process operation

Assignment

Submitted by:

Faiz Rasool

Submitted to:

Dr. surfraz

Department of Polymer and Process Engineering

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, LAHORE

Introduction:
The plastic blow molding process is like the glass-blowing process. The blow molding cycle begins by
heating a plastic tube, then filling it with air, called the parison. A mold is then clamped around the tube
to trap the plastic as the air continues to fill the parison to form the shape of the mold. It’s ideal for
molding a high-volume production of hollow objects and creates uniformly thin-walled objects at a
relatively low cost.
There are three types of blow molding processes:
 Injection blow molding
 Extrusion blow molding
 Injection stretch blow molding
Blow molding is used to create hollow objects. Some examples of blow molding objects include
containers, plastic bottles, drums, and tubing. A popular blow-molded item is a Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET or PETE) bottle. These bottles are semi-rigid plastics with durable, scratch- and
shatter-resistance for products like spice jars, vitamin bottles, water bottles, and energy shot bottles.

Problems:
Leakage: Leakage in blow molding refers to the unwanted release of air or plastic material from the
mold during the molding process, resulting in a defective product.
Causes: This can happen due to a variety of factors, such as a poorly designed mold, improper mold
temperature or pressure, or worn-out or damaged components.
Solution:
1. Identify the source of the leakage: Carefully examine the mold and the components of the
machine to identify any areas where air or plastic might be escaping. Common areas of leakage
include the mold seams, the blow pin, and the valve stem.
2. Adjust the mold temperature and pressure: Make sure that the mold is heated to the appropriate
temperature and that the pressure in the mold is set correctly. This will help to ensure that the
plastic is properly formed and that there are no gaps or air pockets that could lead to leakage.
3. Replace worn or damaged components: If you identify any worn or damaged components, such
as the mold or the blow pin, replace them promptly to prevent further leakage.
Surface wall defects: Sometimes the defects on the surface wall of the molded product are barely
noticeable, like tiny black spots. Other times, it’s quite obvious: horizontal ring-like lines, vertical
streaking lines, and bubbles.
Causes: These defects can be caused by foreign matter, recycled resin, old resin stuck inside the extruder
die head, excess moisture, the parison thickness controller moving the die too fast, or the parison wall
coming in contact with the cold mold surface twice instead of once.
Solution:
1. Adjust the blow molding process parameters: Surface wall defects can be caused by various
process parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and cooling time. Adjusting these parameters
can help eliminate the defects. For example, increasing the cooling time can reduce the
occurrence of surface haze.
 2. Use mold release agents: Mold release agents can be applied to the mold surface to reduce the
adhesion between the plastic and the mold. This can help prevent surface defects caused by
sticking.
3. Use proper mold surface finish: The surface finish of the mold can also affect the surface finish
of the finished product. Using a proper mold surface finish can help prevent surface roughness,
streaks, and scratches.
Uneven wall thickness: Uneven wall thickness happens when one part of the preform begins to stretch
first, making it harder for the rest of the product to stretch to the same thickness.
Causes: This problem can occur because of an off-center gate, uneven heating and cooling, and small
stretch ratios. Uneven wall thickness in blow molding can be caused by several factors such as variations
in resin viscosity, uneven cooling rates, or improper die design.
Solution:
1. Optimize the process parameters: Adjusting the process parameters can help to achieve a more
uniform wall thickness. For example, adjusting the mold temperature, the blow ratio, or the
extrusion rate can help to achieve a more consistent wall thickness.
2. Improve cooling: Uneven wall thickness can also result from improper cooling. Improving the
cooling system can help to achieve a more uniform wall thickness. This can involve adjusting the
cooling time or position of cooling channels, or adding more cooling channels.
Flow lines: Flow lines are streaks, patterns, or lines - commonly off-toned in color - that show up on the
prototype part as a consequence of the physical path and cooling profile of the molten plastic as it flows
into the injection mold tooling cavity. Injection molded plastic begins its journey through the part tooling
via an entry section called a “gate.” It then flows through the tool cavity and cools.
Causes: Flow line defects are caused by the varying speed at which the molten plastic flows as it
changes direction through the contours and bends inside the mold tool. They also occur when the plastic
flows through sections with varying wall thickness, or when the injection speed is too low causing the
plastic to solidify at different speeds.
Solution:
1. Increase injection speeds and pressure to the optimal level, which will ensure the cavities are
filled properly (while not allowing the molten plastic time to start cooling in the wrong spot). The
temperature of the molten plastic or the mold itself can also be elevated to ensure the plastic does
not cool down sufficiently to cause the defect.
2. Round corners and locations where the wall thickness changes to avoid sudden changes in
direction and flow rate.
3. Locate the gate at a spot in the tool cavity with thin walls.
Paneling: Paneling occurs when the pressure inside a plastic bottle becomes less than the ambient air
pressure outside, causing the walls of the bottle to partially collapse inward. The result is an aesthetically
unappealing product package with a distorted shape and badly puckered or wrinkled labels.
Causes:
1. Insufficient Material Distribution if the material is not distributed evenly throughout the mold, some areas
may receive more material than others, resulting in thinning of the wall in certain areas.
 2. Improper Mold Design if the mold design is not optimal, it can lead to areas of the mold where
the material is not distributed evenly, resulting in paneling.
3. Inadequate Cooling if the mold is not cooled properly, it can cause the material to shrink and pull
away from the mold surface, resulting in paneling.
Solution:

1. Adjust the Blow Molding Process: One approach is to adjust the blow molding process
parameters such as temperature, pressure, and cooling time to ensure that the material is
distributed evenly and cools uniformly throughout the mold.
2. Modify the Mold Design: Modifying the mold design to improve material distribution can also
help eliminate paneling. This can be achieved by adding more support ribs, adjusting the gate
location, or modifying the mold cavity.
3. Increase Cooling Time: Increasing the cooling time can allow the material to solidify more
uniformly, which can reduce paneling.