Development of 3D simulation of water assisted injection moulding of polymers guided and validated by experimentation using an instrumented process

水辅助注塑成型（WAIM）是一种相对较新的制造工艺，与现有技术相比具有显着优势，包括：提高生产率;能源效率;以及针对某些类型产品（包括结构部件）的新的更具成本效益的制造路线。然而，实际应用仍然很少，该技术的潜力仍有待开发。原因是对结果的不确定性，缺乏基本的理解，以及缺乏通过计算机模拟进行预测的能力。该项目汇集了一个具有独特能力组合的团队，以克服这些限制，充分利用该技术。Cinpres气体注射有限公司拥有世界领先的流体辅助成型技术，包括强大的水辅助方法。作为实物项目的贡献，他们将制造和委托一个模块化的测试工具，并筛选材料的WAIM适用性。辛普雷斯，舒尔曼聚合物和伯克比的塑料将提供材料。Cinpres将借出气体和水注入和控制设备，用于安装在布拉德福德大学聚合物科学与技术跨学科研究中心的成型机上，在那里将进行广泛的成型试验，建立在他们以前的WAIM经验和过程监控专业知识的基础上，包括使用超声波实时定位界面。还将对选定的测试材料进行经典和在线流变测量，并与材料筛选结果相关。模塑试验将为威尔士斯旺西大学聚合物加工模拟和设计中心的工艺数学建模提供信息和指导，并提供对工艺基本原理的见解。在此基础上，斯旺西将开发三维模拟软件，建立在他们早期非常成功的气体辅助成型三维软件的基础上。Cinpres已经克服了影响WAIM早期工作的问题，他们的专业知识在指导该项目方面将是非常宝贵的。他们的设备的可用性将确保生产和及时的成型试验在布拉德福德，扩大他们的早期工作，包括最新的技术开发，而没有资本成本的研究理事会。布拉德福德的IRC拥有国际声誉，是英国聚合物工程研究的领先中心。斯旺西聚合物加工模拟和设计中心的工作不仅包括模拟和设计优化，还包括工业规模的加工试验。研究质量在他们最近两个项目的独立资助评审中被评为国际领先。Cinpres、Schulman和Birkby的大量实物捐助，以及大学的严格成本计算，加上他们在实现目标方面的良好记录，使这一项目具有很高的成本效益。该项目将实验工作与建模和模拟相结合，通过与在这些领域具有既定专业知识的大学中心合作，并得到领先的工业合作者的支持，从而实现生产性协同增效。因此，除了为工程界提供成果外，相信该项目将提高两个小组的研究能力，并允许在该项目将创建的基础上进行进一步的研究。

Water assisted injection moulding (WAIM) is a relatively new manufacturing process offering significant advantages over existing technology, including: increased productivity; energy efficiency; and new, more cost-effective manufacturing routes for certain types of product including structural components. Realized applications are however still scarce and the potential of the technology remains to be exploited. The reasons are uncertainty about outcomes, a lack of fundamental understanding, and the absence of predictive capabilities through computer simulations. This project brings together a team with a unique combination of capabilities to overcome these limitations to the full exploitation of the technology. Cinpres Gas Injection Ltd. has world-leading technology for fluid assisted moulding, including robust water assist methods. As in-kind project contributions they will manufacture and commission a modular test tool, and screen materials for WAIM suitability. Cinpres, Schulman Polymers and Birkby's Plastics will provide materials. Cinpres will loan gas and water injection and control equipment for mounting on a moulding machine at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Polymer Science and Technology at the University of Bradford, where extensive moulding trials will be carried out, building on their previous experience with WAIM and expertise in process monitoring, including the use of ultra-sound for real-time location of interfaces. Classical and on-line rheometry of chosen test materials will also be carried out, and related to material screening results. Moulding trials will inform and guide mathematical modelling of the process at the Centre for Polymer Processing Simulation and Design at the University of Wales Swansea, and provide insights into the fundamentals of the process. Based on these, software for 3-dimensional simulations will be developed at Swansea, building on their earlier highly successful 3-d software for gas assisted moulding. Cinpres have overcome problems that affected earlier work on WAIM and their expertise will be invaluable in guiding the project. Availability of their equipment will ensure productive and timely moulding trials at Bradford, extending their earlier work to include the latest technology development without capital costs to the Research Council. The IRC at Bradford has an international reputation and is the leading centre in the UK for polymer engineering research. The work of the Centre for Polymer Processing Simulation and Design at Swansea includes not only simulation and design optimization, but also industrial scale processing trials. Research quality was rated as internationally leading in the Independent Grant Reviews of their two most recent projects. The substantial in-kind contribution by Cinpres, Schulman and Birkby's, and tight costing at the Universities, together with their proven record of delivering on objectives, makes this a highly cost-effective project. Exploitation and technology transfer routes are clearly defined.The project promises productive synergies by combining experimental work with modelling and simulation through the collaboration of University centres with established expertise in these areas, supported by leading industrial collaborators. Hence, in addition to the deliverables to the engineering community, it is believed that the project will enhance the research capability of the two groups, and allow further research to be undertaken on the foundation that will be created in this project.