Five Gallon High Speed Core Cap Re-design of Polymer Injection Mold

Calframax Technologies Inc.是一家塑料注射模具制造商，客户主要位于北美。处理一个5加仑桶的典型周期时间是18到19秒。Calframax致力于研究和开发一种模具，可以在13.5到14.5秒的加工时间内生产零件。这种效率的提高使客户的生产率提高了30%。由于新模具设计的效率提高，许多Calframax客户用新设计替换了他们的模具。该模具现在已经流通了大约3年，然而，一些客户遇到了新设计的质量问题。存在的问题包括芯与芯帽之间的加热表面腐蚀、螺杆腐蚀和断裂、芯滚刀等。初步调查表明，岩心盖在注入压力下也会发生弯曲。因此，在本研究中，将研究问题部件在标准冷却液中的耐腐蚀性，以及相同冷却液中部件的应力腐蚀开裂，疲劳腐蚀和电反应。然后根据实验结果，选择成本合理、腐蚀速率和电势最小的材料或涂层。然后，将建议冷却剂使用适当的缓蚀剂，以尽量减少对部件的腐蚀损害。该项目将对聚合物注射模具的材料性能和设计考虑因素产生重要的新知识。这种类型的知识是至关重要的Calframax改进他们的新模具产品。该项目的结果可能会导致在3到5年内设计和推出一系列新的模具产品，并增加Calframax的盈利能力。

Calframax Technologies Inc. is a plastic injection mold manufacturer with customers located mostly in NorthAmerica. The typical cycle time to process a 5-gallon pail has been 18 to 19 seconds. Calframax undertook toresearch and develop a mold that could produce parts at a significantly shorter process time of 13.5 to 14.5seconds. This increase in efficiency allows the customers to increase their production rate by 30%. Because ofthe increased efficiency of the new mold design, many of the Calframax customers replaced their molds withthe new design. The mold has now been in circulation for approximately 3 years, however, several ofcustomers are experiencing quality problems with the new design. The problems include corrosion on themating surface between the core and core cap, corrosion and breakage of the screws, and hobbing of the core.Initial investigations indicate that the core cap is also flexing under injection pressure. Therefore, in thisresearch the corrosion resistance of the problematic parts in a standard coolant as well as stress corrosioncracking, fatigue corrosion, and galvanic reaction of the components in the same coolant will be investigated.Then based on the results of the experiments, materials or coatings at reasonable cost with minimum corrosionrate and galvanic potential will be selected. Then a proper corrosion inhibitor for the coolant will be suggestedto minimize the corrosion damage to the parts. This project will generate important new knowledge on thematerials behavior and design considerations of the polymer injection molds. This type of knowledge is criticalto Calframax for improvement of their new mold products. The results of this project may lead to the designand introduction of a range of new mold products within a time span of 3 to 5 years and increase theprofitability of Calframax.