Designing of Plastics

Polymer Families

Materials Plastics (Polymers) Thermosets Thermoplastics

Polymer Families

Thermoplastics
Plastics capable of softening and flowing when heated, hardening when cooled, and softening when reheated

Thermosets
Plastics which become permanently rigid when heated, chemically reacted or irradiated

Polymers Thermoplastic vs. Thermoset

Thermoplastics
Examples:
Refrigerator Liner Tails for handles Some Coatings (Paint) PE Tubing

Thermosets
Examples:
Refrigeration Foam BMC for handles Some Coatings (Paint) Crosslinked PE Tubing

ADVANTAGES:
Recyclability Faster Processing Time Toughness Assembly Options

ADVANTAGES:
High Temperature Arc Resistance Mechanical Rigidity Creep Resistance Chemical Resistance

DISADVANTAGES:
Creep Thermal Stability Chemical Resistance

DISADVANTAGES:
Brittle Limited Post-Mold Assembly Options Not Recyclable

Plastic is not as stiff as metal

Modulus of Elasticity Comparison

( psi )

1040 Steel Aluminum Amorphous Polymer @

30x106 10x106 0.3x106 1.4x106

Glass Reinforced Polymer @

40

35
30 Mostly Linear to Yield Point 25 20 Non-linear 15 10

Non-Linear Material Behavior Stiffness Changes

Annealed Steel Polycarbonate (PC) Polybutylene terephthalate(PBT) Modified polyphenylene ether(M-PPE) Polytherimide(PEI) PC-PBT blend

5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Everything you need to know is NOT on the Datasheet

Product Information
Non-halogenated, 10.5 MFR
Typical Properties Typical Value Units

LEXAN 141

Mechanical
Tensile Strength Tensile Strain Tensile Modulus Impact Strength

What do you use as a material stress limit in design? Not on the Data Sheet

Thermal
HDT Vicat Softening Temp. RTI

Electrical
Vol Res

Everything you need to know is NOT on the Datasheet

Product Information
Non-halogenated, 10.5 MFR
Typical Properties Typical Value Units

LEXAN 141

Allowable Working Stress (Design Stress)

Mechanical
Tensile Strength Tensile Strain Tensile Modulus Impact Strength

Thermal
HDT Vicat Softening Temp. RTI

Electrical
Vol Res

Allowable Working Stress

>Intermittent Load Tensile Fatique Curve - Click >Steady Load Creep Domain Curve >Momentary Load 70% of 0.2% strain offset

ULTEM 1000
Data sheet Tensile Strength = 15,200 PSI Allowable Working Stress Steady load, 730 F = 3,800 PSI Intermittent Load, 730 F = 6,300 PSI Momentary Load, 730 F = 8,400 PSI

Selection Criteria
Define criteria
Necessary Desirable

Rank criteria
Definite value Weighted opinion

Typical Criteria
Cost Strength / Toughness Dimensional stability Operating Temperature Chemical Environment Flammability Production Method Shrinkage Assembly Techniques Aesthetics Post Processing

Material Selection Worksheet

Part #. Function. REQUIREMENTS STRUCTURAL Loading Stress. Max Temperature. Load Type Tensile# Flexural# Safety Factor Impact: High Shear# Medium Low @ C Compressive# EST Implementation Date..

Dimensional Stability: <..% Distortion Tolerance @. , C.. Rel Humidity ENVIRONMENTAL Chemical exposure (Incidental) (Continuous). Weatherability (Outdoor) (Indoor). Duration. Hrs AGENCY Flammability: V-0 V-1 V-2 5V HB @mil Others:

UL Temperature Rating: APPEARANCE Painted: ASSEMBLY Molded in Color:

Special Surface Requirements:

Will the part need to be disassembled? Frequently. Occasionally. Never.. How: Heat Staking Ultrasonic Welding Screws Adhesives Snap Fits

Plastic is melted then pushed into a mold

Plastic Flow is:

NON - NEWTONIAN

ALL FLOW IS RADIAL

COMPRESSIBLE

Injection Flow

Injection Flow

Injection Flow

Injection Flow

Injection Flow

Plastic Flow :
Plastic will only flow so far
What is Freeze-off?

Cooled Part Melt Solid Freeze-off

Plastic Flow :
Does not like to change direction
Uniform wall thickness promotes better flow

Uniform Wall Thickness

Minimizes:
Warpage Molded-in Stress Sink Marks Voids
Poor Design Improved Design

Warpage Low mold in stress High mold in stress

Sink Marks

Voids

Efficient Wall Design

Minimum Wall Thickness Increases Productivity: Reduce Cycle Time Reduce Material Consumption
Limits to Minimum Wall Thickness: Flow Length - Click Structural Stiffness & Strength Flammability Rating Uniform Thickness

Reduced Flow Length vs. Knitlines

Flow Length Requirements on a Material can be Reduced by Adding Gates

Increasing the Number of Gates Increase the Number of Knitlines

For Best Aesthetics: Use Higher Flow Material with a Single Gate

Gate selection will impact ease of processing as well as aesthetics.

Click

Plastic Flow :
will flow around holes and cut-outs to form weld lines
Flow Direction

Flammability Limitations
UL Flammability Requirements: If a flammability rating is required for an application, the resins minimum thickness to pass the flammability test is the parts minimum wall thickness.
Example: A NORYL resin has a UL 94 V-0 rating at .060. An application requiring a V-0 rating will require a .060 minimum wall thickness.

Recommended Wall Thickness

Why Warpage?
Non uniform thickness builds stresses near the boundary of the thin section to thick section. The thin section does not yield because it is freeze-off, the thick section (which is still liquid) must yield. Often this leads to warping or twisting. If this is severe enough, the part could even crack.

Warpage
Factors Affecting Warp:
Uneven Wall Thickness
Unequal Cooling Rate Unequal Pressure

Anisotropy
(Uneven Shrinkage Causes Warp)

Wall Thickness
What if you cannot have uniform walls, (due to design limitations) ? When uniform walls are not possible, then the change in section should be as gradual as possible
Poor
h

Good
h

Best

3h

Warpage Due to Uneven Thickness

Alternatives

Molded in stress can reduce the load bearing capability of my part

Molded-in Stress

Low Molded-in Stress High Molded-in Stress

Mold-in

Assembly

Application

High Performance

Mold-in

Assembly Application

Low Performance

Molded-in Stress
Causes:

Overpacking Uneven Shrinkage

Overpacking

More Material than Required in the Mold Cavity Results in Molded in Stresses

Shrinkage

Decreased spacing between polymer chains at cooler temperatures Must be accommodated in tooling design

I cant define tolerances the same way as with metal

Moldability Shrinkage
Post-Mold Dimensions of Plastic Parts Differ From Mold Cavity Dimensions Vpart Vmold

lpart
lmold

Sl =

lmold - lpart lmold

or

Sv =

vmold - vpart vmold

Moldability

Factors Affecting Shrinkage:

Material Properties Part Geometry Manufacturing

Material Considerations

Part

Crystalline

Amorphous

Filled Amorphous

Some materials shrink differently than others and require different part & tool design considerations

Shrinkage and Materials

Amorphous
LEXAN (PC) NORYL (PPO) CYCOLAC (ABS) Typical Shrinkage 5-7 mm/m

Semi-crystalline
VALOX (PET/PBT) 5-25

Blends
XENOY (PBT/PC) NORYL GTX (PPO/Nylon) CYCOLOY (PC/ABS) 5-10

Shrinkage and Part Geometry

(Stress Due to Uneven Shrinkage)

Non-Uniform Part Thickness Cools Unevenly Causing High Molded-in Stress

Uneven Shrinkage Defects

Sink Marks
Surface Yields to the Still Shrinking Interior Mass

Voids
Already Cooled Surface Will Not Yield to Shrinking Interior

Click

Reinforcements are better than thicker walls

Reinforcement Structures

Ribbing
Gusset

Boss

Rigidity Balance
Two parts with equivalent RIGIDITY

E1X I1
= Modulus of Elasticity

E2X I2
= Moment of Inertia

I bh3

(E)

(I)

Equivalent Rigidity
12 x 24 Plate Solid Plastic 0.182 3.2 x 105 Steel Thickness (in.) E (psi) 0.040 3.0 x 107 Structural Foam 0.196 Ribbed* Solid 0.125

2.58 x 105 3.20 x 105

I (in.4)
Exl (Rigidity)

0.000064
1920 .065

0.006
1920

0.0075
1920

0.006
1920

.270

Equivalent Rigidity
12 x 24 Plate Solid Plastic 0.182 3.2 x 105 Steel Thickness (in.) E (psi) 0.040 3.0 x 107 Structural Foam 0.196 Ribbed* Solid 0.125

2.58 x 105 3.20 x 105

I (in.4)
Exl (Rigidity) Weight (lbs)

0.000064
1920 3.24

0.006
1920 1.881.78

0.0075
1920 1.60

0.006
1920 1.60

Rib Thickness
Ribs which are too thick: Cause sink marks cause voids increase cycle time Click
60% t

Suggested Rib Thickness: 60% of Nominal Wall Thickness

In structural parts where sink marks are of no concern, rib base thickness can be 85% of the wall thickness For High appearance parts, where sink marks are objectionable, rib base thickness should not exceed - 50% of the wall thickness if the outside surface is textured - 30% if not textured

Rib Height

Suggested Height = 3 to 5t

Original Design - Too High

Limited By:
Thickness - Shrink and Warp Issue Draft - Ejection Issue

= 2xt min.
Avoid hot blade and cooling

Stiffener Orientation

No Increase in Stiffness

Increased Stiffness

Boss Design

2D

R = .25 T

H = 2 to 5T

Strong Possibility of Sink Marks When W > .6 T

Gussets
Gussets are often placed at points of attachment, support, or contact with other components.

Effective in reducing localized regions of large deflection and in distributing stress.

Plastic Flow :
Does not like to change direction

Rounded corners promote better melt flow

Radii, Fillets and Corners

Larger fillet radius Avoids stress concentration Provide streamlined flow paths for the molten plastic resulting in easier fills.

The stress concentration factor is a multiplier factor, it increases the stress. Actual Stress = Stress Concentration Factor K x Stress Calculated The stress concentration factor is very high if r/t values are less.

Radii, Fillets and Corners

A fillet radius(r) should be between 25% to 60% the nominal wall thickness or a minimum radius of 0.02 inch (0.5mm) is suggested. The larger fillet radius suggested for load carrying features. Break any sharp corner with at least 0.005 inch (0.13mm) radius.

The part must be able to be ejected from the mold

Ejecting the Part

Difficult Ejection

Easier Ejection

No Draft Angle

Generous draft angles will facilitate part ejection. Click

The amount of draft angle depends on the depth of the part in the mold, and its required end use function

Generous Draft Angle > 1o

Draft is the tapering of surfaces parallel to the line of draw (opening and closing of the mold) for easier part removal. The larger the draft angle, the easier the ejection.

For a Textured Sidewall

Additional 1 Degree Per 0.001 inches in Depth of Texture

Typically draft angle is 10 with 1/20 on ribs

 Where minimum draft is desired due to design limitations, good polishing recommended and depth should not exceed 0.5 in.

More draft aids ejection but may generate a material mass on sections contained in one side of the mold.
The mold parting line can be relocated to split the draft in order to minimize it.

Without draft

Draft leads material mass

P/L relocation

Parting line
Parting line consideration depends upon shape and the function of the part. Specify the mismatch on the parting line to meet the required function.

 Drag at shutoff will wear over time and develop flash. When a stepped parting line required allow 70 draft for shutoff . Minimum shutoff angle is 50.

Shutoff / stepped parting line

Direction of Pull
Direction of Pull

How do you stiffen the 2nd Side? (Using ribs in red?)

Mold

Part

Mold
How to Stiffen Areas Not Parallel to the Parting Plane of the Tool: Thicken the wall and do not use ribs Use ribs created with slides and cams in the tool (Costly)
Often best molded as two separate ribbed parts and then assembled

Click

Click

Click

NO SLIDE REQUIRED, MOLD LESS COMPLEX

NO SLIDE REQUIRED

REQUIRES SLIDE IN MOLD

Click

Plastic Notes PDI 4.23

Material: Noryl PX1600-701 per A50LA77B. 50% regrind allowed. Wall thickness to be .060 .010 unless otherwise specified. Color White per 12H2427. Draft to be 1 max unless otherwise specified. Ejector pins, gates, and parting line locations must be approved by GEA design engineering in writing prior to initial tooling, retooling or tooling modifications. Flash not to exceed .005 height x .003 thickness. Mismatch of surface across parting line not to exceed .005. Dimensions do not include flash. All fillets, radii and edges to be .020 R .005 . GEA part number, cavity number, and proper recycling identifier (refer to PDI 5.21) must be legible And located on surface indicated.

Plastic Notes PDI 4.23

This component (assembly) is referenced in international regulatory agency approvals. Suppliers, materials, part marking and dimensions must not be changed without prior approval of program manager international standards or designee. Materials must be UL recognized, CSA approved (or cUL recognized). Appearance surface must have a gloss of 60 min. per test specification E9F2B.

Visible surfaces to be free of sink marks and flash.

Material must meet test per QCI 211112 Pt 3(heat distortion). no visible distortion. Material must meet odor and taste test per TS E8C76A SECT. ?? , less than grade 2. Max bow specification to be .010 . Max longitudinal twist specification to be 1

Thank you for your attention