Design and Simulation Study of the Induction Heated Injection Mold with Sliders

• Published in: Materials Vol. 14; no. 23; p. 7476
• Main Authors: Muszyński, Paweł, Poszwa, Przemysław, Mrozek, Krzysztof, Zielinski, Michał, Dalewski, Piotr, Kowal, Michał
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 06.12.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Defective products; Efficiency; Electric currents; Induction heating; Injection molding; Magnetic fields; Molds; Process parameters; rapid temperature cycling (RTC); selective induction heating; Simulation; Temperature distribution; Viscosity
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14237476

In order to increase the quality of the products manufactured by injection molding, RTC technology can be used to achieve higher mold temperatures. As a result, the path of the injected melt can be extended, allowing the production of parts with more complex shapes and greater length. Induction heating allows heating only selected forming surfaces of the mold which increases the speed and efficiency of the process. This paper presents the concept of a detachable inductor integrated with sliders to enable the application of this technology in an injection mold with sliders, along with the theoretical model used to perform the tests. First, the effect of the magnetic concentrator shape on the process was analyzed. This was followed by a simulation study of the influence of process parameters: heating time, frequency, and electric current. An extensive analysis of the test results of the temperature distribution on the insert allowed for the selection of parameter sets that would enable obtaining the desired surface temperature without a major increase in process time. The results of simulation studies confirm the possible applications and present the range of parameters for obtaining the optimal process.