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pps proceeding
Symposium: S10 - Injection Molding
Oral Presentation
 
 

Graphene Coating Assisted Injection Molding of Ultra-thin Thermoplastics and Composites

Cabrera Eusebio Duarte (1)*, Zhang Panpan (1), Yen Ying-Chieh (1), Yu Jiangfeng (2), Liao Wei-ching (1), Castro Jose (1), Lee L.James (1)

(1) The Ohio State University - Ohio - USA, (2) Nanomaterial Innovation Ltd - Ohio - USA

Thermoplastic polymers and their composites possess unique characteristics allowing them to be used in many applications ranging from cars and computers to cell phones. The need for thinner and lighter weight parts with higher strength in these industries has always been an important step for the evolution of new technologies. As a result, injection molding of ultra-thin wall polymers and composites has become an increasingly important process for the mass production of thermoplastic parts for applications such as mobile electronic devices including laptop computers and smart iPhone/iPad. Unlike conventional injection molding (IM), rapid polymer cooling is amplified in thin wall injection molding due to the higher contact surface between the melt and the cold mold wall. As a consequence, the fast melt solidification and viscosity increase considerably hindering melt flow resulting in a short shot. Although such effect can be reduced by high speed injection molding and/or using a heated mold, the improvement is still limited in the case of ultra-thin (<0.5 mm thickness) parts, particularly for thermoplastics with highly loaded fiber reinforcement. This study presents a novel technology for coating the mold insert surface using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) based graphene coating with carbide bonding. The coating results in a significant decrease of surface friction and consequently easiness of flow when compared to their uncoated counterparts. We will present the experimental and simulation results using PP and 40 wt% fiber reinforced PC as model materials.