Crosslinking of elastomers at injection moulding simulations:
Simulation of rubber injection moulding enables the prediction of not only how the cavity filling will proceed, but also the description of how cavity pressure will develop, among other typical phenomena.
Besides correctly modelling the flow characteristic, the pressure-specific volume-temperature (PVT) behaviour, and the thermal properties, choosing the most suitable model and method for characterising the elastomer crosslinking reaction is mandatory for a reliable simulation routine.
There are many state-of-the-art polymer characterization techniques that are currently employed for such purpose, like dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), rubber process analyser (RPA), and plate-plate or cone-plate rheometer, which are able to detect and describe how the crosslinking reaction proceeds. However, the choice of the most appropriate one is critical for reliable results.
The webinar will give an overview about the main crosslinking mechanisms related to elastomers, including the characterization techniques that can be employed to describe them, along with the mathematical models to be applied at the simulation routine.
SHORT AUTHOR BIO
Maurício Azevedo received his Master of Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Brazil) in 2018. He has been working with elastomer processing and characterization for 8 years, and currently researches reactive elastomeric systems at the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, along with a PhD candidacy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben.
His research is focused on characterizing the curing reaction of elastomers in terms of intrinsic properties, like flow behaviour, thermal conductivity, macromolecular conformation, and thermodynamics, to be applied in computational simulation routines for rubber injection moulding
Practical application of injection moulding simulations to evolve an adaptive process control:
Worldwide, environmentally friendly part manufacturing is a fast-growing topic, also affecting the rubber industry.
Given the fact that a rubber compound may reveal a huge diversity in terms of material properties despite its components have been mixed together accordingly, makes quality maintenance in rubber processing a challenging task. Consequently, the amount of waste production and the production of non-recyclable parts would multiply if batch variations were not considered in manufacturing.
In the past years, an application has been established in Leoben allowing for the maintenance of the quality of injection moulded rubber parts. The tool, which operates on-line, is designed on the basis of statistical evaluation of process data, the prediction of the expected part quality, e.g. the dynamic-mechanical behaviour, and aims to actively intervene in the process workflow if necessary. Recent research intends to derive the control functions from process simulations, aiming for further increases in resource savings.
The webinar will provide an introduction into the basic principle of the adaptive process control, followed by the presentation of the simulation-based approach to determine the requirements for quality assurance in real rubber part manufacturing. The talk will be topped off with some of the latest results from validation experiments on the injection moulding machine.
SHORT AUTHOR BIO
Martin Traintinger received his PhD at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben in late June 2022, four years after he started working at the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH in the group of polymer processing.
Since then, he has been working on a suitable concept that will enable users of rubber injection molding machines to produce rubber parts with stable qualitative properties.
His current work is aimed at implementing the developed process control application on the production facilities of his industrial project partners. Before coming to Leoben, Mr. Traintinger graduated in Technical Chemistry at the Graz University of Technology.