Numerical Development and Validation of a Polyethylene Component Injection Mold

Abstract

Foam injection molding is a variant of the conventional injection molding that uses a chemical blowing agent (CBA), to produce a porous core. The ever-increasing customer demands for quality and low cost have led to the requirement of best possible quality in injected parts. In view of this, mold designers are using Finite Element Method (FEM) models to optimize the process. This work aims to design a mold for injection of a large part with chemical blowing agent. In the mold design, 3D simulation software is used to predict possible problems that would exist in the mold and to present the advantages of injecting with the blowing agent. The injected component is a large-dimensions high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pallet. The mold was fabricated and the first parts had some problems of burr in the area of the hydraulic pins, which led to a revision of the adjustment of these components. However, the project was successfully completed and it is currently in service.