Study the Effect of Melt Temperature on Volumetric Shrinkage of ABS
LEGO Brick on Injection Molding Simulation Software
Hisham Butt, Ifrah Saleem, Ramasha Shakeel
Department of Polymer and Process Engineering
University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Hishambutt2016@[Link]
Abstract
Today most of the plastic parts having complex or simple geometries are made by the injection molding
process. Disparate types of injection molding Simulation Software’s are frequently used for structural
analysis and product’s real-world physical behavior by simulation. This report is written to interrogate the
effect of melt temperature on volumetric shrinkage of LEGO brick by SOLIDWORKS Simulation Software.
LEGO bricks are like toys used to make the giant structures. Different dimensional instabilities are reported
on LEGO bricks which effect its production and economics. Simulation is applied to ABS polymer at
different melt temperature conditions. The study shows that by changing the melt temperature volumetric
shrinkage also changes and there is direct relation between them which means by increasing the melt
temperature volumetric shrinkage increases.
Keywords: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Melt Temperature, Volumetric Shrinkage, Injection
Molding, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Analysis.
1. Introduction:
Injection molding process is one of the wide spread process used to make the plastic products having
different complex and simple geometries. Today a large number of plastic parts are made by injection
molding. The important parameters which effect the injection molding process are mold design, screw
design, part design, simulation analysis, polymer characteristics, uniform flow, equally heat distribution,
injection and clamping pressure. These are all the parameters which affect the quality of our final
product that is to be manufactured. To control all these parameters manufacturers and mold-makers are
now rely on simulation software in order to get more precise and accurate results. Simulation is now also
requiring getting better quality product and more importantly to save the money. Predictions with the
help of simulation have been enlarged which include the final product morphology, mold filling time,
melt temperature at different sides of the part, volumetric shrinkage, and exerted pressure. These
programs are very helpful for the final production performance.
A large number of researches had conducted a number of studies on volumetric shrinkage. A study from
Bushko and Stokes [1] who examined shrinkage on five different materials concluded that the important
factors affecting the measure are melt temperature and packing pressure. Jansen et al. [2] conducted
studies on seven different thermoplastics regarding shrinkage. They noted that by increasing the
melt temperature shrinkage increases and by increasing packing pressure shrinkage reduces.
Oliveira et al. [3] interrogated surface gloss of ABS. It was observed that the smoothness of mold
cavity increases the gloss surface with the increase of mold and melt temperature.
All the above studies shows that the melt temperature greatly affects the volumetric shrinkage, it
increases with the increase of melt temperature. This study also shows the same behavior which
will be helpful for industry and academic purposes.
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2. Experiments and Design
2.1 Selection of the Part
LEGO brick is a complex part in which a linear pattern of studs or cylindrical plumbs is difficult to attain.
Main measures of the part are 15.8mm×31.8mm×9.6mm. The two and three dimensional drawing of
LEGO brick with dimensions is shown in Fig 1.
(a)
LEGO bricks are one of the most used construction toys around the world. In 2014 60 billion LEGO parts
were made. These numbers shows a huge usage of these bricks. These bricks are used to make the giant
structures of different things. To build a smooth structure the dimensions of each brick must be accurate.
That’s why in this study we consider this part and analyze the volumetric shrinkage at different melt
temperature so that we can optimize our processing conditions to get the accurate and precise product.
2.2 Selection of the Polymer
Selection of the polymer mostly depends on the end use application and processing conditions. As we
selected LEGO brick our molding part so we must consider its end use application while selecting a
polymer. Impact strength, ease of processing, compatibility with the color or pigments, chemically inert,
weathering resistance, UV resistance, recyclable, less warpage and low fading with the time are the
properties to make the brick. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is such a polymer which has these
properties. It is thermoplastic amorphous polymer which becomes soft at certain heat. Its processing
temperature is 230 Celsius. It has a good impact strength and toughness. ABS is less subject to warping and
color fading. It is easily compatible with color which makes it a better choice for LEGO bricks.
2.2 Selection of the Processing Parameters
Please write the details of the processing parameters selected for simulations.
3. Results and Discussion
Please present your results in the form of graphs, tables or charts. The results should be discussed in details
highlighting the technical reasons of the observed trends. Please justify the results with the help of references.
4. Conclusion
Please write your conclusions here.
5. References
[1] W.C. Bushko, V.K. Stokes, Polym. Eng. Sci. 36, 322 (1996).
[2] K.M.B. Jansen, D.J. Van Dijk, M.H. Husselman, Polym. Eng. Sci. 38, 838 (1998).
[3] M.J. Oliveira, A.M. Brito, M.C. Costa, Polym. Eng. Sci. 46, 1394 (2006).