Work

Efficient injection moulding using active vacuum venting

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Injection moulding is a leading polymer manufacturing technique that involves melting plastic material, injecting it into a cavity, and cooling it to solidify into the desired shape. Due to the complexity of many moulded parts, air may be trapped in dead-end areas of the cavities, leading to a range of quality issues ranging from cosmetic defects to functional failures, resulting in significant scrap rates. To ensure consistent part quality, venting plays a fundamental role. While passive venting is commonly employed, complex parts necessitate more efficient setups, called active vacuum venting systems (AVVSs). Conventional AVVSs involve bulky and costly equipment. This study proposes a sustainable assessment of a novel AVVS by focusing on its energy consumption. While the AVVS requires compressed air to generate a vacuum, it offsets this energy consumption by achieving a 9-17% shorter cycle-time. This leads to an overall 8-12% energy consumption reduction while increasing productivity. By comparing it to a moulding process without venting, this research evaluates the feasibility and benefits of implementing this AVVS to enhance energy efficiency, productivity, and product quality. Optimal injection parameters for both scenarios are established, and then the injection speeds are increased to assess the system’s performance under higher productivity settings.

Source: Procedia CIRP

DOI: 10.1016/j.procir.2025.02.132

Authors: Sarah Mifsud, Paul Refalo, Arif Rochman

Institution: University of Malta

Language: English

Topic: Injection Molding Process and Properties

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Università ta' Malta, Research Innovation and Development Trust, University of Malta