Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) have been widely applied in the injection molding industry based on their advantages. TPEs are gradually being used instead of engineering thermoplastic polymers, which are adopted for precision parts. It is therefore necessary to study the mechanical properties of TPEs molding, which are influenced by the injection molding parameters. In this study, Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV), which are a type of TPE, were molded by an injection molding process. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, shrinkage rate and hardness were measured for molding carried out with variation of the injection molding parameters. In the experiment results, the injection pressure and melt temperature affected the strength of the molding. As these parameters increased, the tensile strength also increased. In the case of the shrinkage rate of molding, the shrinkage rate was decreased by increasing the injection pressure, holding pressure, and melt temperature. In the case of the hardness, the hardness was slightly increased by increasing the injection pressure. Appropriate injection molding parameters could then reinforce the tensile strength, hardness and improve the dimensional accuracy of TPEs molding.
Keywords: Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs), Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV), Injection Pressure, Holding Pressure, Melt Temperature, Tensile Strength