Section N. Application Information. Thermal Manufacturing Solutions. Extrusion N-1. Injection Moulding N-2 N-3. Other N-4

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1 Thermal Manufacturing Solutions Section N Application Information Extrusion Injection Moulding Other Electrical Heating Of Plastic Injection Molds Heating And Cooling Of Cores Electrically Heated Platens (Isoplatens) Electronic Cooling Devices N-1 N-2 N-3 N-4 N-9 N-17 N-21

2 APPLICATIONS - EXTRUSION EXTRUSION: a continuous process which "forces" molten plastic through a die to manufacture profiles or tubes. Plastic pellets enter a heated barrel and melt while being pushed up front by a feed screw. Due to friction, material inside barrel also has to be cooled so heaters around it are usually either water cooled cast-aluminum heaters, or fan cooled ceramic band heaters. Dies are heated as well, using mica strip or band heaters. All heaters being controlled by thermocouples, or sometimes RTD's hooked to individual temperature controllers or microprocessor multi-zone systems. Many extruders also have, in transition zone, an opening for melt pressure/temperature sensor. Imported extruders often use heaters with " european connectors", in stock at Acrolab! Ceramic Band Heater Mica Band Heater Mica Strip Heater Thermocouple N-1 Acrolab Ltd. PH: FX:

3 APPLICATIONS - INJECTION MOLDING INJECTION MOLDING : an intermittent process that alternately produces a quantity of molten plastic material, and shoots that material into a mold. A barrel/screw assembly melts a defined quantity of material then a hydraulic system pushes the screw forward to "inject" the plastic inside the mold, while the clamping system holds both halves of the mold together. Standard mica or ceramic band heaters are used to heat-up the barrel, and injection nozzle. Most presses have an integrated control system using thermocouples as temperature sensors. Use of energy saving insulating blankets is recommended. Molds have to be cooled for the material to solidify, thus allowing the final part to be ejected. Acrolab's Isobars can be used for cooling small cores or core pins. Hot runner systems reduce the amount of waste material by keeping the plastic from freezing inside the channels leading to cavities, using tubular heaters or cartridge heaters in the manifold itself, and coil heaters or mineral insulated band heaters on the nozzles/bushings. Hopper-loaders and colour mixers allow for colour changes by adding colour concentrates to the natural material. Ceramic Band Heater Mica Band Heater Thermocouple Cartridge Heater Tubular Heater Mineral Insulated Band Heater Coil Heater Acrolab Ltd. PH: FX: N-2

4 APPLICATIONS - OTHERS BLOW MOLDING : vertical heated barrel/screw assembly extrudes a "parison" ( plastic tube ) that is squeezed between the halves of a mold. Then air is shot inside the parison to blow the material against the walls of the mold. Heaters, thermocouples and controllers are similar to the ones used on injection molding machines. This is the preferred process for production of plastic bottles. INJECTION BLOW MOLDING : first, small size "preforms" are injection molded, then they are oven heated and finally "blown-up" to the final shape. Typical example of application for that process is the mass production of "2 litre soft drink bottles". Coil Heater Band Heater COMPRESSION MOLDING : combined action of temperature and pressure is used to mold thermoset parts. Molds or press platens are heated by cartridge heaters or tubular heaters and can be insulated with Haysite insulating boards. Tubular Heater Cartridge Heater ROTATIONAL MOLDING : plastic material in either liquid or powder form is poured inside a pre-heated mold that is tumbled so the resin melts and spreads over the inside wall of the mold. Depending on complexity of the part/mold, it is possible to improve heat transfer at the pre-heating stage by using Isobars inside some mold inserts. Pre-heating station is generally gas fired or electric oven. THERMO-FORMING : a plastic sheet is pre-heated then laid over a female mold where gravity allows the soft plastic material to "fill" the cavities. Pre-heating can be achieved by an array of radiant tubular heaters or ceramic infrared heaters. Thermal control is usually performed by timers, but infrared temperature sensors can be used with temperature controllers. VACUUM-FORMING : similar to thermo-forming but vacuum assisted. Other processes as Stretch Blow Molding, Transfer Molding, Die Casting, Laminating and Pultrusion would also require such products as thermocouples, heaters, controllers and accessories, all available from ACROLAB. N-3 Acrolab Ltd. PH: FX:

For Thermoset Systems Acrolab s Thermoset Isobar System can be incorporated into new or existing tool designs solving cycle time, curing time, and part quality issues.

Acrolab supplies a full range of engineering services for thermoset tools from design, to installation, to hands on customer service.

5 For Thermoset Systems Acrolab s Thermoset Isobar System can be incorporated into new or existing tool designs solving cycle time, curing time, and part quality issues. Acrolab s Isobar heat pipes are widely used in the thermoset industry. Isobars can bring heat rapidly and accurately to molding surfaces. This results in increased productivity. Acrolab supplies a full range of engineering services for thermoset tools from design, to installation, to hands on customer service. Acrolab engineers will work closely with you to achieve the optimal thermal design for you applications. Acrolab s Isobar s require no upkeep, therefore eliminating lengthy maintenance downtimes. Acrolab s Isobar s will last the length of the tool save you time and money on replacement parts.

ISOPLATENS Acrolab s Isoplaten ( The Intuitive Platen ) redistributes the energy generated by standard cartridge heaters to give molders rapid thermal recovery and unparalleled and linear temperature

Your tools operate with reduced energy demands, produce better quality molded parts and allow you to use faster curing compounds with narrower thermal processing windows.

6 ISOPLATENS Acrolab s Isoplaten ( The Intuitive Platen ) redistributes the energy generated by standard cartridge heaters to give molders rapid thermal recovery and unparalleled and linear temperature distribution along the whole platen surface. Your tools operate with reduced energy demands, produce better quality molded parts and allow you to use faster curing compounds with narrower thermal processing windows. Uniformly Cure Parts Resulting In Better Quality Reduce cycle time Reduce Thermal Energy Required From Heaters Energy Cost Savings Save On Time Evenly Heat Thermal Sensitive Parts Eliminate Hot Spots Reduce Scrap Acrolab s Isoplatens provide high levels of thermal stability to press platen applications and can be designed for electric, oil, or steam heating. Integral water cooling lines for fast process temperature changes are available. The standard Isoplaten is electronically heated and has an operating range of ambient to 500 F. Acrolab engineered bi-level Isoplatens can hold a thermal uniformity of +/- 5 F over 90% of the surface of the Isoplaten. These results allow a substantial improvement in cycle times, start up times, thermal recovery rates, and improved part quality. The Isoplaten s Unique thermal uniformity permits the use ofone single zone temperature controller for the entire platen. No special multi-zone controls, heaters, or thermocouples are required.

With Acrolab Isobar core technology cores are heated or cooled more quickly and more uniformly.

7 CORE TECHNOLOGY Acrolab offers innovative Isobar core technology. With Isobar infiltrated cores you can heat or cool parts in almost half the time as solid steel core pins. With Acrolab Isobar core technology cores are heated or cooled more quickly and more uniformly. Above Figure Shows Temperature Uniformity Of An Acrolab Isobar Core pin Vs a Standard Solid Core pin. Heating of Core Pins to Steady State Isobar VS. Solid Core Pin Temperature (C) With Isobars Without Isobars Time (Minutes)

8 ELECTRONIC COOLING Acrolab Engineers Electric Cooling Systems Cooling Diagnostic Equipment Gas Analyzing Equipment Fluid Analyzing Equipment Blood Warming Aircraft Cooling Water Purification Aircraft Engine Heating LED Cooling

The Isobar System from Acrolab...

The Isobar System from Acrolab... Temperature scale C F 210-200 - 190-180 - 170 - - 417-397 - 377-357 - 337 Traditional Heat Transfer The Isobar System Effective, affordable heat transfer technology that