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Mark P Kearns Moulding Research Manager Polymer Processing Research Centre Future Proofing the Rotational Moulding Process: R&D Activities at The Polymer Processing Research Centre

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Page 1: Future Proofing the Rotational Moulding Process: R&D ...nordicarm.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ARMO-2012-File-4-MARK... · Future Proofing the Rotational Moulding ... • The Rotational

Mark P Kearns

Moulding Research Manager

Polymer Processing Research Centre

Future Proofing the Rotational Moulding Process:

R&D Activities at The Polymer Processing Research

Centre

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Queens University, Belfast is involved in a number of important ‘future-proofing’ R&D projects for the rotomoulding industry. ‘Future-Proofing’: “The process of trying to anticipate future developments, so that actions can be taken to seize opportunities and minimise negative consequences.”

Future Proofing the Rotomoulding

Industry

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This is what Rotomoulders seem to do really well… • Mould a lot of large, hollow parts e.g. big tanks

• Mould different types of polyethylene

• Use relatively cheap moulds

• Build our own rotomoulding machines

• Make parts with nearly uniform walls

Current Technical Status of our Industry

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This is what some Rotomoulders are learning (starting?) to do… • Monitor mould, material and oven temperatures

• Buy standardised rotomoulding machines

• Mould a few non-PE plastics e.g. PP / PA

• Build good quality tooling

• Decorate in the mould • Use robotic finishing techniques

Current Technical Status of our Industry

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This is what most Rotomoulders are not really too good at… • Reducing cycle times - heating, cooling, material handling

• Moulding engineering plastics e.g. ABS, PC, PEEK

• Making efficient use of energy

• Using pressurised moulds

• Holding close tolerances

• Making quality foamed parts

Current Technical Status of our Industry

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Current Technical Status of our Industry

Summary: 1. Rotomoulding competes well in design and overall dimensional

versatility

2. Rotomoulding lags in production, equipment and tooling

3. Rotomoulding lags in dimensional stability, material selection, ease of material/part handling

4. Rotomoulding lags in energy efficiency, cycle time, process monitoring/control

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So what do we do? • Nothing

• Moan / complain about the competition

• Continue to ‘fiddle’ with the process without real technical input

• Play around with samples from material suppliers but never really ‘evaluate’

Current Technical Status of our Industry

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So what should we do?

• Try to understand, monitor and eventually control the process better

• Adopt innovative technologies

• Consolidate and share technical advances for the sake of the industry

• Support major R&D / academic efforts to improve and advance the process

Current Technical Status of our Industry

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• The Rotational moulding industry in Europe consists of some 350+ companies around 90% of which are SME’s. Representing almost 30% of the global rotomoulding community.

• The EU sector is affected by globalisation and increased competition. This is especially significant for rotomoulding, as it is currently a labour-intensive and relatively slow process. • Therefore, continual innovation and expansion into new areas and applications is necessary in order to keep the rotomoulding community at the forefront.

Future Proofing the Rotomoulding

Industry

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• Achieved through access to cutting-edge technologies within Europe’s leading research institutions (RTD), and through collaboration with counterparts across Europe. • A ‘supply chain’ approach is essential where material suppliers, machinery manufacturers, mould makers, moulders, designers, and end-users collaborate. • Providing a step change in the sophistication of rotomoulding, leading to greatly more efficient processing and value-added products that cannot be produced with existing technologies.

Future Proofing the Rotomoulding

Industry

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The EU Commission helps provide support aimed at SMEs or SME Associations in need of outsourcing research where.... R&D carried out by RTD’s on behalf of SMEs / Industrial Associations in order to expand their knowledge base and to improve their general standard of competitiveness.

European Commission Research For SMEs

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1. ‘Intelligent Process Control for Rotational Moulding’ (Internal Cooling ~ €500k – Completed July 02)

2. ‘Development of innovative high performance anodised aluminium moulding

tools for the thermoplastic processing sector to achieve competitive advantage’ (Alamo ~ €600k – Completed Jan 06)

3. ‘Development of an efficient heating and cooling technology system for the reduction of cycle time, product cost and energy consumption’

(Rotofast ~ €2.66m – started Aug 10)

QUB Rotomoulding

European Funded R&D Projects

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4. ‘Development of an automated process to extract natural fibres from waste food production for exploitation as a sustainable reinforcement in injection and rotomoulded products’ (Badana ~ €700k – started July 09)

5. ‘Innovative rotomoulding development to improve cycle times and process efficiency whilst facilitating greater flexibility in product design and integrity for the SME-rotomoulding sector’(Rotoflex ~ €1.23m – started Jan 09)

QUB Rotomoulding

European Funded R&D Projects

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6. ‘The Development Of Advanced Retro-Fit Processing Technologies For

Rotational Moulding To Reduce Product Cost and Processing Time and Increase Surface Quality’ (Micromelt ~ €2.55m – Completed Aug 09 )

QUB Rotomoulding

European Funded R&D Projects

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Multi-layer Applications

Courtesy of Total Petrochemicals: Made with BioTP SealTM Technology

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Rotoflex – FP7 EU Rotomoulding

Project

‘Innovative rotomoulding development to improve cycle times and

process efficiency whilst facilitating greater flexibility in product design

and integrity for the SME-rotomoulding sector’

Start Date: 1st January 2009

Finish Date: 31st December 2011

Total Project Value €1.23m (www.rotoflex-eu.org)

Feed

Feed

Feed

N2 gas

Internal

cooling

Computer control

a) b)

c)

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Overall Technical Strategy

Development of a ‘universal’ automatic feed system that can be attached to any mould, such that if required materials and fluids may be fed at any stage in the rotational moulding cycle.

The goal is that Rotoflex will facilitate the accurate, controlled delivery of resins, reinforcements, additives, inert gas, coolant media and mould pressurisation leading to the development of advanced polymer composites. The intention is to develop a system that can be configured to fit existing rotomoulding machines.

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•Development of feed pipe end connection

•Development of connection mechanism

•Development of mould end connection

•Machine – control mechanism to position arm / mould

•Mould – positioning to accommodate connection and

mould filling / multi-shot moulding

Technical Strategy

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Off-Line Test Rig

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Prototype

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Autopark Development

•The Autopark system was designed and installed on the rotomoulding machine to allow the positioning of the mould in the correct orientation in both the plate and arm direction

•This allows for correct alignment of the material delivery lance as it is lowered vertically from the roof through the oven. •The system operates by having two sensors, one on the arm which senses when the arm is on the horizontal axis.

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Installation of Material Feed System

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Test Mould with Profit Pins

Source : Maack Business Services

• 4 kg of Natural PE in mould from

start (No material added) normal

cycle carried out

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Two Layer & Four Layer Mouldings

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Material Feed System – Dissemination

Feed system has been validated to provide data for industrial trials which

involved substantial testing and rotomoulding trials using a range of

conventional and engineering polymer materials and fibres.

Trials were conducted to determine optimum process parameters to

produce a range of complex and innovative multi-layer mouldings e.g. skin-

foam-skin; multi-layer engineering polymer structures as well as fibre-

reinforced composites with multiple alternating layers of polymer and fibre.

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• Fundamental understanding of the effect of water spray to cool molten polyethylene – spray nozzles, water characteristics, etc

• Experimental • Nozzle Type • DOE Study • Test mould analysis • Mechanical and Shrinkage Testing

• Industrial Water Cooling Trials

Internal Mould Water Spray

Cooling

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Ambient Cooling

Polarised Microscopy - Magnification 500X

Nozzle B

1.5Bar Air 2Bar Water

Nozzle A

2.5Bar Air 2.5Bar Water

100m 100m

Water Mass Flow Rate ~ 0.34 kg/min

100m

sample thickness: 15 micron

3.4 deg C/min 26.9 deg C/min 31.3 deg C/min

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Sturdy Mould - Ext. Air Cool Only

0

50

100

150

200

250

00:00:00 00:07:12 00:14:24 00:21:36 00:28:48 00:36:00 00:43:12 00:50:24

Time (min)

Tem

p.

(ºC

)

100% Air Cool Int. Air

100% Air Cool Melt

Sturdy Mould - Comparison of Int. Air at 180ºC

0

50

100

150

200

250

00:00:00 00:07:12 00:14:24 00:21:36 00:28:48 00:36:00

Time (min)

Tem

p.

(ºC

)

180ºC Ext Water Cool Int. Air

180ºC Ext + Int Water Int. Air

Sturdy Mould - Comparison of Int. Air at 120ºC

0

50

100

150

200

250

00:00:00 00:07:12 00:14:24 00:21:36 00:28:48 00:36:00 00:43:12

Time (min)

Tem

p.

(ºC

)

120ºC Ext Water Cool Int. Air

120ºC Ext + Int Water Int. Air

Steel Test Mould – Internal Air Ext. Water Cooling Vs. Ext. Water + Int. Water Cooling

• Steel Mould

• Shot weight = 8.4kg

• Wall thickness ~ 6mm

• Dim: 500 x 500 x 520mm

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Sturdy Mould - Comparison of Ext. Water and Ext. Air

0

50

100

150

200

250

00:00:00 00:07:12 00:14:24 00:21:36 00:28:48 00:36:00 00:43:12 00:50:24

Time (min)

Tem

p.

(ºC

)

180ºC Ext Water Cool Int. Air

180ºC Ext Water Cool Melt

120ºC Ext Water Cool Melt

120ºC Ext Water Cool Int. Air

100% Air Cool Int. Air

100% Air Cool Melt

Steel Test Mould Ext. Water Cooling Vs. Ext. Water + Int. Water Cooling

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Ext. Water Cooling Only

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Ext.+ Int. Water Cooling

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• Underground Septic Tank

• Wall thickness = 8-10 mm

• Steel tool

B almoral T rial S eptic 61

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

T ime (min)

Te

mp

era

ture

(ºC

)

Mould S eptic 61

O ven S eptic 61

Int. Air S eptic 61

Internal Water Cooling

Septic Tank

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Internal Water Cooling

Underground Tank

K over T rial Normal C ooling Vs . Water C ooling

0

50

100

150

200

250

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

T ime (min)

Te

mp

era

ture

(ºC

)

Mould Water C ool

Int. Air Water C ool

Mould Air C ool

Int. Air Air C ool

• PE = 270kg

• 6500 litre

• Wall thickness = 8mm

• Steel tool

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Internal Water Cooling

Industrial street cleaning product

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Int. + Ext. Water Cool

External Air Cool

Internal Water Cooling

Industrial street cleaning product

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• Average cycletime savings of 15 - 20% achievable with no effect on inside surface quality

• With further optimisation 25%+ possible combining external water cooling and applying internal water at higher internal air temperatures

Industrial Trials to date:

Dissemination Papers / Articles:

• The Development of Internal Water Cooling Techniques for the Rotational Moulding Process – ANTEC 2009 pp. 1961-1965

• The Effects of Water Droplet Size and Velocity on Spray Cooling of Polymers during Rotational Moulding – ANTEC 2009

pp.1951 - 1955

• Pan-European Rotomoulding Research: “The Micromelt Project ” Volume IV, Issue 6, November – December 2008

• Rotoworld Article, “The Use of Internal Mould Cooling in the Rotational Moulding Process” Volume V, Issue 3, May-June

2009

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Collaboration = Results

Maus GmbH, mould makers, Germany and Queens University, Belfast

partner on the development of a self contained, automatic, internal water

cooling spray device -

Rotocooler©

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Rotocooler©

• The Rotocooler device attaches and travels with the mould.

• At the appropriate temperature / time it accurately sprays a

controlled water jet into the centre of the rotating moulding.

• The effect of this is to internally cool the plastic part.

• There is no detrimental effect on part quality.

• There is no detrimental effect on mechanical properties.

• There is a reduction in cooling time.

• There is a reduction in warpage / shrinkage.

• Balanced internal / external cooling is achievable.

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Rotocooler©

For further details on Rotocooler contact:

Oliver Wandres

Maus

Am Viehweg 9 - D-76229 Karlsruhe

Tel.: +49-(0)721-94874-0 Fax: -44

www.maus-gmbh.de

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Research and Development

• R & D is a process intended to create new or improved technology that can provide a competitive advantage. • An R&D project to improve a product or service has a far higher chance of success than one aimed at creating a completely new product or service.

• While the rewards can be very high, the process of technological innovation is complex and risky. R&D always carries an element of risk • Returns from R&D can be considerably greater than for other investments - and could even ensure your business' future survival.

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Thanks…

If your interested in taking part in EU Framework projects contact:

Mark Kearns Moulding Research Manager

Polymer Processing Research Centre Ashby Building

Stranmillis Road Belfast

N. Ireland BT9 5AH

T: +44 2890 974711 F: +44 2890 660631

[email protected]