David O. Kazmer, P.E., Ph.D.
Specializing in integrated polymer product and process design (IPPPD)

26.576 Advanced Mold Design

SYLLABUS:

ADVANCED MOLD DESIGN

 

Instructor Information

Name: David Kazmer

Phone: (978) 934-2962

Fax: (978) 458-4141

Postal mail: David Kazmer, Dept. Plastics Engineering, 1 University Ave., Lowell, MA 01854 USA

Email: Please email me through this WebCT Course website only; this is a requirement of the Continuing Studies office. 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides an integrated approach to mold engineering which includes the interrelationships of polymeric materials, engineering principles, processing, and plastics product design. Major topics include cost estimation, mold layout design, feed system design, cooling system design, structural system design, and ejector system design. Analytical treatment of the subject matter is given based on the relevant rheology, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid flow and strength of materials.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this course, you should understand the fundamentals about and be able to:

·         Identify every component and related functions in different types of injection molds;

·         Redesign plastic parts for injection molding;

·         Develop cost estimates for molded plastic parts, and recommend appropriate mold design strategies;

·         Develop suitable mold layout designs;

·         Predict molding pressures and redesign the cavity, feed system, and gates to ensure molding productivity;

·         Analyze the heat flow in an injection mold and design appropriate cooling systems;

·         Evaluate the forces and stresses in injection molds, and develop structural support systems to reduce stresses and deflection;

·         Design ejection systems including ejector pins and slides;

·         Understand the motivation and mold design for advanced molding processes including gas assist, multi-shot molding, injection compression, stack molds, and other technologies.

 

COURSE TEXTBOOK

David Kazmer, Injection Mold Engineering, 1st Edition, 2007, Hanser. Developed specifically for this course.

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

The syllabus and assignments for the course follow. New materials will be released on Tuesdays around noon; assignments are to be completed by Tuesday of the following week (see below). Chats will be conducted on Thursdays from noon to 1:00PM EST, with the intent to discuss the current week's concepts and cover any questions pertaining to the past or current homework.

Session

Topic

Reading

Due

1

Introduction to Injection Molds

Chapter 1

 

2

Plastic Part Design

Chapter 2

Hmk 1

3

Cost Estimation

Chapter 3

Hmk 2

4

Mold Layout Design

Chapter 4

Hmk 3

5

Cavity Filling

Chapter 5

Hmk 4

6

Feed System Design

Chapter 6

Hmk 5

7

Gating Design

Chapter 7

Hmk 6

8

Venting

Chapter 8

Hmk 7

9

Cooling System Design

Chapter 9

Hmk 8

10

Shrinkage and Warpage

Chapter 10

Hmk 9

11

Ejector System Design

Chapter 11

Hmk 10

12

Structural System Design

Chapter 12

Hmk 11

13

Mold Standards & Commissioning

Chapter 13

Hmk 12

14

Advanced Mold Designs

Chapter 14

Prj 3

 

COURSE GRADING

The grading for the course is intended to provide students ample opportunity to practice and demonstrate the course concepts. Homework and project assignments are to be completed individually.

Grading Component

Weighting

Total

12 Homework Assignments

5%

60%

Course Project

30%

30%

Course Participation

N/A

10%

Total

N/A

100%

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND SUBMISSION

Homework assignments are listed in the schedule above. Completed assignments should be provided via the on-line course drop box. NOTE THESE IMPORTANT ITEMS:

·        Please provide your homework solutions as Adobe pdf or TIF files… you can use word, excel, ppt and the Adobe pdf printer.

·        Alternatively, you can write & sketch on paper and then scan the solutions.

·        In either case, please name your file using the assignment number (below) followed by your last name (e.g. HMK2Smith, or PRJ3Gupta).

·        Always keep copies of your work.

·        I will try to grade and provide written feedback for you within a week.

 

COURSE COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATION

Just like as in a conventional course, student participation is a vital component to the learning environment. Just as in a regular course, students are of course expected to complete the readings and assignments. In addition, however, students are expected to communicate via e-mail, discussion boards, and real-time chat.

E-mails are welcomed and certainly appropriate for private inquiries. If you believe that even a single other student may be interested in your thoughts, then the discussion forum is likely a better mechanism for posting your ideas and soliciting feedback since: 1) it provides an archive of the communication, and 2) it allows others to consider and contribute to the conversation.

For this reason, 10% of the course grade is derived based on student's course participation. The participation score is awarded on a 1% weekly pass/fail basis. If the student provides at least one "good" post, then the full 1% is awarded. By "good", I mean that the post was a sincere query or response, and not just noise.

In addition, a weekly chat will be conducted on Chats will be conducted on Thursdays from noon to 1:00PM EST. The chat is not required or graded, but is intended to discuss the current week's concepts and cover any questions pertaining to the homework. As such, participation in the chat should assist your learning and may improve your performance in the course.