Objective
PREDICTION OF COMPONENT THICKNESS IN THE BLOW MOULDING PROCESS A desirable feature of the blow moulding process is the prediction of component thickness. This would allow designers and manufacturers to better position material thus optimising the structural requirements of the part whilst minimising material usage. Accurate thickness prediction would further allow a full structural model of the part to be analysed. The objective of this project is to assess those factors affecting the prediction of wall thickness and construct a model capable of making the necessary calculations. This will involve polymer material characterisation and an understanding of polymer melt physics. The model developed will be validated by the SME consortium using a broad range of materials and component shapes to ensure accuracy is achieved. The SME's will define the accessible inputs and required outputs needed from the analysis. As the blow moulding process gains importance in the manufacture of structural parts this innovation will ensure more widespread usage as confidence in the process grows. Raw material savings alone have been estimated to be in excess of 13.65MECU
Funding Scheme
CRS - Cooperative research contractsCoordinator
CO10 7HJ Sudbury
United Kingdom
Participants (14)
40056 Crespellano
EC2M 7BA London
CT12 6HW Ramsgate
BL3 6NZ Bolton
59380 Bergues
LL13 9UZ Wrexham
WF15 6QA Liversedge - West Yorkshire
128 Castlepollard
LS12 6DX Leeds
SW1Y 6JP London
TW20 9NW Surrey
SY4 4NR Shrewsbury
SA2 8PP Swansea
M24 L0P Middleton
