Integrative analysis of the injection molding process and mechanical behavior of plastic part

For parts made of plastics, injection molding is a common manufacturing process. Warpage and residual stress induced during the injection molding process have very important influences on the mechanical performance of injection products. In this paper, an integrative analysis of the injection molding process and mechanical performance of plastic parts is proposed. This integrative approach incorporates the effects of the manufacturing process in the mechanical simulation: (a) firstly, the finite element package MoldFlow is used to simulate the injection molding process and obtain the warpage and residual stress results. (b) Then the finite element model of plastic part including the process induced warpage and residual stress is established. Explicit dynamic finite element program LS-DYNA is used to simulate the mechanical behaviors of the molded part. Based on the integrative analysis, the influences of injection molding process parameters on mechanical behavior of a PC windshield against impact loading are studied.