How to improve the fluidity of TPE materials?

In the processing of TPE materials, fluidity is a crucial performance indicator, which directly affects the molding efficiency, surface quality and final application effect of the product. Good fluidity can ensure that the TPE melt is quickly and evenly filled in the mold, reduce the generation of defects, and improve production efficiency and product quality. However, the fluidity of TPE is affected by many factors, including material formula, processing conditions, mold design, etc. Therefore, how to effectively improve the fluidity of TPE has become an urgent problem to be solved in the field of TPE material processing. So what are the methods to improve the fluidity of TPE? Let's follow the editor of Shenzhen Zhongsuwang TPE to take a look!

1. Material selection and formula adjustment
Select TPE materials with good fluidity: In the material selection stage, give priority to TPE grades or types with good fluidity, which is the basis for improving fluidity.
Adjust the formula:
Add lubricants: such as zinc stearate, stearate, silicone, etc. These lubricants can reduce friction between materials, reduce melt viscosity, and thus improve fluidity.
Add plasticizer: Plasticizer can penetrate into the molecular chains of TPE, increase the distance between chain segments, reduce melt viscosity and improve fluidity. Common plasticizers include phthalates and fatty acid esters.
Adjust the amount of oil filling: Adding an appropriate amount of oil filling in the TPE formula can improve the fluidity of the material. However, care should be taken to prevent excessive oil filling from causing subsequent precipitation of small molecules of white oil.
Choose suitable filling materials: such as glass fiber, mineral fillers, etc. These filling materials can improve the fluidity and processing performance of TPE materials to a certain extent. However, the impact on the performance of the final product needs to be considered.
2. Optimize processing conditions
Increase processing temperature:
Barrel temperature: Properly increasing the barrel temperature can increase the fluidity of TPE materials, making them easier to plasticize and extrude. However, care should be taken to avoid excessive temperature causing material degradation.
Mold temperature: Increasing the mold temperature can also help improve the fluidity of TPE materials, making it easier for the melt to fill the mold cavity. However, it should be noted that excessively high mold temperature may lead to prolonged cooling time and affect production efficiency.
Adjust injection speed and pressure:
Injection speed: Reducing the injection speed helps control the flow state of the melt and reduce the generation of surface defects such as ripples. However, too low an injection speed may affect production efficiency. Properly increasing the injection speed can help the material fill the mold quickly and reduce the problems caused by fluidity fluctuations.
Injection pressure: Properly increasing the injection pressure can overcome the resistance of the melt during the flow process and improve fluidity. However, too high pressure may cause flash and mold damage.
Optimize screw speed and compression ratio: Increasing the screw speed can increase shear force, promote plasticization and mixing of TPE raw materials, and improve fluidity. Properly adjusting the compression ratio of the screw and optimizing the residence time and temperature distribution of the material in the screw can also help improve fluidity.
3. Improve mold design
Optimize runner layout: Ensure that the runner is short and straight, avoid excessive bends and branches, so as to reduce the flow resistance of the melt in the mold.
Reasonably select the gate position and size: The gate position should be set at a position that is conducive to the flow of the melt, and the gate size should be moderate to avoid the melt solidifying at the gate or spraying.
Use hot runner technology: Hot runner technology can further improve the temperature uniformity and fluidity of the melt, which helps to solve the problem of unstable fluidity of TPE materials.
Fourth, strengthen equipment maintenance and management
Regularly maintain equipment: Regularly maintain and inspect injection molding machines, molds and other equipment to ensure the accuracy and stability of the equipment. In particular, the screw parts of the injection molding machine should be regularly checked for wear and the parts with severe wear should be replaced in time.
Cleaning equipment: Regularly clean impurities and residues in the equipment to avoid their impact on the fluidity of TPE materials.
Five, control external environmental factors
Temperature and humidity control: Ensure that the temperature and humidity of the TPE material processing environment are within an appropriate range. Excessive humidity may cause TPE raw materials to absorb moisture, increase melt viscosity, and reduce fluidity.
Raw material storage conditions: Ensure that TPE materials are stored in a dry, ventilated, and light-proof environment to avoid direct sunlight and high temperature. Turn the raw material stack regularly to prevent the bottom raw materials from being compressed and deformed for a long time.
6. Introduce an automated control system
By introducing an automated control system, various parameters in the processing process, such as temperature, pressure, speed, etc., can be accurately controlled to improve the stability and consistency of TPE material processing, thereby helping to improve fluidity.
The above is how to improve the fluidity of TPE materials. Improving the fluidity of TPE requires comprehensive consideration from multiple aspects such as material selection, formula adjustment, processing condition optimization, mold design improvement, equipment maintenance and management, external environmental factor control, and the introduction of an automated control system. By reasonably adjusting and controlling these factors, the fluidity of TPE can be effectively improved, thereby improving the processing efficiency and surface quality of TPE products.