Application of injection-compression molding to thin-walled polymeric parts

In this study, we investigated the injection molding (IM) process for the production polymeric parts with thin walls. The injection molding process was numerically modelled, and thin-walled polymeric parts were injection-molded experimentally. In the case of polymeric parts with thin walls, it is critical to understand flow and heat transfer behavior in the mold during the process. Injection-compression molding (ICM) was adopted to fabricate the parts, and the resulting residual stress and warpage were evaluated. In addition, birefringence of the molded part was analyzed to validate the numerical results.