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Real-time process monitoring of micromoulding using integrated ultrasonic sensors

Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council Canada, Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, J4B 6Y4, yuuono{at}sce.carleton.ca, Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 5B6

B.R. Whiteside

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1 DP, UK

E.C. Brown

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1 DP, UK

M. Kobayashi

Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council Canada, Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, J4B 6Y4

C.-C. Cheng

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2A4, Department of Electrical Engineering, Hsiuping Institute of Technology, Da-Li, Taichung, Taiwan

C.-K. Jen

Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council Canada, Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, J4B 6Y4

P.D. Coates

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1 DP, UK

Real-time, non-intrusive and non-destructive process monitoring of micromoulding has been performed using novel ultrasonic sensors integrated onto the barrel and mould insert with an ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. The relative variation of the polymer melt temperature inside the extrusion barrel can be obtained using the ultrasonic velocities of the melt measured at the barrel during extrusion. Melt flow arrival in the mould, and solidification, shrinkage and detachment of the polymer inside the mould cavity are also successfully monitored. The presented ultrasonic sensors and technique enable optimizing the micromoulding process, and improving quality of the moulded parts and process efficiency.

Key Words: detachment • high temperature ultrasonic transducer • micromoulding • process monitoring • shrinkage • solidification.

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Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, Vol. 29, No. 5, 383-401 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0142331207080153


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ono, Y. Articles by Coates, P.D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?