Effect of Cooling Parameters on In-Mold Flow Behavior in the Microinjection Molding of Piezoelectric Pumps

Abstract

In this study, the analysis of piezoelectric pumps produced by microinjection was conducted in a computational setting. Using the Face-Centered Cubic (FCC) design of experiments approach, this analysis examined in detail how cooling water temperature and Reynolds number impact product quality and production performance. With cooling water inlet temperatures between 20°C and 30°C and Reynolds numbers from 8000 to 12000, several critical quality parameters were analyzed, including fill time, injection pressure, wall shear stress, sink mark depth, volumetric shrinkage and residual deformation. The results showed that maintaining injection pressure between 113.8 and 116.1 MPa supported effective mold filling, while wall shear stress values between 0.2566 and 0.2617 MPa preserved mold longevity and enhanced surface quality. Volumetric shrinkage held at 2.775% improved dimensional accuracy and product stability, and controlling sink mark depth between 0.2995 and 0.2999 mm minimized surface deformation. Additionally, an optimized fill time of 0.3327 seconds ensured consistent temperature distribution during filling, enhancing overall fill quality. These findings illustrate that by optimizing cooling parameters and flow control, high-quality, dimensionally accurate piezoelectric pumps can be manufactured via microinjection. This study provides a comprehensive methodology to improve both production efficiency and product quality. Furthermore, the presented data will serve as a valuable guide for researchers in the production of piezoelectric pumps using the microinjection molding method. © 2024 Society of Automotive Engineers Turkey. All rights reserved.