Closed-Loop Tension Control System for Injection Moulding Machine

Abstract

Injection Moulding is used for mass production of plastic goods. Many moulded plastic parts such as telephone cover, mobile phone handset, laptops and so on are plastic parts obtained through injection moulding. One variant of injection moulding called reel to reel moulding where a filament is passed through the mould and components are moulded directly to it to create a chain of components. Current injection moulding machine faces spillage problem since it uses servo motor drive system responsible for the transportation of filament materials into mould unit. When the mould unit is full, this drive keeps transporting filament materials without proper control. This project developed a closed loop feedback tension control system and it is to replace servo motor drive system for the transportation of filament and it demonstrated a new technological advancement and the theory of moulding which prevents possible spillage occurrences. The components for this system were the motor, the power processor, the control unit, and the electrical source. The tension control system undergoing dynamic and static processes. During the dynamic process, the tension control system moved either forward or backward to facilitate the moulding process. Static process was when the system was not moving until next injection began. In any of these processes, the system was to ensure significant tension control in the filament. The design system process began by selection of components with justification. These components were then assembled and tested using Arduino platform with C-programming and finally, conclusion and recommendation were drawn.

Keywords: Injection moulding, Arduino, tension, closed loop.