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Automation and Control For Liquid Injection Molding Systems Progress and Future Challenges. James Glancey University of Delaware NSF/DOE/APC Workshop Future of Modeling in Composites Molding Processes Design and Optimization Group June 9-10, 2004. Presentation Overview.
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Automation and Control For Liquid Injection Molding SystemsProgress and Future Challenges James Glancey University of Delaware NSF/DOE/APC Workshop Future of Modeling in Composites Molding Processes Design and Optimization Group June 9-10, 2004
Presentation Overview • Potential Benefits of Automation and Control for LCM Systems • Benchmarks for Automation and Controls in Other Industries • Examples of Recent Developments • Localized Heating • Smart Injection Line and Real Time Adaptive Control Developments • Short and Long Term Automation Strategies for LCM
Key Issues to being Addressed in LCM Manufacturing • Quality • Need exists to continue to improve individual part quality • Dry spots/voids, especially with complex geometries • Cost • Abundant injection lines • Extended injection times • Trial and error approach for making parts • Overcoming “Manual Manufacturing Processes”
Potential Benefits of Automation • Improve controllability as a means to automate • Reduce manual operations • Improve part quality, reduce resin waste, and decrease injection for VARTM • Requirements: • Versatile • Simple • Low cost • System Integration • Value
Automated Manufacturing Benchmarks 2) CNC Machining 1) Flexible Manufacturing 3) Injection Molding Station
Example: Defect Reduction In Casting via Automation Common Casting Defects
Example of Automation in Composites-Pultrusion • Highly Automated • High Production Rates • Consistent, High Quality Parts • Technically and Economically Viable
Integrating Part Quality into the Manufacturing System On-Line Part Characterization and Statistical Quality Control Automated and Semi-Automated Quality Assessments
Current Work In VARTM • Controlling Resin Flow • within the Mold • Critical for Automation • Localized Heating • Segmented Injection Line • Flow Sensing • Real-Time Simulations • Closed-Loop Control High Permeability Region No Control High Permeability Region Controlled w/Segmented Line
Controller Design Traditional Form: r e u y PID Process Adaptive Form: y State Controller u Process Process Model e r State Calculation
Potential Strategies for LCM Automation • Short-term – Resin Flow Control • Continue to develop actuation methods (Smart Injection Line, Localized Heating, etc) • Develop Other Techniques • Work towards true closed-loop control of the flow • Long-Term – True System Automation • Integrate, Exploit and Adapt Existing Science and Technology • Computer Controls, Sensors, • Modern Control Theory - In Particular Stochastic Methods • System Integration • Integration of Quality Control into the Manufacturing Process