In-mold Measurement of Melt Velocity Vector by Optical Fiber Sensor

Abstract

For precise injection molding, it is quite effective to monitor molding phenomena inside a cavity per each shot; such as pressure profiles, melt temperature profiles, etc. We proposed a new sensor for measuring the flow front velocity vector, which has three optical fibers inserted into the pin edge. Experiment results indicate that the new sensor can successfully be used as a practical tool for measuring the flow front speed velocity vector. In addition, it was also confirmed that even a single optical sensor can precisely detect the melt front velocity focusing on the change of output profile.