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Student paper

From packaging waste to injection molded component: Investigation of PE/PP mixtures in the injection molding process

Project work or research laboratory

Generate new knowledge to close material cycles: How do recyclate-like PP/PE mixtures behave during injection molding?

Topic of the work:

Implementing a circular economy in the packaging sector brings with it many challenges. One of these is that perfect separation of the PP and PE fractions is not economically feasible when sorting household plastic waste. These two polymers are considered incompatible, so the quality of the finished part is reduced by using blends of these materials.

Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to investigate how mixtures of these polymers behave during processing in injection molding: At which points in the component does segregation take place and to what extent, and what specific effects does this have on the mechanical properties?

Stuwi-ReDesign© IKV
Differences in the appearance of the polymer phases in the injection-moulded part depending on the mixing ratio

The work is related to this research project:

The work is part of the “ReDesign” project. This project investigates the behavior of material mixtures that are based on recyclates from household collections. The findings will be used to adapt the design of injection molded parts and the process layout to the use of recyclate from the ground up in the future.

Objective:

The aim of this work is to investigate local segregation effects and the impact on the mechanical properties during injection molding. You will produce injection molded parts from mixtures with different ratios of PP and PE. You will carry out analyses on the manufactured parts to find out how the composition of the polymer mixture and the mechanical properties behave at different points on the component.

Your task:

Creating an experimental plan Literature research on the processing of polymer mixtures
Carrying out injection molding tests with various PP/PE mixtures Creating a test plan
Analysis of the manufactured components Carrying out injection molding tests with various PP/PE mixtures and process parameters
Analysis of the manufactured components and reference to the process parameters

Your profile:

  • Technical or scientific studies
  • You should have an enthusiasm for plastics technology.
  • Practical experience in plastics processing makes it easier to get started, but is not a prerequisite

These are your benefits:

  • Work in a young, motivated team
  • Independent work with intensive support
  • Co-design of current research projects
  • Individual coordination of tasks and time frame
  • Experimental work on modern industrial plants
  • Fast processing, direct contact for questions during processing
  • Varied mix of research, experimental work and analytics
  • Immediate start possible

Are you interested? Feel free to contact me if you would like to work on this topic with the task at IKV. We will coordinate the exact scope and schedule individually with each other!