智能注射成形中工艺参数的多目标自学习优化

注射成形工艺参数是保障产品质量的关键因素。传统试错法严重依赖工艺人员的试模经验,随着注射成形工艺广泛应用于电子、航空航天等国家战略领域,产品的高端化对工艺参数智能化设置水平提出更高的要求。由于成形产品存在多方面的质量要求,且不同质量指标间可能相互制约,因此亟需一种工艺参数多目标智能优化方法,以获得不同优化目标间的帕累托最优。已有学者利用智能优化方法,如非支配排序遗传算法等,对多目标优化问题进行求解,但是此类方法需大量样本数据对质量-参数关系进行建模,存在试验次数多、且对不同材料及模具的适应性较差等问题。为解决上述问题,提出一种注射成形工艺参数多目标自学习优化方法,在优化过程中实时计算并更新各个工艺参数的梯度,并由不同质量指标的多梯度下降算法对多个目标函数进行优化,在优化过程中实现各工艺参数对产品质量影响程度的自主学习,省去了采集大量数据来建立多个质量模型的过程,实现了注射成形工艺参数的高效智能优化。在基准测试函数实验中,所提方法的优化结果与理论解的相对误差小于2%。同时数值仿真与注射成形实验结果表明,所提方法能高效获得多个优化目标的帕累托最优。     

基于BP-NSGA的注塑参数多目标智能优化设计

为获得成型性能最优的注塑参数设计方案,提出了基于BP神经网络和非支配排序遗传算法的注塑参数多目标优化方法。将注塑模结构尺寸参数和注塑工艺参数作为待优化的设计变量,建立了以高质量、低成本、高效率为优化目标的注塑参数优化设计模型。基于非支配排序遗传算法获取给定参数范围内的所有Pareto最优解,并通过建立多输入和多输出的BP神经网络来快速获得非支配排序遗传算法优化进程中所有个体的适应度值。开发了基于BP神经网络与非支配排序遗传算法集成的注塑参数智能优化设计系统,并通过鼠标注塑参数设计实例,验证了其适用性和有效性。     

Multi-objective optimization of injection molding process parameters in two stages for multiple quality characteristics and energy efficiency using Taguchi method and NSGA-II

In this paper, the parameters optimization of plastic injection molding (PIM) process was obtained in systematic optimization methodologies by two stages. In the first stage, the parameters, such as melt temperature, injection velocity, packing pressure, packing time, and cooling time, were selected by simulation method in widely range. The simulation experiment was performed under Taguchi method, and the quality characteristics (product length and warpage) of PIM process were obtained by the computer aided engineering (CAE) method. Then, the Taguchi method was utilized for the simulation experiments and data analysis, followed by the S/N ratio method and ANOVA, which were used to identify the most significant process parameters for the initial optimal combinations. Therefore, the range of these parameters can be narrowed for the second stage by this analysis. The Taguchi orthogonal array table was also arranged in the second stage. And, the Taguchi method was utilized for the experiments and data analysis. The experimental data formed the basis for the RSM analysis via the multi regression models and combined with NSGS-II to determine the optimal process parameter combinations in compliance with multi-objective product quality characteristics and energy efficiency. The confirmation results show that the proposed model not only enhances the stability in the injection molding process, including the quality in product length deviation, but also reduces the product weight and energy consuming in the PIM process. It is an emerging trend that the multi-objective optimization of product length deviation and warpage, product weight, and energy efficiency should be emphasized for green manufacturing.     

An integrated parameter optimization system for MISO plastic injection molding

This paper presents the development of a parameter optimization system that integrates mold flow analysis, the Taguchi method, analysis of variance (ANOVA), back-propagation neural networks (BPNNs), genetic algorithms (GAs), and the Davidon–Fletcher–Powell (DFP) method to generate optimal process parameter settings for multiple-input single-output plastic injection molding. In the computer-aided engineering simulations, Moldex3D software was employed to determine the preliminary process parameter settings. For process parameter optimization, an L₂₅ orthogonal array experiment was conducted to arrange the number of experimental runs. The injection time, velocity pressure switch position, packing pressure, and injection velocity were employed as process control parameters, with product weight as the target quality. The significant process parameters influencing the product weight and the signal to noise (S/N) ratio were determined using experimental data based on the ANOVA method. Experimental data from the Taguchi method were used to train and test the BPNNs. Then, the BPNN was combined with the DFP method and the GAs to determine the final optimal parameter settings. Three confirmation experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system. Experimental results show that the proposed system not only avoids shortcomings inherent in the commonly used Taguchi method but also produced significant quality and cost advantages.     

A combined analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and Taguchi experimental design (TED) for plastic injection molding process settings

Injection molding process is without doubt a multi-objective process if processing time, productivity, effectiveness, and the multi-criteria quality of the product are taken into consideration. Process settings affect the degree by which these objectives are realized. This work suggests a new proposal for evaluating optimal process settings through the handling of the plastic injection molding process in the same approach as a traditional multi-objective multi-criteria process. In a sense, there are numerous objective functions including cooling time, volumetric shrinkage, warpage, sink marks, residual stresses, and various process settings including temperature, pressure, etc. Within the suggested proposal, the Taguchi experimental design is used to generate a balanced set of experiments to explore the process; then, the finite element software SIMPOE is used to evaluate the behavior of the injection molding at each experimental setting. Analytical hierarchical process is then employed for multiple comparisons of the objectives and experiments as such to give the overall objective weight for each process setting (experiment). Analysis of variance is then used to evaluate the significant factors and the optimal setting of the process. This technique proved effective to obtain compliance between process design and several common manufacturer preferences, although the considered part was not changed.     

Multiobjective optimization of injection molding parameters based on soft computing and variable complexity method

The objective of this study is to propose an intelligent methodology for efficiently optimizing the injection molding parameters when multiple constraints and multiple objectives are involved. Multiple objective functions reflecting the product quality, manufacturing cost and molding efficiency were constructed for the optimization model of injection molding parameters while multiple constraint functions reflecting the requirements of clients and the restrictions in the capacity of injection molding machines were established as well. A novel methodology integrating variable complexity methods (VCMs), constrained non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm (CNSGA), back propagation neural networks (BPNNs) and Moldflow analyses was put forward to locate the Pareto optimal solutions to the constrained multiobjective optimization problem. The VCMs enabled both the knowledge-based simplification of the optimization model and the variable-precision flow analyses of different injection molding parameter schemes. The Moldflow analyses were applied to collect the precise sample data for developing BPNNs and to fine-tune the Pareto-optimal solutions after the CNSGA-based optimization while the approximate BPNNs were utilized to efficiently compute the fitness of every individual during the evolution of CNSGA. The case study of optimizing the mold and process parameters for manufacturing mice with a compound-cavity mold demonstrated the feasibility and intelligence of proposed methodology.     

Experimental-based optimization of polymer injection molding process parameters using anfis-ga method

Compared with ordinary injection-molded parts, the slender, cantilevered, and thin-walled plastic parts are harsh on the injection molding process conditions. For complexity and particularity, it is difficult to form such parts. It is also more likely to cause excessive warpage deformation, affecting the molding quality and performance. The automobile audio shell is a typical slender, cantilevered, thin-walled plastic part. When the mold structure and material are determined, optimizing its injection molding process is the most economical and effective method to manufacture the products with the optimum properties. In order to minimize the warpage deformation, the adaptive network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and genetic algorithm (GA) were adopted to optimize the injection molding process parameters. In particular, considering the high-dimensional nonlinear relationship between the process parameters and the warpage, the ANFIS is constructed as the prediction model of the warpage. Then, the GA is used to globally optimize the prediction model to determine the optimal process parameters. The results show that the optimization method based on ANFIS-GA has a good performance. The warpage is reduced to 0.0925 mm while reduced by 88.25 %. The optimal injection molding process parameters are used for simulation and manufacture, verifying the effectiveness and reliability of the optimization method.

     

An integrated parameter optimization system for MIMO plastic injection molding using soft computing

This study proposes an integrated optimization system to find out the optimal parameter settings of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) plastic injection molding (PIM) process. The system is divided into two stages. In the first stage, the Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to perform the experimental work, calculate the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and determine the initial process parameters. The back-propagation neural network (BPNN) is employed to construct an S/N ratio predictor and a quality predictor. The S/N ratio predictor and genetic algorithms (GA) are integrated to search for the first optimal parameter combination. The purpose of this stage is to reduce the process variance. In the second stage, the quality predictor is combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to find the final optimal parameters. The quality characteristics, product length and warpage, are dedicated to finding the optimal process parameters. After the numerical analysis, the optimal parameters can meet the lowest variance and the product quality requirements simultaneously. Experimental results show that the proposed optimization system can not only satisfy the quality specification but also improve stability of the PIM process.     

Mold design and forming process parameters optimization for passenger vehicle front wing plate

The main objective of the present article is to solve the problems of poor molding quality, large warpage, inadequate cooling effect and unsuitable selection of process parameters, in the injection molding process for passenger vehicle front-end plastic wing plate. The thickness and parting surface of the vehicle front-end fender were determined, the injection mold and its cooling system were designed. The relevant process parameters, affecting the product molding quality, were tested, according to orthogonal experimental approach, while their influence on the warpage was obtained, by analyzing the data. Finally, the BP neural network of warpage model was established and globally optimized using genetic algorithm. The optimal parameter combination of the injection molding process was derived as: melt temperature 236 °C, mold temperature 51 °C, cooling time 32 s, packing pressure 97 MPa and packing time 16 s.

     

超薄塑件注塑成形特性的试验研究与数值模拟

薄壁注塑成形技术具有节约材料、降低成本、减少制品重量和外形尺寸等优点,可促进移动电话等电子产品的迅速发展,特别是超薄塑件的注塑成形技术在微机电领域具有巨大的应用潜力。但随着制品厚度的减小也使注射成形难度加大,填充过程更为复杂,成形特性有待探索。设计制造出可成形超薄塑件的模具,利用正交试验方法(田口方法)进行充模试验和数值模拟技术研究各工艺参数(注射速度、注射压力、熔体温度、注射量和制品厚度等)对超薄塑件注塑成形充模过程的影响。研究结果表明,制品厚度对超薄塑件的填充起决定性作用;注射量及注射速度对超薄塑件注塑成形的填充起主导作用,提高注射速度能大幅度地提高填充率;熔体温度和注射压力相对于注射量和注射速度只起次要作用,但在填充过程中,高的熔体温度和注射压力也是必要的。     

资源约束下产品开发任务调度的多目标优化

鉴于产品开发任务调度过程中存在资源约束问题和学习与遗忘效应,需要对多个目标进行优化决策,通过定义资源平均利用率并提出学习遗忘效应矩阵,结合耦合设计的多阶段迭代模型,以各阶段资源利用率为约束条件,建立资源约束下考虑学习与遗忘效应的任务调度时间与成本的多目标优化数学模型.采用带精英策略的非支配排序遗传算法求解得出Paret...     

Multi-objective optimization of process parameters for the helical gear precision forging by using Taguchi method

Precision forging of the helical gear is a complex metal forming process under coupled effects with multi-factors. The various process parameters such as deformation temperature, punch velocity and friction conditions affect the forming process differently, thus the optimization design of process parameters is necessary to obtain a good product. In this paper, an optimization method for the helical gear precision forging is proposed based on the finite element method (FEM) and Taguchi method with multi-objective design. The maximum forging force and the die-fill quality are considered as the optimal objectives. The optimal parameters combination is obtained through S/N analysis and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). It is shown that, for helical gears precision forging, the most significant parameters affecting the maximum forging force and the die-fill quality are deformation temperature and friction coefficient. The verified experimental result agrees with the predictive value well, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method.     

Study on temperature field for invar alloy during TIG welding

In order to solve the complex multi-objective optimal performance design of large-scale injection molding machines, NSGA-II is used to find a much better spread of design solutions and better convergence near the true Pareto-optimal front. The combination of the design method and the injection molding machine is discussed. Screw diameter performance, stick inside distance performance, mold moving route performance and mold-locked force performance are chosen as the four main performance evaluation indexes. Some related parameters are associated to get a performance indication. And performance optimization design parameter constraints are listed to make the design solutions to have practical significance. The mathematical models of two objectives and the mathematical models of three objectives are analyzed. Finally, the instance of HTF180X1N large-scale injection molding machine is taken as an example to demonstrated that such method is effective and practical.     

Optimum design of pultrusion process via evolutionary multi-objective optimization

Pultrusion is one of the most cost-effective manufacturing techniques for producing fiber-reinforced composites with constant cross-sectional profiles. This obviously makes it more attractive for both researchers and practitioners to investigate the optimum process parameters, i.e., pulling speed, power, and dimensions of the heating platens, length and width of the heating die, design of the resin injection chamber, etc., to provide better understanding of the process, consequently to improve the efficiency of the process as well as the product quality. Using validated computer simulations is “cheap” and therefore is an attractive and efficient tool for autonomous (numerical) optimization. Optimization problems in engineering in general comprise multiple objectives often having conflict with each other. Evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO) algorithms provide an ideal way of solving this type of problems without any biased treatment of objectives such as weighting constants serving as pre-assumed user preferences. In this paper, first, a thermochemical simulation of the pultrusion process has been presented considering the steady-state conditions. Following that, it is integrated with a well-known EMO algorithm, i.e., nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), to simultaneously maximize the pulling speed and minimize “total energy consumption” (TEC) which is defined as a measure of total heating area(s) and associated temperature(s). Finally, the results of the evolutionary computation step is used as starting guesses for a serial application of a of gradient-based classical algorithm to improve the convergence. As a result, a set of optimal solutions are obtained for different trade-offs between the conflicting objectives. The trade-off solution, thus obtained, would remain as a valuable source for a multi-criterion decision-making task for eventually choosing a single preferred solution for the pultrusion process.     

Structural scheme optimization design for the stationary platen of a precision plastic injection molding machine

The current development of precision plastic injection molding machines mainly focuses on how to save material and improve precision, but the two aims contradict each other. For a clamp unit, clamping precision improving depends on the design quality of the stationary platen. Compared with the parametric design of stationary platen, structural scheme design could obtain the optimization model with double objectives and multi-constraints. In this paper, a SE-160 precision plastic injection molding machine with 1600 kN clamping force is selected as the subject in the case study. During the motion of mold closing and opening, the stationary platen of SE-160 is subjected to a cyclic loading, which would cause the fatigue rupture of the tie bars in periodically long term operations. In order to reduce the deflection of the stationary platen, the FEA method is introduced to optimize the structure of the stationary platen. Firstly, an optimal topology model is established by variable density method. Then, structural topology optimizations of the stationary platen are done with the removable material from 50%, 60% to 70%. Secondly, the other two recommended optimization schemes are given and compared with the original structure. The result of performances comparison shows that the scheme II of the platen is the best one. By choosing the best alternative, the volume and the local maximal stress of the platen could be decreased, corresponding to cost-saving material and better mechanical properties. This paper proposes a structural optimization design scheme, which can save the material as well as improve the clamping precision of the precision plastic injection molding machine.     

公差稳健优化设计的研究

为了解决产品加工成本与质量稳健的协调性问题,提出了一种新的公差稳健优化设计数学模型.依据公差稳健设计的思想,考虑产品质量的模糊性,以封闭环误差分布概率密度函数的方差和优质品概率之比为设计目标,建立了公差优化设计产品质量稳健性损失成本目标函数,并研究了优质品率和封闭环误差分布方差的确定方法.以加工成本和产品质量稳健性损失成本为目标,以模糊装配可靠度、可取公差极限范围为约束条件,建立了公差多目标优化数学模型.举例说明了文中所述的公差稳健优化设计方法的应用,采用遗传算法实现了公差的多目标优化设计.实例表明,该方法能够协调零件的加工成本和产品质量的稳健性损失成本,使优化指标的综合性能最佳.     

红外菲涅尔透镜的注射超声辅助成型优化

为了提升聚合物红外菲涅尔透镜的光学性能,以其表面微沟槽的成型质量为目标,提出了一种高效的注射超声辅助成型方法,并对工艺参数进行了综合质量优化。首先分析了超声振动对聚合物的加热和加压效应,设计了一套一模两腔的对比试验模具;接着以红外菲涅尔透镜的调制传递函数MTF和齿形平均高度h为优化质量目标,设计了四步骤的多目标优化流程,通过试验设计、基于BP神经网络的质量目标与注射工艺参数关系建模、基于NSGA-Ⅱ的多目标优化和试验验证进行工艺参数的综合优化。实验结果表明:该多目标优化流程具有很高的精度,MTF和h的平均预测误差MPE分别为4.16%和3.32%;注射超声辅助成型的菲涅尔透镜微沟槽具有更高的复制质量,其齿沟槽平均高度h增加了15.6%,且h值的波动量随着h值的增大而增大,MTF值受齿高h均匀性的影响大于齿高h对其的影响。     

Intelligent methods for the process parameter determination of plastic injection molding

Injection molding is one of the most widely used material processing methods in producing plastic products with complex geometries and high precision. The determination of process parameters is important in obtaining qualified products and maintaining product quality. This article reviews the recent studies and developments of the intelligent methods applied in the process parameter determination of injection molding. These intelligent methods are classified into three categories: Case-based reasoning methods, expert system- based methods, and data fitting and optimization methods. A framework of process parameter determination is proposed after comprehensive discussions. Finally, the conclusions and future research topics are discussed.     

Quality control of the injection molding process using an EWMA predictor and minimum–variance controller

This study presents an exponentially weighted moving average predictor and minimum–variance controller for the quality control of plastic injection molding processes. This is a slow drifting problem of quality control during plastic injection molding processes. In order to have good product quality for plastic injection molding process, a proposed approach was applied to achieve the desired process control quality during the control process. To simplify the process model and reduce system loads, design of experiments technique was adopted to analyze the important factors that had significant effects on the product quality and their relative correlations. The results of this research showed that the proposed approach was effective for a quality control of plastic injection molding process. This cannot only steadily control the manufacturing process to reduce product loss and maintenance time due to unforeseen malfunctions, but they can also increase the efficiency of the equipment and the process.     

A study of optimization of injection molding process parameters for SGF and PTFE reinforced PC composites using neural network and response surface methodology

This study analyzed variations of mechanical characteristics that depend on the injection molding techniques during the blending of short glass fiber and polytetrafluoroethylene reinforced polycarbonate composites. A hybrid method including back-propagation neural network (BPNN), genetic algorithm (GA), and response surface methodology (RSM) are proposed to determine an optimal parameter setting of the injection molding process. The specimens are prepared under different injection molding processing conditions based on a Taguchi orthogonal array table. The results of 18 experimental runs were utilized to train the BPNN predicting ultimate strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance. Simultaneously, the RSM and GA approaches were individually applied to search for an optimal setting. In addition, the analysis of variance was implemented to identify significant factors for the injection molding process parameters and the result of BPNN integrating GA was also compared with RSM approach. The results show that the RSM and BPNN/GA methods are both effective tools for the optimization of injection molding process parameters.