Finishes, Surface

In many moulded articles, textured surfaces are required. Electrodeposition, casting, photo-etching and spark-erosion are used to provide textured mould surfaces. Two good requirements for the faithful reproduction of the textured surface are low viscosity of the resin and good elasticity to permit the withdrawal of textured surface. PP is quite suitable for both these requirements. The taper of the mould should be increased to assist ejection of the items with textured surfaces. 

The design of the gating system for the component to be produced in the textured surface is very important since the merging flow fronts can cause surface defects on the moulded artefact. To avoid this fault, gates should be positioned to prevent converging streams of material. If this is not possible any converging lines should be directed into unseen areas of the moulding. 

Three major aspects of surface finish are important to ceramic films and coatings. The first aspect is that of surface roughness of the deposited coating. For some applications, the roughness of the coating is not an issue and the user can accept 

In industries such as the food, pharmaceutical, biochemical, and textile industries, the surface finish of the material is as important as the choice of material, to avoid contamination. 

A good surface finish is important in textile fibre processing to prevent the fibres snagging. 

Another consideration is the ability of a material to provide a surface that is compatible with the requirements of the application a smooth finish for extruded profiles, molded-in colors, textured surfaces, etc. The compatibility of the major processes with in-mold coating and other insert-surfacing materials, and their compatibility with surface decoration secondary processes, could also be important. 

It should be recognized that surface finish can be more than just a cosmetic standard. It also affects product quality, mold or die cost, and delivery time of tools and/or products. The surface can be used not only to enhance clarity for the sake of appearance but to hide surface defects such as sink and parting marks. The Society of Plastics Engi-neers/Society of Plastics Industries standards range from a No. 1 mirror finish to a No. 6 grit blast finish. A mold finish comparison kit consisting of six hardened tool steel pieces and 

Production Considerations Structural Foam Injection Molding Sheet Molding Compound 

Typical minimum number of parts a vendor is likely to quote on for a single setup 250 (using multiple nozzle equip, with tools from other sources designed for the same polymer and ganged on the platen) 1,000 to 1,500 500 

Relative tooling cost, Lowest. Machined 20 percent more. 20 percent to 25 

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Properties. Properties of stmctural siHcon nitride ceramics are given in Table 2. These values represent available, weU-tested materials. However, test methodology and the quaHty of the specimens, particularly their surface finish, can affect the measured values. Another important material property is tensile strength. Values obtained on Norton s NT154 material are 750 MPa at RT, 500 MPa at 1200°C, and 350 MPa (50,000 psi) at 1400°C (62). 

Triacetate offers better ease-of-care properties than secondary acetate ia many apparel appHcations. Of particular importance are surface-finished fabrics, eg, fleece, velour, and suede for robes and dresses. These fabrics offer superb aesthetic quaHties at reasonable cost. Triacetate is also deskable for print fabrics, where it produces bright, sharp colors. The recent discontinuance of triacetate fiber Hi the United States has led to the use of acetate with fibers such as polyester (47—50). 

N. L. Maquet, Eroceedings of the AESF Annual Technical Conference, Vol. 73, American Electroplater s and Surface Finishers Society, Odando, Fla., 1986, pp. 1-3. 

Surface finish requirements for the Vickers test vary with the test load. Heavy load tests can be made on a 120 grit ground surface. At low loads increasingly finer surface preparation is required, approaching that for metaHographic specimens, to permit accurate diamond indentation measurements. 

Ultrasonic Microhardness. A new microhardness test using ultrasonic vibrations has been developed and offers some advantages over conventional microhardness tests that rely on physical measurement of the remaining indentation size (6). The ultrasonic method uses the DPH diamond indenter under a constant load of 7.8 N (800 gf) or less. The hardness number is derived from a comparison of the natural frequency of the diamond indenter when free or loaded. Knowledge of the modulus of elasticity of the material under test and a smooth surface finish is required. The technique is fast and direct-reading, making it useful for production testing of similarly shaped parts. 

Because EP additives ate effective only by chemical action, their general use should be avoided to minimize possible corrosion difficulties and shortened lubricant life in any appHcation where they ate not necessary. For long-time operation of machines, conversion from boundary to hill-film operation is desirable through changes such as higher oil viscosity, lowered loading, or improved surface finish. 

Surface Finish. As well as influencing the rate of metal removal, electrolytes also affect the quality of surface finish obtained in ECM. Depending on the metal being machined, some electrolytes leave an etched finish. This finish results from the nonspecular reflection of light from crystal faces electrochemicaHy dissolved at different rates. Sodium chloride electrolyte tends to produce a kind of etched, matte finish when used for steels and nickel aHoys. A typical surface roughness average, Ra is about 1 ]lni. 

Sometimes the formation of oxide films on the metal surface binders efficient ECM, and leads to poor surface finish. Eor example, the ECM of titanium is rendered difficult in chloride and nitrate electrolytes because the oxide film formed is so passive. Even when higher (eg, ca 50 V) voltage is apphed, to break the oxide film, its dismption is so nonuniform that deep grain boundary attack of the metal surface occurs. 

Process variables also play a significant part in determination of surface finish. For example, the higher the current density, generally the smoother the finish on the workpiece surface. Tests using nickel machined in HCl solution show that the surface finish improves from an etched to a poHshed appearance when the current density is increased from ca 8 to 19 A/cm and the flow velocity is held constant. A similar effect is achieved when the electrolyte velocity is increased. Bright smooth finishes are obtained over the main machining zone using both NaCl and NaNO electrolyte solutions and current densities of 45-75 A/cm. ... 

W. H. Safranek, The Properties of Electrodeposited Metals and Alloys, 2nd ed., American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, Orlando, Fla.,... 

J. Hajdu and G. Mallory, Electroless Plating. Fundamental and Applications, American Plating and Surface Finishing Society, Orlando, Fla., 1990. 

Metal Preparation. Preparation of the metal surfaces to be bonded usually is required because most metals contain surface imperfections or contaminants that undesirably affect bond properties. The cladding faces usually are surface ground, using an abrasive machine, and then are degreased with a solvent to ensure consistent bond strength (26). In general, a surface finish that is >3.8 fim deep is needed to produce consistent, high quaUty bonds. 

The most important stainless steel [12597-68-1] series are the 200-, 300-, and 400-series. The 300-series, primarily 302, 304, and 316, is used in the dairy industry, whereas the 400-series is used for special appHcations, such as pump impellers, plungers, cutting blades, scrapers, and bearings (Table 11). Surface finishes are specified from No. 1 to No. 8 (highly poHshed) the No. 4 finish is most commonly used. 

Developments. A variety of process modifications aimed at improving surface finish or weld line integrity have been described. They include gas assisted, co-injection, fusible core, multiple Hve feed, and push—pull injection mol ding (46,47). An important development includes computer-aided design (CAD) methods, wherein a proposed mold design is simulated by a computer and the melt flow through it is analy2ed (48). 

The key to solving these problems is to design the vessel for a mass flow pattern. This involves consideration of both the hopper angle and surface finish, the effect of inserts used to introduce gas and control the soHds flow pattern, and sizing the outlet valve to avoid arching and discharge rate limitations. In addition, the gas or Hquid must be injected such that the soHd particles ate uniformly exposed to it, and flow instabiHties such as fluidization in localized regions are avoided. 

A variety of thermosetting resins are used in SMC. Polyesters represent the most volume and are available in systems that provide low shrinkage and low surface profile by means of special additives. Class A automotive surface requirements have resulted in the development of sophisticated systems that commercially produce auto body panels that can be taken direcdy from the mold and processed through standard automotive painting systems, without additional surface finishing. Vinyl ester and epoxy resins (qv) are also used in SMC for more stmcturaHy demanding appHcations. 

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