A study on control of heater power and heating time for thermoforming

作者:Li Zhen Zhe; Ma Guang; Xuan Dong Ji; Seol Seoung Yun; Shen Yun De*
来源:International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, 2010, 11(6): 873-878.
DOI:10.1007/s12541-010-0106-0

摘要

Obtaining a uniform thickness of the final product using thermoforming is difficult, and the thickness distribution depends strongly on the distribution of the sheet temperature. In this paper, the time-dependent temperature distribution of the total sheets in the storing stage was studied because the temperature after the storing stage is the initial temperature of the heating process. An analytic solution for simulating the storing stage was derived. Using the solved analytic solution, the time-dependent temperature distribution of the total sheets was found out under the condition of assuming that the temperature-dependent specific heat of the ABS sheets was a certain constant value. Finally, the control method for a successful thermoforming using the heater power or heating time was researched in order to improve the quality of the final products. The results show that the satisfied temperature distribution can be obtained by adjusting the heater power or heating time. The method for analysis in this study will be used to improve the quality of the final products.