Description:

Bubbles can be defined as a voided area trapped within a molded plastic part. It differs from a blister in that there is no surface protrusion with a bubble. Bubbles are usually caused by trapped gases or air pockets, but can also be caused by differential shrinking. 

Possible Causes & Remedies:

Machine Cause

◇ LOW INJECTION PRESSURE OR HOLD TIME

Remedies: Increase the injection pressure and/or the hold time to help force the gases out as the plastic is pushed into the cavity.

◇ INSUFFICIENT MATERIAL

Remedies: It is important to establish a feed setting that allows a 1/8‘‘ to 1/4‘‘ cushion of material at the end of the injection stroke. Without this cushion, there is no material against which holding pressure can be applied to force material into the cavity.

◇ IMPROPER INJECTION TEMPERATURE PROFILE

Remedies: Maintain a proper temperature profile. This is readily obtained from the resin supplier, but a rule-of-thumb sets the temperature controls at increments of 50 to 100 degrees F from rear to front, and the nozzle at the same temperature as the front zone. An air shot from the nozzle should produce a bubble-free stream of plastic that has the approximate consistency of warm honey. Remember that the temperature control settings are not the same as the actual temperature of the plastic. They are usually 50 to 100 degrees higher than the actual plastic temperature to accommodate the rapid travel of material through the barrel.

◇ EXCESSIVE INJECTION SPEED

Remedies: Start with the supplier‘s recommendations for injection fill speed. Adjust up or down according to the results. If bubbles appear, slow down the rate. If short shots appear, speed up the rate.

◇ INSUFFICIENT BACK PRESSURE

Remedies: Increase the back pressure. Most materials will benefit from a back pressure that is approximately 50 psi. But, some materials require higher settings: in some cases up to 300 psi. However, be cautious, because too high a back pressure will degrade any material. The material supplier is the best source of information regarding proper back pressure settings.

Mould Cause

◇ IMPROPER VENTING

Remedies: Vent the mold even before the first shot is taken by grinding thin (0.0005‘‘-0.002‘‘) pathways on the shutoff area of the cavity blocks. Vents should take up approximately 30% of the perimeter of the molded part. Vent the runner, too. Any air that is trapped in the runner will be pushed into the part. Another rule-of-thumb is to place a vent at every 1-inch dimension around the perimeter of the cavity. You cannot have too many vents.

◇ SECTION THICKNESS TOO GREAT

Remedies:  A good rule-of-thumb is that any wall thickness should not exceed any other wall thickness by more than 25%. There will be little tendency for bubbles at that ratio. Metal inserts can be used to core out sections that do not meet that ratio, or “overflow” wells might be used to move the voided area off the primary part surface. However, the overflow would then need to be removed from the molded part.

◇ IMPROPER RUNNERS OR GATES

Remedies: Gates should be of a depth that is equal to at least 50% of the wall they are placed at and should always be located to flow material from the thickest section to the thinnest. Runner diameters should be adequate to avoid a pressure drop as the material fills. Thus, the farther the travel, the larger the initial runner diameter should be. Gates and runners should be machined in the mold to be ``steel safe‘‘ so they can be increased by removing metal. It is a good practice to place gates and runners in individual inserts so they can be easily replaced and/or reworked.

◇ LOW MOLD TEMPERATURE

Remedies:  Raise the mold temperature in increments of 10 degrees F until the bubbles disappear. Allow 10 cycles for each 10-degree adjustment (up or down) for the mold temperature to stabilize.

Material Cause

◇ EXCESSIVE MOISTURE

Remedies:  Although it is commonly understood that non-hygroscopic materials do not require drying, do not take chances. Dry all materials. It may be that fillers used in the material are hygroscopic and they will absorb moisture. Every plastic material requires specific drying conditions. And each material should be dried according to the material suppliers recommendations. The desired moisture content is between 1/10th of 1 percent and 1/20th of 1 percent by weight. This means the dry air being used to take moisture from the material should have a dew point of -20 to -40 degrees F.

Operator Cause

◇ INCONSISTENT PROCESS CYCLE

Remedies: If possible, run the machine on automatic cycle, using the operator only to interrupt the cycle if an emergency occurs. Use a robot if an ``operator‘‘ is really necessary. And, instruct all employees on the importance of maintaining consistent cycles.