Abstract
Almost all injection molds have multi-cavity runner system fur productivity and are designed with geometrically balanced runner system in order to minimize filling imbalance between cavity to cavity during processing. However, filling imbalances have been observed though geometrically balanced runner lay-out. Generally, these filling imbalances are due to thermal unbalance, viscosity, characteristic of polymers and so on. These kinds of filling imbalances have already been reported by Beaumont since 1997, but his research has mainly focused on filling imbalance at binary runner. In this study, we conducted an experimental study about the filling imbalances in unary branch runner as well as binary branch runner and inquired into the causes of filling imbalances. The results could be summarized as fellowing: Filling imbalances existed in multi-cavity mold with unary branch runner, it could be decreased by optimizing processing condition such as increasing injection rate, and it is almost proportion to each polymer's temperature sensibility.
