Principal Investigator
Professor Gordon Smith |
Researcher for Feasibility Phase
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(Feasibilty phase completed) |
PhD student
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Partners
Battenfeld
AEL |
Can GASPT injection moulding technology be used as the basis to create novel multi-layered functional structures?
Project Goal: To produce automotive plastic body panels (or other similar plastic mouldings) with electronic sensor and responsive capabilities incorporated via a multilayer injection moulding process. As an initial step the project focussed on answering whether electroluminescent (EL) technology can be integrated into a multilayer injection moulding process.
Relevance of the Research: Today’s advanced road vehicles incorporate many sensors and indicators on their bodywork. With the automotive manufacturers increasingly focussed on light weight vehicle structures and a need for reduced in-service repair costs, there is significant interest in the potential use of polymer and composite body panels and the incorporation of sensors and displays into monolithic components. Previously the research team pioneered multilayer injection moulding processes that produced components ready painted for use. The next logical step was to add further features to the product during the injection moulding process. EL is an efficient mechanism for emitting light. This research used the solution based processing methods of organic EL materials and the innovation of applying multi-layer structures into the manufacturing process in order to produce “one step” plastic parts with EL functionality.
The Approach: This project involved the following steps:
Commercially available screen printing pastes were modified to allow them to be applied using a compressor driven airbrush.
Flat thin film devices were produced using the modified materials and an airbrush to prove the basic approach.
This was then extended to create multilayer EL structures on a carrier film, which were then over moulded, which transferred the layers onto the surface of the moulded part.
Finally layers were applied directly in mould using an airbrush, dried on a heated tool and then over moulded with plastic to produce a 3D moulded component with EL layers on the surface.
Research Outputs:
The feasibility of producing EL thick film devices as part of a composite plastic component has been demonstrated
The novel airbrush method produces a brighter EL lamp than using unmodified pastes applied using a standard screen printing type method.
The airbrushed inserts can be successfully injection moulded to produce working EL plastic parts with an illuminated 3D contoured surface
The airbrush method can also be used directly in-mould to produce similar parts
The modified EL materials can also be airbrush sprayed onto previously moulded parts; producing 3D illuminated objects
The display colour can be changed by using different electroluminescent materials.
Publications: The work has led to the publication of one journal paper and one conference paper.
What Difference Will the Project Make? Plastic parts that are currently moulded but then need to be retrofitted with lamps or displays could now potentially be produced with the lighting function embedded into the main body of the part: for example the front and rear bumpers on a car could be made to illuminate in place of standard hazard warning lights. There are also potential applications in hi-visibility clothing and the other consumer products.
Next Steps: Further doctoral research is planned to investigate using this process to incorporate other multi-layer functionality such as batteries and photovoltaic cells into plastic parts.
Interested? For more information and to discuss possible future collaboration please contact Bethany Middleton, WMG, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL.
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