Abstract: A molding system includes a mold having a mold cavity; a molding machine configured to fill the mold cavity with a composite molding resin including a polymeric material having a plurality of fibers; a processing module connected to the molding machine; and a controller connected to the computing apparatus. The processing module includes a processor configured to generate an orientation distribution of the fibers in the mold cavity based on a molding condition for the molding machine, wherein the orientation distribution is generated taking into consideration a combined effect of a molding pressure and a shear rate on a zero-shear-rate viscosity of the composite molding material. The controller is configured to control the molding machine to perform an actual molding with the molding condition for injecting the composite molding resin into at least a portion of the mold cavity.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a base and a testing module. The testing module is received in the base and includes a temperature-controlling bucket, a testing cylinder, and upper and lower pistons. The temperature-controlling bucket extends in a vertical direction and has a bucket wall having a bucket inner surface and a bucket outer surface opposite to the bucket inner surface. The testing cylinder extends in the vertical direction, is received in the temperature-controlling bucket, and has a cylinder wall having a cylinder inner surface and a cylinder outer surface opposite to the cylinder inner surface. The upper and lower pistons plug top and bottom ends of the testing cylinder, respectively. The upper piston has a receiving room located inside the upper piston, and has a piston temperature sensor and a piston heating wire received in the receiving room.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for setting up a molding system, wherein the molding system includes a molding machine and a mold disposed on the molding machine, and the mold has a mold cavity to be filled with a molding resin from the molding machine. The method includes generating first and second state waveforms using a predetermined packing pressure profile; obtaining an updated packing pressure profile based on the first and the second state waveforms; and setting up the molding machine based on the updated packing pressure profile to perform an actual molding process to prepare the molding product. The first and the second state waveforms express a relationship between an in-mold pressure and an in-mold temperature at different sensing sites of the molding resin.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a molding system for preparing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The molding system includes: a molding machine; a mold disposed on the molding machine and having a mold cavity for being filled with a composite molding material including a polymeric resin and a plurality of fibers; a processing module configured to generate an anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding material in the mold cavity based on a molding condition for the molding machine; and a controller coupled to the processing module and configured to control the molding machine with the molding condition to perform an actual molding process for preparing the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding resin is generated based in part on consideration of an integral effect of an elongational viscosity and a shear viscosity of the composite molding material.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a molding system for preparing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The molding system includes: a molding machine; a mold disposed on the molding machine and having a mold cavity for being filled with a composite molding material including a polymeric resin and a plurality of fibers; a processing module configured to generate an anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding material in the mold cavity based on a molding condition for the molding machine; and a controller coupled to the processing module and configured to control the molding machine with the molding condition to perform an actual molding process for preparing the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding resin is generated based in part on consideration of an integral effect of an elongational viscosity and a shear viscosity of the composite molding material.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for operating a molding system. The molding system includes a molding machine and a mold disposed on the molding machine, wherein the mold has a mold cavity for being filled with a molding material from the molding machine. The method comprises a step of obtaining a predetermined state waveform expressing a predetermined volumetric variation of the molding material. Next, the method further comprises obtaining a measured pressure and a measured temperature of the molding material in the mold cavity while performing a molding process for filling the molding material into the mold cavity. Next, the method includes obtaining a detected volumetric property of the molding material corresponding to the measured pressure and the measured temperature. Subsequently, the method comprises displaying the detected volumetric property of the molding material with the predetermined state waveform.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for setting up a molding system, wherein the molding system includes a molding machine and a mold disposed on the molding machine, and the mold has a mold cavity to be filled with a molding resin from the molding machine. The method includes generating first and second state waveforms using a predetermined packing pressure profile; obtaining an updated packing pressure profile based on the first and the second state waveforms; and setting up the molding machine based on the updated packing pressure profile to perform an actual molding process to prepare the molding product. The first and the second state waveforms express a relationship between an in-mold pressure and an in-mold temperature at different sensing sites of the molding resin.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a base and a testing module. The testing module is received in the base and includes a temperature-controlling bucket, a testing cylinder, and upper and lower pistons. The temperature-controlling bucket extends in a vertical direction and has a bucket wall having a bucket inner surface and a bucket outer surface opposite to the bucket inner surface. The testing cylinder extends in the vertical direction, is received in the temperature-controlling bucket, and has a cylinder wall having a cylinder inner surface and a cylinder outer surface opposite to the cylinder inner surface. The upper and lower pistons plug top and bottom ends of the testing cylinder, respectively. The upper piston has a receiving room located inside the upper piston, and has a piston temperature sensor and a piston heating wire received in the receiving room.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a molding system for preparing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The molding system includes: a molding machine; a mold disposed on the molding machine and having a mold cavity for being filled with a composite molding material including a polymeric resin and a plurality of fibers; a processing module configured to generate an anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding material in the mold cavity based on a molding condition for the molding machine; and a controller coupled to the processing module and configured to control the molding machine with the molding condition to perform an actual molding process for preparing the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite article. The anisotropic stress distribution of the composite molding resin is generated based in part on consideration of an anisotropic rotational diffusion effect of the fibers in the composite molding material.

Abstract: A molding system comprises a mold, a molding machine, a computing apparatus, and a controller. The computing apparatus is programmed to perform a first simulation to generate a velocity distribution and a temperature distribution of the molding material in a first portion of a simulating domain and a second simulation to generate a melting distribution of the solid decorating film in a second portion of the simulating domain, wherein the simulating domain corresponds to the mold cavity. The first molding simulation is to performed using a molding condition of the molding machine to set a boundary condition of the first portion, and the second molding simulation is performed using the velocity distribution and the temperature distribution of the molding material to set a boundary condition of the second portion.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system for measuring a permeability/porosity ratio of a fiber preform in a molding system. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the system includes a mold, a detection device, a resin-supplying source, and a computing device. The mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold forming a mold cavity. The resin-supplying source is configured to input a molding resin into a preform in the mold cavity. The detection device is configured to detect a flow front of the molding resin at a first position and a second position in the mold cavity. The computing device is configured to calculate a flowing property of the molding resin into the preform based on the first position, the second position, a travelling time of the flow front from the first position to the second position, and a pressure difference driving the flow front to travel from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: A molding system includes a molding machine, a mold disposed on the molding machine and having a mold cavity to be filled with a molding resin from the molding machine, and a computing apparatus connected to the molding machine. The computing apparatus is configured to perform operations for setting the molding machine to prepare a molding product, wherein the operations comprise: generating a first and a second state waveforms using a setting packing pressure profile; obtaining an updated packing pressure profile based on the first and the second state waveforms; and setting the molding machine based on the updated packing pressure profile to perform an actual molding process to prepare the molding product. The first and the second state waveforms express a relationship between an in-mold pressure and an in-mold temperature at different sensing sites of the molding resin.

Abstract: A molding system includes a mold having a mold cavity; a molding machine configured to fill the mold cavity with a composite molding resin including a polymeric material having a plurality of fibers; a computing apparatus connected to the molding machine; and a controller connected to the computing apparatus. The computing apparatus includes a processor configured to generate a previous orientation distribution of the fibers in the mold cavity based on a molding condition for the molding machine, a rotary diffusional distribution of the fibers based on the previous orientation distribution of the fibers, and an updated orientation distribution of the fibers based on the rotary diffusional distribution of the fibers. The controller is configured to control the molding machine to perform an actual molding with the molding condition for injecting the composite molding resin into at least a portion of the mold cavity.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for preparing an injection-molded fiber-reinforced composite article using a molding machine controlled by a controlling module connected to the molding machine. The method performs a molding simulation executed on the controlling module to generate a shear rate distribution of the composite molding resin in a simulating domain. Subsequently, the method generates an orientation distribution of the fibers in the composite molding resin executed on the controlling module by taking into consideration an effect of the shear rate on an inter-fiber interaction and/or an effect of the shear rate on reducing a response rate of the fibers. A controller then controls the molding machine with the molding condition to perform an actual molding for injecting the composite molding resin into at least a portion of the mold cavity.

Abstract: A method for operating a molding machine includes specifying a simulating domain corresponding to a genuine domain in a mold disposed on the molding machine. The method proceeds to perform a virtual molding by using a setting packing pressure profile to generate a simulated state waveform, generating a designed state waveform including an isobaric phase and an isochoric phase while taking into consideration the simulated state waveform, and obtaining an updated packing pressure profile for applying a molding pressure to a portion of the genuine domain while taking into consideration a difference between the simulated state waveform and the designed state waveform. Subsequently, the method proceeds to set the molding machine while taking into consideration the updated packing pressure profile to perform an actual molding by applying an actual molding pressure to the at least a portion of the genuine domain to prepare the molding product.

Abstract: A method for preparing a fiber-reinforced composite article initially performs a trial molding by a molding machine to prepare a trial composite article of a composite molding material including a polymeric material having a plurality of fibers, wherein the trial composite article has a trial fiber orientation distribution. The method further generates a predicted fiber orientation distribution fitting with the trial fiber orientation distribution, wherein the predicted fiber orientation distribution is generated by performing a first molding simulation for the trial composite article by using physical rheology parameters and physical fiber orientation parameters.

Abstract: A method for operating a molding machine includes steps of specifying a simulating domain corresponding to a genuine domain in a mold disposed on the molding machine; performing a virtual molding by using an initial packing pressure profile to generate an initial state waveform expressing a relationship between an in-mold pressure and an in-mold temperature of the molding resin; obtaining an updated packing pressure profile for applying a molding pressure to at least a portion of the genuine domain while taking into consideration the initial state waveform; repeating the virtual molding while taking into consideration the updated packing pressure profile to generate an updated state waveform of the molding resin; and setting the molding machine taking into consideration the updated packing pressure profile to perform an actual molding by applying an actual molding pressure to the at least a portion of the genuine domain to prepare the molding product.