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Polymers
Volume 17
Issue 21
10.3390/polym17212831
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

A Study on Thin Cooling Layers Between the Cooling Channel and Cavity in the Injection Molding Process for Mold Temperature Control to Enhance Weld Line Flexural Strength in Plastic Products

by
Tran-Phu Nguyen
1,
Pham Thi Mai Khanh
2,
Pham Son Minh
3,
Tran Minh The Uyen
3 and
Bui Chan Thanh
3,*
1
Faculty of Vehicle and Energy Engineering, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, Vietnam
2
Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, Vietnam
3
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, Vietnam
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2025, 17(21), 2831; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212831
Submission received: 19 September 2025 / Revised: 19 October 2025 / Accepted: 21 October 2025 / Published: 23 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Polymer Processing and Engineering)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Weld lines in injection-molded plastics often act as structural weak points that reduce mechanical performance. Enhancing weld line strength is therefore essential to improve product reliability and service life. This study aims to develop and validate an injection mold system capable of localized cavity temperature control to strengthen weld line regions. A specialized mold with an integrated cooling layer was designed to enable rapid thermal response during molding. The Taguchi method was applied to optimize three key parameters—part thickness, melt temperature, and injection pressure—to maximize weld line flexural strength. Experiments based on an L25 orthogonal array revealed that weld line stress varied significantly across parameter combinations, with a maximum of 109.23 MPa. A subsequent validation test conducted under the optimal conditions (250 °C melt temperature, 1.5 mm part thickness, and 16 MPa injection pressure) achieved an enhanced weld line stress of 121.88 MPa, confirming the reliability of the Taguchi-based optimization. Among the factors studied, part thickness had the greatest influence, followed by injection pressure, while melt temperature had the smallest effect. These results demonstrate that combining cavity temperature control with systematic parameter optimization provides an effective strategy to enhance weld line strength in high-performance plastic components.
Keywords: thin-walled mold; cooling layer; heat transfer; mold temperature; injection molding; weld line; Taguchi method thin-walled mold; cooling layer; heat transfer; mold temperature; injection molding; weld line; Taguchi method

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MDPI and ACS Style

Nguyen, T.-P.; Khanh, P.T.M.; Minh, P.S.; Uyen, T.M.T.; Thanh, B.C. A Study on Thin Cooling Layers Between the Cooling Channel and Cavity in the Injection Molding Process for Mold Temperature Control to Enhance Weld Line Flexural Strength in Plastic Products. Polymers 2025, 17, 2831. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212831

AMA Style

Nguyen T-P, Khanh PTM, Minh PS, Uyen TMT, Thanh BC. A Study on Thin Cooling Layers Between the Cooling Channel and Cavity in the Injection Molding Process for Mold Temperature Control to Enhance Weld Line Flexural Strength in Plastic Products. Polymers. 2025; 17(21):2831. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212831

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nguyen, Tran-Phu, Pham Thi Mai Khanh, Pham Son Minh, Tran Minh The Uyen, and Bui Chan Thanh. 2025. "A Study on Thin Cooling Layers Between the Cooling Channel and Cavity in the Injection Molding Process for Mold Temperature Control to Enhance Weld Line Flexural Strength in Plastic Products" Polymers 17, no. 21: 2831. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212831

APA Style

Nguyen, T.-P., Khanh, P. T. M., Minh, P. S., Uyen, T. M. T., & Thanh, B. C. (2025). A Study on Thin Cooling Layers Between the Cooling Channel and Cavity in the Injection Molding Process for Mold Temperature Control to Enhance Weld Line Flexural Strength in Plastic Products. Polymers, 17(21), 2831. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212831

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