This university-industry collaborative research award is aimed to develop new controllers for the monitoring and control of physical properties including viscosity, color, additive concentration, etc., in polymer extrusion and injection molding processes. The practical objectives are to reduce product variation and to enhance process efficiency. The research tasks include: development of improved process models based on the mixer geometry, product rheology, and operation conditions; adaptation of on-line sensors to measure the flow in the extruder; and creation of control algorithms for on-line regulation of product quality to meet product specification requirements. The research is central to the future improvement of plastics extrusion and injection molding processes. The inclusion of process dynamics into the controller design for these processes may prove to be superior to the present process control approach prevalent in the industry. Successful completion of the project could give the United States a competitive edge over its Pacific Rim and European competitors in the $300 billion annual global plastics market. The industrial collaborators include a resin producer, DuPont, and an injection molding machine manufacturer, LDM Technologies. This provides an excellent synergy for project partnership.
