Process study on compression moulding of SMC using factorial design

During compression moulding of sheet moulding compounds, voids are formed that can deteriorate the surface finish of the final product as well as its properties such as the electrical insulation. A large number of processing and material parameters can however be tuned in order to reduce the amount of voids in the final product. There is no profound investigation coupling such parameters to the void content. Hence, factorial design is here used to plan an experimental series where material as well as processing conditions are varied. In particular vacuum assisted compression moulding is used in a circular shaped mould. The experimental series is evaluated by counting the number of surface voids on the plates and by measurement of their electrical insulation. One result is that the latter can be considerably improved by choosing optimal processing conditions.Validerat; 20101217 (root