Influence mechanism of injection process parameters on iridescent pattern defects on optical molded parts

Iridescent patterns are insufferable molding defects during mass manufacturing of polymer optic devices by using injection molding (IM) technique and seriously affect the appearance and imaging performance of parts. However, at present, the research on the factors affecting iridescent pattern defects is lacking, resulting in the difficulty of obtaining effective methods to weaken iridescent pattern defects. This article aims to clarify the correlation mechanism between injection process parameters and iridescent patterns and provide a theoretical basis for reducing iridescent pattern defects. Based on the process characteristics of IM and the optical mechanism of iridescent patterns, the correlation between iridescent patterns and influencing factors such as optical characteristics and the material structure is established. The influence mechanism of process parameters on iridescent patterns is further clarified by experiments. The results show the iridescent pattern color is related to the retardation, while the iridescent pattern brightness is affected by the retardation and transmittance. Process parameters change the retardation and transmittance by varying factors such as the thickness, birefringence, and crystallinity. Higher mold temperature, reasonable melt temperature, injection speed, and holding pressure are conducive to reducing the colorful fringe area and iridescent pattern brightness, thereby weakening the iridescent patterns on the part. The iridescent patterns defects on the molded parts are determined by the retardation and transmittance optical characteristics. Injection process parameters have a significant effect on the retardation and transmittance by changing the material properties of polymers and the structural characteristics, thus affecting the color and the brightness of iridescent patterns.image