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Studies

• Step 01viscosity_curve

  Viscosity curve study

  Find the optimal injection velocity from a velocity / peak-pressure sweep. Computes relative viscosity (plastic pressure times fill time) against relative shear rate, locates the shear-thinning plateau, and picks a velocity from the middle of it. Record a fill time on every point for a result that transfers between machines. This is the first study in the sequence; every later study holds its velocity constant.

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• Step 02cavity_balance

  Cavity balance study

  Quantify cavity-to-cavity fill imbalance from short-shot weights. Give two or more replicate shots at a fill level and the result also says whether the variation comes from the cavities (runner and gate geometry) or from shot-to-shot process drift — the two have opposite fixes. Judge balance on a short shot at 90% fill or above.

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• Step 03pressure_drop

  Pressure-drop study

  Find where injection pressure is consumed along the flow path. Each reading is the CUMULATIVE peak pressure needed to fill through that section — an air shot gives the nozzle figure, then sprue, runner, gate and the full part — so the values ascend. Known sections: Nozzle, Sprue, Runner, Gate, Part. Run every reading at the velocity the viscosity curve selected.

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• Step 04cosmetic_window

  Cosmetic process-window study

  Map which combinations of two process parameters produce a cosmetically acceptable part, and how much room surrounds the centre. Sweep wider than you expect the window to be: a passing point on the edge of the range tested means the window was never closed on that side. Axes and their units: hold_pressure (psi), melt_temp (°C), mold_temp (°C), injection_velocity (in/s), hold_time (s), cooling_time (s). Defects: short, flash, sink, burn, splay, weld-line, drag, warp.

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• Step 05gate_seal

  Gate-seal study

  Find the hold time at which the gate freezes and part weight stops rising. Seal is the first of three consecutive weights within 0.1% of each other; the recommended production hold time adds a margin of one increment. A weight that falls back after seal means the gate did not stay frozen. Run at the velocity the viscosity curve selected.

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• Step 06cooling_time

  Cooling-time study

  Find the shortest cooling time at which a dimension has stopped changing, and the cycle seconds that come off. Supply the drawing tolerance and the rule tightens to a tenth of it. Measure each part at a consistent interval after ejection — the part keeps moving.

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• Standaloneprocess_capability

  Process capability (Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk)

  Judge whether a running process can hold a dimension inside its tolerance. Reports Cp and Cpk from within-subgroup sigma and Pp and Ppk from overall sigma — the second pair is what a customer's SPC package computes from the same measurements — each with a 95% confidence interval, an upper bound on parts per million out of spec, and an Anderson–Darling normality check. Estimators follow Minitab's defaults. No verdict is given when the data cannot support one (no limit, zero spread, badly non-normal data). One specification limit is enough. Sample at least 25 consecutive parts without adjusting the process.

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• Standalonegage_rr

  Gage R&R (crossed, ANOVA method)

  Rate a measurement system from a crossed study: every operator measures every part, the same number of times. Two-way ANOVA per the AIAG Measurement Systems Analysis manual (4th ed.), matching Minitab's crossed gage R&R defaults: the operator × part interaction is pooled into repeatability when not significant (α = 0.05). Reports %GRR of study variation and, when a tolerance is given, of the tolerance, the repeatability / reproducibility split, the number of distinct categories, and the AIAG band (under 10% acceptable, 10–30% conditional, over 30% unacceptable). The standard study is 10 parts, 3 operators, 2–3 trials. Run it before trusting a Cpk.

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Method & planning

• Guidanceget_study_protocol

  How to run a study

  Return the full procedure for one study: what it is for, the equipment needed, the step-by-step method at the press, and what a good result looks like, so the numbers collected at the press are the ones the calculation needs.

• Guidanceplan_process_development

  Plan the study sequence

  Given the studies already run, return the full development sequence with each one marked done or outstanding, what each fixes, what it depends on, and which study to run next. The order matters: each study fixes a setpoint the next one holds constant, so running them out of order produces numbers that do not transfer.

• Guidanceopen_study_sheet

  Open a study data sheet

  Open an empty data sheet for one study in an interactive card: the procedure beside a table the person fills in or pastes into, with the result computed as they type. Also returns the procedure as text and a link to the same calculator on the Lab website.