Process optimization for shaped parts of polypropylene particle foams by the use of Design of Experiments (DOE)

Polypropylene particle foam (EPP) is nowadays used in a wide range of applications like for transportation and packaging, for isolation and in the automotive sector. The requirements to the product quality and also to the process security increase. Many properties of the shaped foam parts depend besides the raw material of the foam, on the process parameters of the moulding process. The objective of this paper is to provide a basis for the prediction and adjustment of the process parameters for optimized moulded parts of polypropylene particle foam. To achieve this object the dependence of the properties of shaped EPP-parts of the process parameters of the moulding process were investigated. This was realised by analysing the moulding process (steam chest moulding process), the properties of the achieved shaped parts and the conjunction of this experimental results with statistic results and modelling.