A Study on Thickness Variation of ABS Sheet in Vacuum Forming Process

진공성형시 발생하는 ABS 시트의 두께 변화량에 관한 연구

Originally, the thermoforming method has been developed to produce the plastic parts which have simple geometric characteristics such as door trims and wrapping materials within the short time. But the thermoformed parts have non-uniform thickness distributions over the surface according to the material characteristics, set-up angle and geometry of the parts. But, only few analysis methods have been developed so far, due to the difficulties of the selection of important factors, and contribution of each factor in the simulation. So, to guarantee the dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties of crucial points in the thermoformed parts, it is necessary to develop the thickness prediction method. This research suggests a new approaching methodology to predict the thermoformed parts by modulating the control points of the NURBS curve. The newly developed method makes it possible not only to choose the suitable thickness of polymer sheets but also to induce data modification for vacuum forming.