Process development for punching extruded PC based materials in cable duct production

HTW Berlin, Faculty 2: School of Engineering – Technology and Life, 12459 Berlin, Germany

^* Corresponding author: Roland.Heiler@htw-berlin.de

Abstract

Burr and film formation occurring when punching polycarbonate/ acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) cable ducts is a common problem during manufacturing of cable ducts. However, little knowledge on base materials, their thermal and mechanical behavior as well as their initial processing and finally behavior during cable duct manufacturing is available. Therefore, to improve process reliability and gain knowledge on mechanical and failure behavior necessary initial investigations focus on cable duct usage, different geometric types, polymer materials and the punching process itself. Optical analysis on punched PC/ABS cable duct with burr and film formation and corresponding punch led to definition of the test tool’s geometry for subsequent tests. Since the punching process directly influences burr and film formation, it was necessary to design a demo-tool to observe the burr and film origin. Tensile tests at different test speeds focus on in-situ mechanical behavior using coupons taken from industrial cable ducts made of mineral reinforced polycarbonate (PC) and PC/ABS including further additives that are generally used in industry. First results indicate that higher test speeds appear to reduce the influence of the different admixtures on the elongation behavior of PC based materials.