Weight Optimization of Plastic Injection Moulded Electrical Wire Casing Thermoplastic using Hybrid RSM-Tunicate Swarm Algorithm

¹ Department of Advanced Materials Technology, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
² Environment & Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Parala Maharaja Engineering College, Berhampur, Odisha, India
⁴ Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
⁵ School of Mechanical Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
⁶ Materials Chemistry Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
⁷ Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-HRD Centre Campus, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

^* Corresponding author: swastik.rock002@gmail.com

Abstract

The need for fire-retardant material for electrical wire covers and cases is increasing as the global population continues to expand at an alarming rate. In addition to having good fire and chemical resistance, CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) is widely accessible in a assortment of forms and sizes, comprising rods, sheets, and tubes. Plastic injection moulding (PIM) provides a method that allows for the production of CPVC items at a rapid pace and at a low cost. When these mouldings are lightweight, they may reduce the amount of non-biodegradable materials that are used in their construction. The present research gives an insight into the CPVC material moulding for electrical wire casing elbows using an injection moulding machine, which was previously unexplored. Four plastic injection moulding parameters were considered in order to reduce the weight of the elbow, including injection pressure, mould closing speed, mould pressure, and backpressure. The 27 tests were piloted in line with Response Surface Methodbased Box-Behnken Design, and the factors were optimised using Tunicate Swarm Algorithm, which was recently developed. In the case of the plastic injection-moulded item, the analysis of variance revealed that the most significant parameter in the weight reduction was the material used. It has been determined that mould pressure is the most critical factor impacting the weight of the item when it is manufactured. As a result, the optimum manufacture of injection-moulded CPVC components will be facilitated, resulting in optimised weight while also minimising production time and raw material waste for electrical wire casing.