Research on Reconstruction Technology for Injection Molding Screws Based on Reverse Engineering

The injection molding screw is an important part of the injection molding machine. The screw rotates inside the barrel, which interact to convey, compact, melt, stir and generate pressure on the plastic. As the screw rotates, the plastic creates friction with the barrel wall, the channel bottom, the pushing flight of the screw, and other plastic. In the design and manufacture of injection screws, conventional measuring tools like bit gauges, angle gauges and micrometers are used for surveying and mapping, so it is usually difficult to get a refined model, and the machining quality of injection screws is inspected using conventional measuring tools or using only the naked eye. Conventional technologies result in low precision, low efficiency, and unsystematic methods, while 3D scanning and reverse engineering offers advanced technology, high precision and high efficiency, and it has been more commonly applied to the industrial manufacturing industry in recent years. In this case, many people are increasingly conducting research regarding the application of 3D scanning and reverse engineering in the design and manufacture of injection screws and machining quality inspection. In this paper, a new scanning system named Win3D-M and related design software are employed to perform reverse engineering, surface reconstruction and improvement of the injection screw, with an aim to expand the scope of application of 3D scanning and reverse engineering and serve as a useful reference for the development work of injection molding screws. As compared to traditional theoretical and experimental research, using reverse engineering in injection molding screw design can shorten the design cycle and reduce design costs; the 3D geometric model provides some reference for improving and optimizing the structure of the injection molding screw and CAM machining later on.