Thermal stability and degradation kinetics of feedstocks for powder injection moulding – A new way to determine optimal solid loading?

• Published in: Polymer degradation and stability Vol. 98; no. 6; pp. 1188 - 1195
• Main Authors: Hidalgo, J., Jiménez-Morales, A., Torralba, J.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: activation energy; Applied sciences; Binders; butyrates; cellulose acetate; Cellulose acetate butyrate; Composites; Degradation; Exact sciences and technology; Feedstock; feedstocks; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Injection molding; Optimization; Polyethylene glycol; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Powder injection molding; Powder injection moulding; Technology of polymers; temperature; Thermal degradation; Thermal stability; thermogravimetry; Zircon; Cellulose acetate butyrate; Powder injection moulding; Polyethylene glycol; Zircon; Thermal degradation; Organic binder; Polymer blends; Cellulose mixed ester; Experimental study; Modeling; Composite material; Thermal stability; Ethylene oxide polymer; Thermal properties; Inert atmosphere; Kinetic model; Cyclic ether polymer; Powder injection; Cellulose derivatives; Concentration effect; Injection molding; Cellulose organic ester; Kinetics; Activation energy
• ISSN: 0141-3910; 1873-2321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2013.03.018

Degradation kinetics and the thermal stability of zircon powder injection moulding feedstocks (PIM) based on cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) binders were investigated using simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis (STA). The initial decomposition temperature (IDT) and the integral procedure decomposition temperature (IPDT) were used to analyse the thermal stability of the binder system as a function of the solid loading content. The degradation kinetics was studied, and the degradation activation energy was assessed for varying zircon powder contents using isoconversional methods. All the methodologies revealed changes in the thermal degradation behaviours of the feedstocks for solid loadings that were previously determined to correspond to optimal solid loadings using other experimental procedures. These results may promote the proposal of thermodynamic degradation studies of feedstocks as an alternative or complementary technique to determine optimal solid loading contents in powder injection moulding (PIM). The studies in this paper also examined PIM process operation temperatures for zircon feedstocks.