Thin-film sensor technology for the monitoring of temperature control in plastic injection molding

Challenge

The resource-efficient production of components by means of plastic injection molding is dependent on a precise temperature control of the molds. This is a significant factor in the cost-effective production of process-reliable and high-quality plastic parts. Currently, temperature fluctuations are often not detected due to the lack of direct measurement at the individual temperature-control channels.

Solution

As a solution, a special sensor insert was designed for integration within a 6-circuit multi-coupling. The multi-sensory layer system was deposited with high adhesion onto this exchangeable insert into the inner areas of the bore, and conductive tracks were structured across the rounded area. This sensory and media-resistant thin-film system, developed at the Fraunhofer IST, is based on DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings produced by means of PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) technologies. 

Added value 

The sensor insert developed enables the spatially resolved measurement of pressure and temperature. Through the verification of the durability of the sensory thin-film system, further fields of application have been opened up in the area of the realization of highly resilient sensor technology for tribologically demanding systems and the in-situ monitoring in cyber-physical production systems.