Development of an Injection Nozzle Heating System to Produce Automotive Control Cables

Article Development of an Injection Nozzle Heating System to Produce Automotive Control Cables João Pedro Madureira Pinto 1,†, Raul Duarte Salgueiral Gomes Campilho 1,2,*,†, Francisco José Gomes da Silva 1,2,†, Mehmet Serkan Kirgiz 3,† and Mariusz Salwin 4,† 1 CIDEM, ISEP—School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal 2 INEGI—Pólo FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal 3 Department of Civil, Architectural and Construction Engineering and Management, Academia of ACMCEN, 4017, Beaverton, OR 97075, USA 4 Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Institute of Organization of Production Systems, Warsaw University of Technology, 85 Narbutta Street, 02-524 Warsaw, Poland * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +351-228340500 † These authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 28 October 2024; Revised: 21 January 2025; Accepted: 7 March 2025; Published: 11 March 2025 Abstract: The automotive industry plays a vital role in the global economy, significantly contributing through job creation, resource utilization, and driving technical and technological advancements. Control cables play an indispensable role in various vehicle mechanisms, including the control of windows, doors, and critical functions such as the handbrake and throttle. The terminals attached to these control cables are small, die-cast components, most commonly fabricated from light alloys with low melting temperatures, such as the zinc-based alloy Zamak. One of the key challenges encountered in the production of these terminals is the difficulty in maintaining consistent heating of the injection nozzle, which can hinder the smooth removal of parts from the mold. This research proposes an innovative method to improve the heating of injection nozzles used in the manufacturing of zamak control cable terminals by employing electromagnetic induction. Typically, the heating process is conducted using electrical resistors, which lack precision in temperature regulation and respond slowly to fluctuations in nozzle temperature. The solution introduced in this study involves an induction heating system, tuned to operate at 155 kHz and 410 W of power. The system’s design features a multi-coil solenoid inductor, optimal for cylindrical components, and incorporates a pyrometer for continuous temperature monitoring. Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis revealed that maintaining an injection nozzle temperature of 550 °C requires the surrounding injection set to reach 600 °C. The return on investment for implementing this induction heating technology was calculated to be around 7 years and 8 months.