An investigation of the processability of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites on shallow and flat thin-walled parts by injection moulding process

•We simulate composites on thin wall parts with thickness of 0.7 mm.•Shallow thin wall is a rigid structure for small part shell application.•Shallow thin wall is processed with less material compared to flat thin wall.•Shallow thin wall has minimum warpage compared to flat thin wall.•It also has minimum residual stress distribution compared to flat thin wall.

Currently, many industries are trending towards producing products exhibit such properties as small thickness, lightweight, small dimensions, and environmental friendliness. In this project, flat or shallow thin-walled parts were designed to compare the advantages and disadvantages of lignocellulosic polymer composites (PP + 50 wt% wood) in terms of processability. This study focused on the filling, in-cavity residual stresses and warpage parameters associated with both types of thin-walled moulded parts. Thin-walled parts 0.7 mm in thickness were suitably moulded using lignocellulosic composite materials to determine the effects of filling. The analysis showed, the shallow thin-walled part is preferable in moulding lignocellulosic polymer composite material due to the low residual stress and warpage measured. The results also indicate that the shallow thin-walled part is structurally rigid, such that it can be used in applications involving small shell parts, and can be processed more economically using less material than the flat thin-walled part.