Abstract:

This paper is devoted to research of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which belongs to one of three main biomaterial groups, i.e. polymeric materials. Hence, due to its unique properties, it still plays an important role in biomedical applications – especially in the production of medical equipment, implants and parts of prostheses. This publication deals with the effect of selected conditions of  processing which involved  injection moulding on the mechanical properties and structure of HDPE mouldings. Samples for tests were produced on a Krauss - Maffei injection moulder  on the basis of a research plan prepared using the STATISTICA program. According to this schedule, the following variable parameters of the injection process were selected: injection temperature T_w [°C], mould temperature T_f [°C] and injection velocity v_w [mm/s]. In addition, a part of the moldings was subjected to a few processings. Then the samples obtained were subjected to different tests: tensile, impact and hardness tests, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and the melt flow rate (MFR) test in order to determine the influence of selected injection conditions and the multiplicity of processing on the mechanical, rheological and structural properties of HDPE.