Abstract
This paper reports the multi-response optimization of mechanical properties for polycarbonate and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene blends using Principal Component Analysis. Four controllable factors of the injection moulding process were assigned at three levels each. The Taguchi method was first employed to study the single-response optimization of mechanical properties. Principal Component Analysis was then employed to correspond to multi-response cases, for transforming the correlated mechanical properties to a set of uncorrelated components and evaluating the principal components. The optimum process factor/level combinations, based on different number of principal components, were determined. The appropriate number of principal components, and the impact of that number on the optimum process conditions, were studied by extracting more than one principal component and integrating them into a comprehensive index. Finally, the analysis of variance was used to find out the most influential injection moulding parameter for single and multiple responses problems.