Alternative materials in moulding elements of hybrid moulds: structural integrity and tribological aspects

Abstract

Hybrid moulds are an increasingly considered alternative for prototype series or short production runs. This type of tools resorts on the use of Rapid Prototyping and Tooling (RPT) to produce the moulding elements (blocks or other inserts). This study was developed using a hybrid injection mould with exchangeable moulding elements that were produced by additive manufacturing (AM), namely vacuum epoxy casting, stereolithography and ProMetal. A full steel tool was also used as a reference. The processing conditions for the polypropylene moulded parts using the hybrid mould were monitored for pressure, temperature and ejection force. The hybrid mould performance was assessed in terms of pressure and temperature evolution during the injection cycle and the AM moulding elements for physical integrity. The data from the polypropylene moulded parts and the moulding inserts are compared with structural and rheological simulations using ANSYS Workbench and MOLDEX 3D. The results show that the hybrid mould performance and the structural integrity of the moulding elements depend on the properties of the materials used. The moulding shrinkage, when resin cores are used, is also affected by the core deformation caused by the injection pressure.

Micro Injection Molding of Drug-Loaded Round Window Niche Implants for an Animal Model Using 3D-Printed Molds

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Development of an Epoxy-Based Rapid Tool with Low Vulcanization Energy Consumption Channels for Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding

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Investigating demoulding characteristics of material jetted rapid mould inserts for micro­injection moulding using in­line monitoring and surface metrology

“…The work demonstrated in this article is expected to be instrumental in the utilisation of rapid-tooling approaches for prototyping applications not only for micro-injection mould tooling but also other manufacturing processes, including incremental sheet forming base tools and patterns for hot embossing (Boinski et al, 2022;Li et al, 2023). By establishing preferential print settings and characterisation of their demoulding behaviour, this research positions the MJ technology as a strong candidate against other established methods, such as SLA and selective laser sintering, particularly for rapid tooling applications (Mendible et al, 2017;Martinho and Pouzada, 2021).…”