Functional Analysis Validation of Micro and Conventional Injection Molding Machines Performances Based on Process Precision and Accuracy for Micro Manufacturing

Calaon, Matteo; Baruffi, Federico; Fantoni, Gualtiero; Cirri, Ilenia; Santochi, Marco; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Tosello, Guido

doi:10.3390/mi11121115

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…There are five main phases in the injection molding process which are melting, filling, packing, cooling, and demolding [ 80 , 81 , 82 ]. It is desirable to keep the filling and packing phases at a high temperature to promote polymer melt flow and enhance reproducibility of the molded product [ 80 , 83 , 84 ].…”

Section: Injection Molding Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Rapid Tooling in Rapid Heat Cycle Molding: A Review

et al. 2022

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Rapid tooling (RT) and additive manufacturing (AM) are currently being used in several parts of industry, particularly in the development of new products. The demand for timely deliveries of low-cost products in a variety of geometrical patterns is continuing to increase year by year. Increased demand for low-cost materials and tooling, including RT, is driving the demand for plastic and rubber products, along with engineering and product manufacturers. The development of AM and RT technologies has led to significant improvements in the technologies, especially in testing performance for newly developed products prior to the fabrication of hard tooling and low-volume production. On the other hand, the rapid heating cycle molding (RHCM) injection method can be implemented to overcome product surface defects generated by conventional injection molding (CIM), since the surface gloss of the parts is significantly improved, and surface marks such as flow marks and weld marks are eliminated. The most important RHCM technique is rapid heating and cooling of the cavity surface, which somewhat improves part quality while also maximizing production efficiencies. RT is not just about making molds quickly; it also improves molding productivity. Therefore, as RT can also be used to produce products with low-volume production, there is a good potential to explore RHCM in RT. This paper reviews the implementation of RHCM in the molding industry, which has been well established and undergone improvement on the basis of different heating technologies. Lastly, this review also introduces future research opportunities regarding the potential of RT in the RHCM technique.

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Section: Injection Molding Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Rapid Tooling in Rapid Heat Cycle Molding: A Review

et al. 2022

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“…iv) Microscale viscosity, polymer viscoelasticity, and surface tension effects become significant under the size effect, especially in industrial applications. [ 19,21–23 ]…”

Section: Micro/nanomoldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…iv) Microscale viscosity, polymer viscoelasticity, and surface tension effects become significant under the size effect, especially in industrial applications. [19,[21][22][23] At the micro-and nanoscale, cavity filling is challenging for 3D parts with complex shapes and high aspect ratios owing to the decrease in the fluidity of molten polymers caused by the solidified skin layer. [24] The packing pressure is the driving force that pushes the polymer melt into the micro/nanostructures of the cavity surface.…”

Section: Microinjection Moldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and Future Trends for Polymer Micro/Nanoprocessing in Industrial Applications

et al. 2022

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Polymers are widely used in optical devices, electronic devices, energy‐harvesting/storage devices, and sensors, owing to their low weight, excellent flexibility, and simple fabrication process. With advancements in micro/nanoprocessing techniques and more demanding application requirements, it is becoming necessary to realize high‐resolution fabrication of polymers to prepare miniaturized devices. This is particularly because conventional processing technologies suffer from high thermal stress and strong adhesion/friction, which can irreversibly damage the micro/nanostructures of miniaturized devices. In addition, although the use of advanced fabrication methods to prepare high‐resolution micro/nanostructures is explored, these methods are limited to laboratory research or small‐batch production. This review focuses on the micro/nanoprocessing of polymeric materials and devices with high spatial precision and replication accuracy for industrial applications. Specifically, the current state‐of‐the‐art techniques and future trends for micro/nanomolding, high‐energy beam processing, and micro/nanomachining are discussed. Moreover, an overview of the fabrication and applications of various polymer‐based elements and devices such as microlenses, biosensors, and transistors is provided. These techniques are expected to be widely applied for multiscale and multimaterial processing as well as for multifunction integration in next‐generation integrated devices, such as photoelectric, smart, and biodegradable devices.

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“…The use of medical grade polymers [23,24], and the applicability of IM for the manufacturing of drug delivery systems has been investigated and established for many years [25]. Moreover, the micro injection molding method (µIM) enables highest resolution and precision [26][27][28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Mau¹,

Eickner²,

Jüttner³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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A novel approach for the long-term medical treatment of the inner ear is the diffusion of drugs through the round window membrane from a patient-individualized, drug-eluting implant, which is inserted in the middle ear. In this study, drug-loaded (10 wt% Dexamethasone) guinea pig round window niche implants (GP-RNIs, ~1.30 mm x 0.95 mm x 0.60 mm) were manufactured with high precision via micro injection molding (µIM, Tmold = 160 °C, crosslinking time of 120 s). The medical grade silicone elastomer MED-4244 (NuSil Technology LLC, Radnor, PA, USA) was used. Molds for µIM were 3D printed from a commercially available resin PlasGRAY V2 (Asiga, Alexandria, Australia, TG = 84 °C) via a high-resolution DLP process (xy-resolution of 32 µm, z-resolution of 10 µm, 3D printing time of about 6 h). Drug release, biocompatibility, and bio-efficacy of the GP-RNIs were investigated in vitro. GP-RNIs could be successfully produced. Wear of the molds due to thermal stress was observed. However, the molds are suitable for single use in the µIM process. About 10% of the drug load (8.2 ± 0.6 µg) was released after 6 weeks (medium: isotonic saline). The implants showed high biocompatibility over a time of 28 days (lowest cell viability ~80%). Moreover, we found anti-inflammatory effects over a time of 28 days in a TNF-α-reduction test. These results are promising for the development of long-term drug-releasing implants for human inner ear therapy.

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Functional Analysis Validation of Micro and Conventional Injection Molding Machines Performances Based on Process Precision and Accuracy for Micro Manufacturing

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Potential of Rapid Tooling in Rapid Heat Cycle Molding: A Review

Potential of Rapid Tooling in Rapid Heat Cycle Molding: A Review

Current and Future Trends for Polymer Micro/Nanoprocessing in Industrial Applications

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

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