Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The ever-growing demand for reducing costs and decreasing the time to market in today's plastics industry makes rapid tooling and rapid prototyping highly researched areas. Stereolithography (SLA)-manufactured injection mold inserts make it possible to produce prototype parts rapidly and cost-effectively. To utilize SLA in the injection molding industry, two steps have to be considered. The first is to identify suitable SLA process and post-thermal curing process parameters to enhance the mechanical and thermal characteristics. The second is to verify the applicability of SLA-manufactured molds for use in the injection molding industry. IA comprehensive study was performed to find the optimum process parameters for an SLA mold with excellent mechanical and thermal properties and to verify the applicability of the mold. First of all, the mechanical and thermal properties of samples manufactured based on various laser powers and heat treatment at different temperatures were analyzed with a tensile test, DSC, and TMA according to the degree of cure. On the basis of the results from those tests, an SLA mold was designed and fabricated with the optimum mechanical and thermal properties. In addition, the SLA mold was assembled into an injection machine, and an injection molding test was conducted. The SLA mold endured during the injection cycle, and 500 shots were successfully injected without damaging the mold, which resulted in reaching the quick-delivery mold standard. Finally, we demonstrate that SLA is an effective technology to produce molds for use in the injection molding industry.
Source: Micromachines
DOI: 10.3390/mi15111345
Authors: Jae Hyang Lee, Seonghwan Park, Jeon Taik Lim, Hyung Sun Yoon, Jae Won Choi, Cheol Woo Ha, Jiyong Park
Language: English
Subfield: Automotive Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,955
Award: G38309886
OpenAlex ID: W4403940904