Rapid tooling: investigation of soft-tooled micro-injection moulding process characteristics using in-line measurements and surface metrology
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 23 March 2023
Issue publication date: 3 July 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate and characterise a soft-tooled micro-injection moulding process through in-line measurements and surface metrology using a data-intensive approach.
Design/methodology/approach
A soft tool for a demonstrator product that mimics the main features of miniature components in medical devices and microsystem components has been designed and fabricated using material jetting technique. The soft tool was then integrated into a mould assembly on the micro-injection moulding machine, and mouldings were made. Sensor and data acquisition devices including thermal imaging and injection pressure sensing have been set up to collect data for each of the prototypes. Off-line dimensional characterisation of the parts and the soft tool have also been carried out to quantify the prototype quality and dimensional changes on the soft tool after the manufacturing cycles.
Findings
The data collection and analysis methods presented here enable the evaluation of the quality of the moulded parts in real-time from in-line measurements. Importantly, it is demonstrated that soft-tool surface temperature difference values can be used as reliable indicators for moulding quality. Reduction in the total volume of the soft-tool moulding cavity was detected and quantified up to 100 cycles. Data collected from in-line monitoring was also used for filling assessment of the soft-tool moulding cavity, providing about 90% accuracy in filling prediction with relatively modest sensors and monitoring technologies.
Originality/value
This work presents a data-intensive approach for the characterisation of soft-tooled micro-injection moulding processes for the first time. The overall results of this study show that the product-focussed data-rich approach presented here proved to be an essential and useful way of exploiting additive manufacturing technologies for soft-tooled rapid prototyping and new product introduction.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research has been funded by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) under “Capacity Building for Prototyping Compatible Injection Moulding (Project no: 8225)”. Authors also would like to thank Mrs Jane Bratherton from Olympus – EVIDENT Europe GmbH for the arrangement of the laser scanning confocal microscope trial period in our facilities and for collaborating with WMG.
Citation
Gülçür, M., Couling, K., Goodship, V., Charmet, J. and Gibbons, G.J. (2023), "Rapid tooling: investigation of soft-tooled micro-injection moulding process characteristics using in-line measurements and surface metrology", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 29 No. 7, pp. 1420-1437. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-06-2022-0187
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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