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The purpose of this paper is to present a technique of fabricating profiled conformal cooling channels (PCCC) in an aluminium filled epoxy mould using rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid tooling (RT) techniques and to compare the cooling times for the moulds with circular and profiled channels experimentally. The cooling channels in injection mould tools have a circular cross section. In a PCCC, the cross sectional shape is so designed that the flat face surface of the channel facing the cavity follows the profile of the cavity. These types of channels can be manufactured through RP and RT techniques.

A part to be moulded was designed and modelled. Two moulds were then designed with the part cavity, one having a circular channel and the second with a profiled channel, both having the same cross sectional area for coolant flow. The channel patterns were designed with supports according to their position regarding height and distance from the cavity as designed earlier. Both channels have the same distance from the cavity wall. RP patterns were produced for both channels and part using the Thermojet 3D printer. The cooling channel and the moulded part patterns were then assembled as designed in the moulds. Moulding frames were fabricated with aluminium plates and the pattern was placed in the frames. Epoxy was poured on the pattern and then cured. The moulded part and the channel patterns embedded inside epoxy were melted out during the final curing cycle, leaving behind the circular‐ and profiled‐cooling channels in the moulds. For the cooling time measurement, injection moulding was done with moulds with circular and profiled channels. Moulded part temperature will be recorded by embedding thermocouples within the mould cavities.

A technique for the manufacture of cooling channels of different profiles in epoxy moulds was presented. Experimental analysis for temperature measurement for the moulded part with injection moulding process showed that PCCC mould has less cooling time then mould with circular channels.

The technique presented is based on the metal‐filled epoxy materials used in RT and was obtained using a specific test part. Epoxy tooling can be a useful alternative of metallic mould to produce injection mould tools. A limitation for the epoxy moulds is that they have a limited life as compared with metallic moulds.

This is a new technique of manufacturing moulds with cooling channels using RP/RT techniques. Moulds with different channel cross sections can be manufactured using this technique.

This paper aims to investigate the layer of material deposited on a sample of acrylic resin by electroless nickel plating process. Acrylic resin is a popular material in rapid prototyping (RP) which uses the additive manufacturing technique to build prototypes for visual inspection, assembly, etc. Metallization of the RP materials can extend application envelop of RP techniques, as they can be used in decorative or functional applications.

Unlike electroless nickel plating on a metal substrate, the plating process for an acrylic resin substrate is different, as there is no metal ion for the auto-catalytic electroless reaction. Pre-treatment processes are performed on an acrylic resin sample to initiate electroless nickel plating. The morphology, chemical composition and structure of the layer deposited on the sample are examined using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.

The investigation shows that a nickel phosphorous alloy layer is plated on to the substrate surface of the acrylic resin sample.

Plating a layer of nickel phosphorous alloy layer on an acrylic resin RP material can widen the application of RP technology. An application of nickel plated acrylic resin sample to rapid tooling for low-volume production plastic parts is presented.

Epoxy aluminium adhesive Substantial savings in both capital costs and downtime are now possible because of a new high‐performance aluminium‐filled epoxy adhesive from Devcon UK, Wellingborough.

A Review of the Properties and Applications of High‐Strength Metal‐to‐Metal Joints and Sandwich Constructions Bonded with High‐Strength Adhesives. TODAY'S adhesives are the complex products of continually expanding technologies. Their applications appear to be limited only by the skill and ingenuity of the designer and his fabricators. Even in a single area such as metal‐to‐metal bonds in aerospace and electronic uses, evaluation and selection of an adhesive requires familiarity with a large number of adhesive systems.

The continuing trend towards increasingly compact circuitry places rigorous demands on the thermal management of electronic assemblies. The problem is particularly severe in power circuitry with integrated control. A number of advanced cooling mechanisms and packaging methods are available, but for consumer products the cost of these solutions is prohibitive. Traditionally, thermal management has been achieved by the attachment of large metal heatsinks, but this introduces further manufacturing processes during assembly. It is demonstrated that efficient heatsinking can conveniently be achieved through the substrate, due to both improvements in, and shortening of, the conduction paths. When used as the final level of packaging in a hybrid assembly, coated steel substrates offer an improvement in thermal performance, in comparison with alumina. The optimum thermal performance is, however, provided by polymer coated aluminium substrate materials.

Fabrication of customized products in low volume through conventional manufacturing incurs a high cost, longer processing time and huge material waste. Hence, the concept of additive manufacturing (AM) comes into existence and fused deposition modelling (FDM), is at the forefront of researches related to polymer-based additive manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the research works carried on the applications of FDM.

In the present paper, an extensive review has been performed related to major application areas (such as a sensor, shielding, scaffolding, drug delivery devices, microfluidic devices, rapid tooling, four-dimensional printing, automotive and aerospace, prosthetics and orthosis, fashion and architecture) where FDM has been tested. Finally, a roadmap for future research work in the FDM application has been discussed. As an example for future research scope, a case study on the usage of FDM printed ABS-carbon black composite for solvent sensing is demonstrated.

The printability of composite filament through FDM enhanced its application range. Sensors developed using FDM incurs a low cost and produces a result comparable to those conventional techniques. EMI shielding manufactured by FDM is light and non-oxidative. Biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds of complex shapes are possible to manufacture by FDM. Further, FDM enables the fabrication of on-demand and customized prosthetics and orthosis. Tooling time and cost involved in the manufacturing of low volume customized products are reduced by FDM based rapid tooling technique. Results of the solvent sensing case study indicate that three-dimensional printed conductive polymer composites can sense different solvents. The sensors with a lower thickness (0.6 mm) exhibit better sensitivity.

This paper outlines the capabilities of FDM and provides information to the user about the different applications possible with FDM.

Presents development and characterisation of a new metal/polymer composite material for use in fused deposition modelling (FDM) rapid prototyping process with the aim of application to direct rapid tooling. The work represents a major development in reducing the cost and time in rapid tooling.

The material consists of iron particles in a nylon type matrix. The detailed formulation and characterisation of the thermal properties of the various combinations of the new composites are investigated experimentally. Results are compared with other metal/polymer composites used in rapid tooling.

The feedstock filaments of this composite have been produced and used successfully in the unmodified FDM system for direct rapid tooling of injection moulding inserts. Thermal properties are found to be acceptable for rapid tooling applications for injection moulding.

Introduces an entirely new metal based composite material for direct rapid tooling application using FDM RP system with desired thermal properties and characteristics. This will reduce the cost and time of manufacturing tooling inserts and dies for injection moulding.

MANUFACTURING VARIED MOUNTING DISCS Nearly a hundred rigid mounting discs support scaling rings within the complex major fatigue test rig at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, in which a complete Concorde airframe is being subjected to the structural and thermal load environment experienced by this aircraft in service. Up to 5ft in diameter, each disc has a different curvature. As with the specimen, so these discs also have to undergo the stresses caused, in service, by taxiing, take‐off, landing and flight, together with the internal loadings imposed by cabin pressurisation, air‐conditioning and fuel handling.

An ‘Antitque Road Show’ — protected by Jenoseel This 70 ton coal fired monster is a 1906 Ruston Bucyrus steam shovel, now on display at the Beamish Open Air Museum.

Rapid prototyping technologies have introduced a new generation of rapid tooling processes. Many of these rapid tools have been used for injection moulding where the thermal properties of the tool material are critical to the quality of parts produced. Rapid tools are often made from materials with substantially different thermal properties than conventional metal tools. Engineers wishing to make use of these technologies to produce technical prototypes must be aware of the effect this will have on final part properties. Some previous research has been undertaken in this area. Reviews the work done in the field of rapid tooling used for injection moulding. The review shows that, whereas a range of techniques and final part materials has been studied, the results obtained are incomplete and often unexplained. The authors draw conclusions as to why this is so and go on to identify areas for further work that will be pursued.