Development of a Rapid Tool for Metal Injection Molding Using Aluminum-Filled Epoxy Resins

Kuo, Chil-Chyuan; Pan, Xin-Yu

doi:10.3390/polym15173513

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…A notable advantage, however, is that the WCC’s molds or dies exhibit no cooling water leakage during plastic injection molding when utilizing a one-process fabrication approach with rapid tooling technology [ 38 , 39 ]. This study utilized silicone rubber [ 40 ] to produce the injection molds with a WCC and CCC [ 41 ]. Additionally, conventional molded steel [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ] can be employed to create injection molds with WCC or CCC through metal additive manufacturing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Kuo,

Lin,

et al. 2024

Polymers

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A conformal cooling channel (CCC) follows the mold core or cavity profile to carry out uniform cooling in the cooling stage. However, the significant pressure drop along the cooling channels is a distinct disadvantage of the CCC. In this study, an innovative waterfall cooling channel (WCC) was proposed and implemented. The WCC cools the injected products via surface contact, replacing the conventional line contact to cool the injected products. The WCC was optimized using numerical simulation software. Silicone rubber molds with two kinds of cooling channels were designed and implemented. The cooling time of the molded part was evaluated using a low-pressure wax injection molding machine. The experimental results of the cooling time of the molded part were compared with the simulation results from numerical simulation software. The results showed that the optimal mesh element count was about 1,550,000 with a mesh size of 1 mm. The simulation software predicted the filling time of the water cup injection-molded product to be approximately 2.008 s. The cooling efficiency for a silicone rubber mold with a WCC is better than that of the silicone rubber mold with a CCC since the core and cavity cooling efficiency is close to 50%. The pressure drop of the WCC is smaller than that of the CCC, which reduces the pressure drop by about 56%. Taking a water cup with a mouth diameter of 70 mm, a height of 60 mm, and a thickness of 2 mm as an example, the experimental results confirmed that the use of the WCC can save the cooling time of the product by about 265 s compared with the CCC. This shows how a WCC can increase cooling efficiency by approximately 17.47%.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Kuo,

Lin,

et al. 2024

Polymers

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“…In their research, Kuo et al discovered that employing AL-filled resin in rapid tooling can lead to reductions of over 30% in production costs and manufacturing time. However, their study also revealed that the lifespan of an RT tool is merely 1.3% of that of a metal tool [4]. Similarly, Kampker et al identified potential cost savings of up to 72% and estimated overall savings ranging from 20% to 66% [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Advanced FFF of PEEK: Infill Strategies and Material Characteristics for Rapid Tooling

Abbas,

Hedwig,

Balc

et al. 2023

Polymers

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Traditional vulcanization mold manufacturing is complex, costly, and under pressure due to shorter product lifecycles and diverse variations. Additive manufacturing using Fused Filament Fabrication and high-performance polymers like PEEK offer a promising future in this industry. This study assesses the compressive strength of various infill structures (honeycomb, grid, triangle, cubic, and gyroid) when considering two distinct build directions (Z, XY) to enhance PEEK’s economic and resource efficiency in rapid tooling. A comparison with PETG samples shows the behavior of the infill strategies. Additionally, a proof of concept illustrates the application of a PEEK mold in vulcanization. A peak compressive strength of 135.6 MPa was attained in specimens that were 100% solid and subjected to thermal post-treatment. This corresponds to a 20% strength improvement in the Z direction. In terms of time and mechanical properties, the anisotropic grid and isotropic cubic infill have emerged for use in rapid tooling. Furthermore, the study highlights that reducing the layer thickness from 0.15 mm to 0.1 mm can result in a 15% strength increase. The study unveils the successful utilization of a room-temperature FFF-printed PEEK mold in vulcanization injection molding. The parameters and infill strategies identified in this research enable the resource-efficient FFF printing of PEEK without compromising its strength properties. Using PEEK in rapid tooling allows a cost reduction of up to 70% in tool production.

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Cooling efficiency enhancement using a rapid tool with a surface-cooled waterfall cooling channel

Kuo,

Lin,

et al. 2024

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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Development of a Rapid Tool for Metal Injection Molding Using Aluminum-Filled Epoxy Resins

Cited by 7 publications

References 53 publications

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Development of a Silicone Rubber Mold with an Innovative Waterfall Cooling Channel

Advanced FFF of PEEK: Infill Strategies and Material Characteristics for Rapid Tooling

Cooling efficiency enhancement using a rapid tool with a surface-cooled waterfall cooling channel

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