Abstract
3D Printed Injection Moulds (3DIM), commonly used for low volume production and prototyping purposes, are known to fail abruptly and have a comparatively shorter life than conventional moulds. Investigating the underlying critical factors affecting failure may help in reducing the risk of abrupt failures and possibly prolong the 3DIM tool life. A hypothesis that the cooling time of the Injection Moulding (IM) process is a critical factor for 3DIM tool failure has been proposed. The failure hypothesis has been validated by theoretical calculations, FEA simulations and experimental investigations. Experiments were performed using two different materials for the 3DIM tool (Visijet M3-X and Digital ABS) and an engineering thermoplastic (Lexan 943-A) as the moulding material. Results showed that cooling time was a critical factor on tool life and managing the thermal loading on a 3DIM tool could lead to increased tool life. The paper identifies cooling time as the critical factor affecting 3DIM tool life and presents a cooling regime that could possibly lead to prolonged tool life.
Subject
Polymers and Plastics,General Chemistry
Reference30 articles.
1. Kazmer, D.O. (2016). Injection Mold Design Engineering, Hanser Publications. [2nd ed.]. Available online: https://www.hanser-elibrary.com/isbn/9781569905708.
2. Design, development and evaluation of 3D mold inserts using a rapid prototyping technique and powder-sintering process;Int. J. Prod. Res.,2006
3. Low Volume Plastics Manufacturing Strategies;J. Mech. Des.,2007
4. The wear rates and performance of three mold insert materials;Mater. Des.,2011
5. Rosato, D.V., and Rosato, D.V. (1995). Injection Molding Handbook: The Complete Molding Operation Technology, Performance, Economics, Chapman & Hall. [2nd ed.].
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献