Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency
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-effect...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Micromachines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/11/1345 |
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| author | Jae Hyang Lee Seonghwan Park Jeon Taik Lim Hyung Sun Yoon Jae Won Choi Cheol Woo Ha Jiyong Park |
| author_facet | Jae Hyang Lee Seonghwan Park Jeon Taik Lim Hyung Sun Yoon Jae Won Choi Cheol Woo Ha Jiyong Park |
| author_sort | Jae Hyang Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39e3dae7fcc64b21bf1317e5c1a5f94e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-39e3dae7fcc64b21bf1317e5c1a5f94e2025-08-20T01:54:03ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-10-011511134510.3390/mi15111345Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing EfficiencyJae Hyang Lee0Seonghwan Park1Jeon Taik Lim2Hyung Sun Yoon3Jae Won Choi4Cheol Woo Ha5Jiyong Park6Advanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaAdvanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaLincsolution, 41-4, Burim-ro 170beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si 14055, Republic of KoreaLincsolution, 41-4, Burim-ro 170beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si 14055, Republic of KoreaAdvanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaAdvanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaAdvanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaThe 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/11/1345stereolithography (SLA) moldpost-thermal curing processdegree of cureinjection molding test |
| spellingShingle | Jae Hyang Lee Seonghwan Park Jeon Taik Lim Hyung Sun Yoon Jae Won Choi Cheol Woo Ha Jiyong Park Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency Micromachines stereolithography (SLA) mold post-thermal curing process degree of cure injection molding test |
| title | Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency |
| title_full | Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency |
| title_fullStr | Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency |
| title_short | Quick-Delivery Mold Fabricated via Stereolithography to Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency |
| title_sort | quick delivery mold fabricated via stereolithography to enhance manufacturing efficiency |
| topic | stereolithography (SLA) mold post-thermal curing process degree of cure injection molding test |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/11/1345 |
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