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Micro- and nano-manufacturing technologies have been developed in research and industrial environments to support product miniaturization and the integration of new functionalities
Davide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. Editorial for the Special Issue on Advances in Micro and Nano Manufacturing: Process Modeling and Applications. Micromachines 2021, 12, 970 .
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Giovanni Lucchetta. Editorial for the Special Issue on Advances in Micro and Nano Manufacturing: Process Modeling and Applications. Micromachines. 2021; 12 (8):970.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2021. "Editorial for the Special Issue on Advances in Micro and Nano Manufacturing: Process Modeling and Applications." Micromachines 12, no. 8: 970.
Four sustainable materials including a recycled polypropylene blend, polybutylene adipate terephthalate, and two grades of polylactic acid are compared to a reference isotactic polypropylene. Tensile specimens were produced using a two-cavity, hot runner mold with fully automatic cycles per standard industrial practices to investigate the effect of melt temperature, injection velocity, cycle time, and screw speed on the mechanical properties. Multiple regression and principal component analyses were performed for each of the materials. Results indicated that all the materials were readily processed using a hot runner, and the mechanical properties exhibited minimal variation. To the extent that losses in mechanical properties were observed, the results indicated that the losses were correlated with thermal degradation as independently characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis. Such losses can be minimized by reducing melt temperature and cycle time, leading to a reduction of the environmental impact of injection molding processes.
David Kazmer; Davide Masato; Leonardo Piccolo; Kyle Puleo; Joshua Krantz; Varun Venoor; Austin Colon; Justin Limkaichong; Neil Dewar; Denis Babin; Cheryl Sayer. Multivariate Modeling of Mechanical Properties for Hot Runner Molded Bioplastics and a Recycled Polypropylene Blend. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8102 .
AMA StyleDavid Kazmer, Davide Masato, Leonardo Piccolo, Kyle Puleo, Joshua Krantz, Varun Venoor, Austin Colon, Justin Limkaichong, Neil Dewar, Denis Babin, Cheryl Sayer. Multivariate Modeling of Mechanical Properties for Hot Runner Molded Bioplastics and a Recycled Polypropylene Blend. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):8102.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavid Kazmer; Davide Masato; Leonardo Piccolo; Kyle Puleo; Joshua Krantz; Varun Venoor; Austin Colon; Justin Limkaichong; Neil Dewar; Denis Babin; Cheryl Sayer. 2021. "Multivariate Modeling of Mechanical Properties for Hot Runner Molded Bioplastics and a Recycled Polypropylene Blend." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 8102.
The Plastics Engineering program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell has taught mold design and engineering to undergraduate students for over 60 years. In 2020, the unexpected arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March forced the instructors to revisit the class program and objectives. Similar to other academic courses, the class became virtual. This meant redesigning an intensive hands-on manufacturing class into one that could be taught and taken from our home offices while maintaining academic rigor and continuing to meet critical student learning objectives. The timing of the pandemic meant that students, who were completing tooling split designs and starting CNC programming, could not move forward with machining, assembly, and molding. Instead, their projects became virtual learning experiences. This paper provides the analysis and discussion of how new ideas in teaching were implemented to virtually introduce engineering students to the world of plastic manufacturing. The students' work was carried out on plastic part designs of their choice, some of which included thin walls (<2 mm) and micro-scale features (~ 800 ?m) typical of a micro injection molding process.
Davide Masato; Stephen Johnston. Project-Based Teaching of a Manufacturing Class During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Stephen Johnston. Project-Based Teaching of a Manufacturing Class During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Stephen Johnston. 2021. "Project-Based Teaching of a Manufacturing Class During the COVID-19 Pandemic." Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing , no. : 1.
The ejection phase influences the quality and integrity of micro injection molded parts. The successful design of robust micro mold ejection systems requires studying the tribological interactions at the mold/polymer interface. At the micro-scale, the tooling topography can have a significant impact on the ejection friction. Here we propose a novel approach to the evaluation of ejection friction in micro injection molding. The two main contributors to the ejection force are the normal force due to shrinkage and the static friction coefficient. The former is addressed by developing a procedure for shrinkage characterization at the micro-scale. The latter is studied using experimental measurements of the ejection force in micro injection molding. Comparing the numerical and the experimental results allows identifying the friction coefficient as a function of polymer, process parameters, and mold surface roughness.
Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta. A new approach to the evaluation of ejection friction in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 2020, 62, 28 -36.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Giovanni Lucchetta. A new approach to the evaluation of ejection friction in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 2020; 62 ():28-36.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2020. "A new approach to the evaluation of ejection friction in micro injection molding." Journal of Manufacturing Processes 62, no. : 28-36.
The use of microfeature-enabled devices, such as microfluidic platforms and anti-fouling surfaces, has grown in both potential and application in recent years. Injection molding is an attractive method of manufacturing these devices due to its excellent process throughput and commodity-priced raw materials. Still, the manufacture of micro-structured tooling remains a slow and expensive endeavor. This work investigated the feasibility of utilizing additive manufacturing, specifically a Digital Light Processing (DLP)-based inverted stereolithography process, to produce thermoset polymer-based tooling for micro injection molding. Inserts were created with an array of 100-μm wide micro-features, having different heights and thus aspect ratios. These inserts were molded with high flow polypropylene to investigate print process resolution capabilities, channel replication abilities, and insert wear and longevity. Samples were characterized using contact profilometry as well as optical and scanning electron microscopies. Overall, the inserts exhibited a maximum lifetime of 78 molding cycles and failed by cracking of the entire insert. Damage was observed for the higher aspect ratio features but not the lower aspect ratio features. The effect of the tool material on mold temperature distribution was modeled to analyze the impact of processing and mold design.
Daniel Dempsey; Sean McDonald; Davide Masato; Carol Barry. Characterization of Stereolithography Printed Soft Tooling for Micro Injection Molding. Micromachines 2020, 11, 819 .
AMA StyleDaniel Dempsey, Sean McDonald, Davide Masato, Carol Barry. Characterization of Stereolithography Printed Soft Tooling for Micro Injection Molding. Micromachines. 2020; 11 (9):819.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniel Dempsey; Sean McDonald; Davide Masato; Carol Barry. 2020. "Characterization of Stereolithography Printed Soft Tooling for Micro Injection Molding." Micromachines 11, no. 9: 819.
The integration of additive manufacturing direct-writing technologies with injection molding provides a novel method to combine functional features into plastic products, and could enable mass-manufacturing of custom-molded plastic parts. In this work, direct-write technology is used to deposit conductive ink traces on the surface of an injection mold. After curing on the mold surface, the printed trace is transferred into the plastic part by exploiting the high temperature and pressure of a thermoplastic polymer melt flow. The transfer of the traces is controlled by interlocking with the polymer system, which creates strong plastic/ink interfacial bonding. The hybrid process chain uses designed mold/ink surface interactions to manufacture stable ink/polymer interfaces. Here, the process chain is proposed and validated through systematic interfacial analysis including feature fidelity, mechanical properties, adhesion, mold topography, surface energy, and hot polymer contact angle.
Dario Loaldi; Leonardo Piccolo; Eric Brown; Guido Tosello; Corey Shemelya; Davide Masato. Hybrid Process Chain for the Integration of Direct Ink Writing and Polymer Injection Molding. Micromachines 2020, 11, 509 .
AMA StyleDario Loaldi, Leonardo Piccolo, Eric Brown, Guido Tosello, Corey Shemelya, Davide Masato. Hybrid Process Chain for the Integration of Direct Ink Writing and Polymer Injection Molding. Micromachines. 2020; 11 (5):509.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDario Loaldi; Leonardo Piccolo; Eric Brown; Guido Tosello; Corey Shemelya; Davide Masato. 2020. "Hybrid Process Chain for the Integration of Direct Ink Writing and Polymer Injection Molding." Micromachines 11, no. 5: 509.
The use of plastics in today's world is still increasing despite its enormous burden for environmental sustainability. The urge to reduce plastics impact is driving the development of novel technological solutions. The high viscosity of thermoplastic polymer melts often leads to the design of oversized plastic parts having wall thickness higher than structural requirements. This work proposes a novel approach to wall thickness reduction, exploiting the thermally insulating effect of mold coatings. Four different mold coatings were characterized using inline rheological testing carried out on a PET using a slit-die open mold. The thermal boundary condition of a numerical model was calibrated by fitting the numerical to experimental pressure values. The thickness reduction associated with the use of a specific coating was then quantified for a case study geometry using the calibrated model. The results indicated that it is possible to reduce the thickness of the part by 12%, leading to material consumption and cycle time reduction of 8% and 22%, respectively.
Marco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Leonardo Piccolo; Giovanni Lucchetta. Plastic intensity reduction using thermally insulating coatings for injection molds. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology 2020, 30, 79 -86.
AMA StyleMarco Sorgato, Davide Masato, Leonardo Piccolo, Giovanni Lucchetta. Plastic intensity reduction using thermally insulating coatings for injection molds. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology. 2020; 30 ():79-86.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Leonardo Piccolo; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2020. "Plastic intensity reduction using thermally insulating coatings for injection molds." CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology 30, no. : 79-86.
Surface functionalization of plastic parts has been studied and developed for several applications. However, demand for the development of reliable and profitable manufacturing strategies is still high. Here we develop and characterize a new process chain for the versatile and cost-effective production of sub-micron textured plastic parts using laser ablation. The study includes the generation of different sub-micron structures on the surface of a mold using femtosecond laser ablation and vario-thermal micro-injection molding. The manufactured parts and their surfaces are characterized in consideration of polymer replication and wetting behavior. The results of the static contact angle measurements show that replicated Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSSs) always increase the hydrophobicity of plastic parts. A maximum contact angle increase of 20% was found by optimizing the manufacturing thermal boundary conditions. The wetting behavior is linked to the transition from a Wenzel to Cassie–Baxter state, and is crucial in optimizing the injection molding cycle time.
Leonardo Piccolo; Marco Sorgato; Afif Batal; Stefan Dimov; Giovanni Lucchetta; Davide Masato. Functionalization of Plastic Parts by Replication of Variable Pitch Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures. Micromachines 2020, 11, 429 .
AMA StyleLeonardo Piccolo, Marco Sorgato, Afif Batal, Stefan Dimov, Giovanni Lucchetta, Davide Masato. Functionalization of Plastic Parts by Replication of Variable Pitch Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures. Micromachines. 2020; 11 (4):429.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeonardo Piccolo; Marco Sorgato; Afif Batal; Stefan Dimov; Giovanni Lucchetta; Davide Masato. 2020. "Functionalization of Plastic Parts by Replication of Variable Pitch Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures." Micromachines 11, no. 4: 429.
Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Afif Batal; Stefan Dimov; Giovanni Lucchetta. Thin‐wall injection molding of polypropylene using molds with different laser‐induced periodic surface structures. Polymer Engineering & Science 2019, 59, 1889 -1896.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Afif Batal, Stefan Dimov, Giovanni Lucchetta. Thin‐wall injection molding of polypropylene using molds with different laser‐induced periodic surface structures. Polymer Engineering & Science. 2019; 59 (9):1889-1896.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Afif Batal; Stefan Dimov; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2019. "Thin‐wall injection molding of polypropylene using molds with different laser‐induced periodic surface structures." Polymer Engineering & Science 59, no. 9: 1889-1896.
The effects of different mold coatings on the ejection force in micro injection molding were experimentally investigated. Two diamond-like-carbon and chromium titanium niobium nitride coatings were selected in accordance with their potential affinity with the considered injected polymers. The obtained results were correlated with the wetting properties for all the combinations of injected polymers and surface coatings. Moreover, the tribological properties of the different coatings were evaluated using an off-line friction test. The ejection force peak was correlated to the static friction coefficient. For each polymer a good linear correlation between the online and the offline friction characterization was identified, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed procedure in evaluating the tribological properties of different coatings for different polymers.
Marco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. Tribological effects of mold surface coatings during ejection in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 2018, 36, 51 -59.
AMA StyleMarco Sorgato, Davide Masato, Giovanni Lucchetta. Tribological effects of mold surface coatings during ejection in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 2018; 36 ():51-59.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2018. "Tribological effects of mold surface coatings during ejection in micro injection molding." Journal of Manufacturing Processes 36, no. : 51-59.
Giovanni Lucchetta; Marco Sorgato; Davide Masato. Vacuum-Assisted Micro Injection Molding. Micro Injection Molding 2018, 191 -212.
AMA StyleGiovanni Lucchetta, Marco Sorgato, Davide Masato. Vacuum-Assisted Micro Injection Molding. Micro Injection Molding. 2018; ():191-212.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Lucchetta; Marco Sorgato; Davide Masato. 2018. "Vacuum-Assisted Micro Injection Molding." Micro Injection Molding , no. : 191-212.
Ultrasound injection molding has emerged as an alternative production route for the manufacturing of micro-scale polymeric components, where it offers significant benefits over the conventional micro-injection molding process. In this work, the effects of ultrasound melting on the mechanical and morphological properties of micro-polypropylene parts were characterized. The ultrasound injection molding process was experimentally compared to the conventional micro-injection molding process using a novel mold, which allows mounting on both machines and visualization of the melt flow for both molding processes. Direct measurements of the flow front speed and temperature distributions were performed using both conventional and thermal high-speed imaging techniques. The manufacturing of micro-tensile specimens allowed the comparison of the mechanical properties of the parts obtained with the different processes. The results indicated that the ultrasound injection molding process could be an efficient alternative to the conventional process.
Davide Masato; Maksims Babenko; Bana Shriky; Tim Gough; Giovanni Lucchetta; Ben Whiteside. Comparison of crystallization characteristics and mechanical properties of polypropylene processed by ultrasound and conventional micro-injection molding. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 2018, 99, 113 -125.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Maksims Babenko, Bana Shriky, Tim Gough, Giovanni Lucchetta, Ben Whiteside. Comparison of crystallization characteristics and mechanical properties of polypropylene processed by ultrasound and conventional micro-injection molding. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 2018; 99 (1-4):113-125.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Maksims Babenko; Bana Shriky; Tim Gough; Giovanni Lucchetta; Ben Whiteside. 2018. "Comparison of crystallization characteristics and mechanical properties of polypropylene processed by ultrasound and conventional micro-injection molding." The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 99, no. 1-4: 113-125.
Giovanni Lucchetta; Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato. Optimization of mold thermal control for minimum energy consumption in injection molding of polypropylene parts. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 182, 217 -226.
AMA StyleGiovanni Lucchetta, Davide Masato, Marco Sorgato. Optimization of mold thermal control for minimum energy consumption in injection molding of polypropylene parts. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 182 ():217-226.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Lucchetta; Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato. 2018. "Optimization of mold thermal control for minimum energy consumption in injection molding of polypropylene parts." Journal of Cleaner Production 182, no. : 217-226.
Low-friction mold surface coatings can be used to promote filling of thin-wall parts through reduction of the melt flow resistance by causing wall slip at the polymer-mold interface. This work investigates the effects of different mold coatings (DLC, CrN and CrTiNbN) on the flow resistance of molten polystyrene in thin-wall injection molding. The design of the mold allowed high-speed visualization of the molten polymer flow during the filling phase and measurement of the velocity profile across the cavity thickness. The evaluation of the speed profiles allowed the characterization of the wall-slip phenomenon, indicating the absence of conventional ‘fountain-flow’ filling mechanism. The results indicate that a DLC deposited on a chrome substrate can significantly reduce the flow resistance of polystyrene, by increasing the slip velocity of polymer melt in contact with the mold surface. Moreover, the contact angle of molten polystyrene over the considered coatings was found to be inversely proportional to the melt flow resistance, indicating the importance of the adhesion at the polymer-mold interface.
Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Maksims Babenko; Ben Whiteside; Giovanni Lucchetta. Thin-wall injection molding of polystyrene parts with coated and uncoated cavities. Materials & Design 2018, 141, 286 -295.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Maksims Babenko, Ben Whiteside, Giovanni Lucchetta. Thin-wall injection molding of polystyrene parts with coated and uncoated cavities. Materials & Design. 2018; 141 ():286-295.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Maksims Babenko; Ben Whiteside; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2018. "Thin-wall injection molding of polystyrene parts with coated and uncoated cavities." Materials & Design 141, no. : 286-295.
The form accuracy of microinjection-molded parts is significantly affected by the friction at the interface with the mold during the ejection phase. In this work, an ultrasound-assisted ejection system was designed and tested for different polymers (PS, COC, and POM) and mold topographies. The proposed innovative solution aims at reducing the ejection friction by decreasing the adhesion component of the frictional force, which is controlled by the real contact area generated during the filling phase of the injection molding process. The experiments indicate a positive effect of ultrasound vibration on the friction force values acquired during ejection, with a maximum reduction of 16% for PS. The effect depends on polymer selection and it increases for higher mold roughness. Moreover, the combined effect on the ejection force of mold surface roughness, melt viscosity during filling and polymer elastic modulus at ejection was modeled to the experimental data. This demonstrated that the effect of ultrasound vibration on the ejection friction reduction is due to the heating of the contact interface and the consequent reduction of the polymer elastic modulus.
Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta. Effect of ultrasound vibration on the ejection friction in microinjection molding. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 2018, 96, 1 -14.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Giovanni Lucchetta. Effect of ultrasound vibration on the ejection friction in microinjection molding. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 2018; 96 ():1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2018. "Effect of ultrasound vibration on the ejection friction in microinjection molding." The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 96, no. : 1-14.
M. Sorgato; Davide Masato; G. Lucchetta; L. Orazi. Effect of different laser-induced periodic surface structures on polymer slip in PET injection moulding. CIRP Annals 2018, 67, 575 -578.
AMA StyleM. Sorgato, Davide Masato, G. Lucchetta, L. Orazi. Effect of different laser-induced periodic surface structures on polymer slip in PET injection moulding. CIRP Annals. 2018; 67 (1):575-578.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Sorgato; Davide Masato; G. Lucchetta; L. Orazi. 2018. "Effect of different laser-induced periodic surface structures on polymer slip in PET injection moulding." CIRP Annals 67, no. 1: 575-578.
Injection molding of thin-wall parts is characterized by a highly shear-stressed melt flow, which could affect the morphology of the moldings and consequently their shrinkage and warpage. This study focuses on the impact of injection molding processing conditions on dimensional accuracy of thin-wall fiber-reinforced parts. The reduction of shrinkage was taken in consideration by analyzing how the processing parameters affected the final dimensions of a 350 μm thick part. Moreover, the relation between the distribution of short glass fibers within the part and its dimensional accuracy was investigated by means of X-ray computed tomography. The experimental results showed that melt temperature and packing pressure were the processing parameters that most affected the shrinkage of thin-wall parts. In particular, a selection of high values for these parameters allowed for the minimization of the dimensional difference between the mold and the final parts. The analysis of the cross sections of the moldings allowed the observation of an almost flat trend of the orientation tensor for parts molded at lower injection speed, indicating the absence of the core layer. This caused a higher shrinkage along the cross-flow direction that eventually led to a differential shrinkage and to the warpage of the final part
Davide Masato; Jitendra Singh Rathore; Marco Sorgato; Simone Carmignato; Giovanni Lucchetta. Analysis of the shrinkage of injection-molded fiber-reinforced thin-wall parts. Materials & Design 2017, 132, 496 -504.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Jitendra Singh Rathore, Marco Sorgato, Simone Carmignato, Giovanni Lucchetta. Analysis of the shrinkage of injection-molded fiber-reinforced thin-wall parts. Materials & Design. 2017; 132 ():496-504.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Jitendra Singh Rathore; Marco Sorgato; Simone Carmignato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2017. "Analysis of the shrinkage of injection-molded fiber-reinforced thin-wall parts." Materials & Design 132, no. : 496-504.
The friction force developed in the demolding phase of the micro injection molding process is mainly determined by mold surface finish, which affects the tribological phenomena occurring at the polymer-tool interface. In this work, the effects on the ejection force of two cavity surfaces machined with different technologies (viz. micro milling and micro electro discharge machining), but with similar value of Ra, were investigated. The relations between different surface topography parameters and the ejection force were then analyzed, in order to identify the parameters that most appropriately describe the friction at the polymer-tool interface. The experimental results showed the strong interactions between the mold surface texture and the micro injection molding process parameters that promote the replication, such as mold temperature and holding pressure. The different machining technologies generated two mold textures that have a similar value of Ra, but their influence on friction can be properly described only using several other surface topography parameters
Marco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. Effects of machined cavity texture on ejection force in micro injection molding. Precision Engineering 2017, 50, 440 -448.
AMA StyleMarco Sorgato, Davide Masato, Giovanni Lucchetta. Effects of machined cavity texture on ejection force in micro injection molding. Precision Engineering. 2017; 50 ():440-448.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Sorgato; Davide Masato; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2017. "Effects of machined cavity texture on ejection force in micro injection molding." Precision Engineering 50, no. : 440-448.
Accuracy of micromilled molds play an important role in complex process chains enabling mass production of polymer micro components, such as lab-on-chips, fabricated by micro injection molding. Surface footprint of micromilling is defined as the technological signature left by machining process on the generated mold surface. This is sensitive to selected tools and machining parameters and, when not controlled properly, can badly affect mold topography and functionality (e.g. part demoldability). In case of complex mold geometry, the impact of micromilling footprint increases, in particular during the demolding phase due to the friction generated by the polymer shrinking around cores. This work studies these effects on molds characterized by sub-millimetric cylindrical cores. A physical and statistical modeling was developed to provide deep insights about the effects of milling strategies and cutting parameters on the generated footprint on the mold cores. These effects are investigated by machining cylindrical pins whose roughness and surface form errors, caused by static deflection of tool and parts, were controlled in the range of Sa = 150–400 μm and ΔRmax = 1–10 μm (profile radial deviation), respectively. Micro injection molding experiments proved that mold topography has a relevant effect on the ejection force. The demolding force generated by a specifically developed polystyrene micro part reached the highest value with the mold machined with the most unfavorable milling conditions. Proper controlling of machine parameters and conditions led to a reduction greater than 60% of the demolding force peak, confirming the feasibility of the conjunct approach to processes optimization. The results of this work move a step forward into the integrated optimization of micro manufacturing process chains
Paolo Parenti; Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta; Massimiliano Annoni. Surface footprint in molds micromilling and effect on part demoldability in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 2017, 29, 160 -174.
AMA StylePaolo Parenti, Davide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Giovanni Lucchetta, Massimiliano Annoni. Surface footprint in molds micromilling and effect on part demoldability in micro injection molding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 2017; 29 ():160-174.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaolo Parenti; Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Giovanni Lucchetta; Massimiliano Annoni. 2017. "Surface footprint in molds micromilling and effect on part demoldability in micro injection molding." Journal of Manufacturing Processes 29, no. : 160-174.
In micro injection molding the quality of 3D complex parts is influenced by the efficiency of the ejection phase. During demolding, the forces taking place at the component-tool interface, due to adhesion and friction, need to be overcome preserving the integrity of the part. This issue is severe in the case of molds characterized by the presence of several deep cores, which are used to manufacture interconnecting through holes in multi-layer microfluidic devices. In this work, the impact of the micro milling cutting strategy on the demolding forces was investigated, using a critical cavity geometry, specifically designed to this purpose. The relation between mold micro manufacturing and the micro injection molding process was studied with the aim of optimizing the demolding phase. The topographies of micro-milled mold surfaces and the molded parts were characterized and different roughness profile parameters were taken in consideration. The results of in-line force acquisitions indicated that the effects of the micro milling strategy on the demolding force is markedly higher than those of micro injection molding process variables. Moreover, the experimental analysis indicated that a combination of worst surface finishing and low viscosity of the molding polymer can result in higher interface interlocking and thus in critical stresses applied to the part during the demolding phase
Davide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Paolo Parenti; Massimiliano Annoni; Giovanni Lucchetta. Impact of deep cores surface topography generated by micro milling on the demolding force in micro injection molding. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 2017, 246, 211 -223.
AMA StyleDavide Masato, Marco Sorgato, Paolo Parenti, Massimiliano Annoni, Giovanni Lucchetta. Impact of deep cores surface topography generated by micro milling on the demolding force in micro injection molding. Journal of Materials Processing Technology. 2017; 246 ():211-223.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Masato; Marco Sorgato; Paolo Parenti; Massimiliano Annoni; Giovanni Lucchetta. 2017. "Impact of deep cores surface topography generated by micro milling on the demolding force in micro injection molding." Journal of Materials Processing Technology 246, no. : 211-223.