2 research outputs found
Application and modelling of hybrid stereolithography injection mould tooling
The use of stereolithography (SL) to make injection moulding tools has been shown
previously to be an efficient way of producing rapid tools for simple geometries, aiming
at small lot sizes with an acceptable degree of accuracy. This paper highlights the
unexplored potential of using SL inserts in hybrid tools using practical experiments and
FEA mould filling models. The practical experiments reveal problems incurred by
uneven flow as a result of differential thermal conductivity between dissimilar mould
materials in a hybrid tool. The FEA flow models confirm that this uneven flow would
be anticipated when using FEA software. A further FEA stress analysis predicts that
catastrophic mould failure will be expected under some conditions and these reflect the
results found in the practical experiments. The use of a homogeneous SL tool eliminates
the issues caused by uneven mould filling but results in thermal distortion of the female
mould. Ultimately a SL tool backfilled with low melt point alloy provides a solution
that eliminates the problems of uneven filling and thermal distortion