Manufacturiing of uIM Mould Inserts with AMed Cooling Channels

The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process is one of the proven key 3D printing technologies for producing complex and micro metallic structures, for instance conformal cooling channels for micro-injection molding. In micro injection molding, the conformal channels enables a controlled heating/cooling of the molded part, resulting in a better thermal management of the micro injection moulding (µIM). Since a part produced by SLM is a monolithic component, the way to check the quality of the internal features should be a non-destructive method, and Computed Tomography (CT) is an ideal solution for it. In this research, a mould insert for micro injection moulding with conformal is first produced through Selective Laser Melting. The internal features in the blank are then examined by CT-metrology and the cavities and features down to 25µm (aspect ratio of 30) of the mold insert are finished by micro-EDM.

Publication year:2015

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