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Development of a mold for thermoplastics based on a phosphate cement
Book Contribution - Chapter
In case of limited series or prototypes of thermoplastics, metallic molds are too
expensive and time consuming to build. For that reason, a production strategy was developed to build a textile reinforced phosphate based cement mold with a thermal stability to at least 300°C. In this research, a composite mold is developed, based on glass fiber textile reinforced phosphate cement (TRC). This tooling system is combining the advantages of a thermoset mold with elevated temperature use. Since cement based molding systems contain water, major challenges are the reduction of porosity, the sealing of the surface and the limitation of the thermal shrinkage. The development of an isothermal curing method resulted in a more stable calcium phosphate cement, as confirmed by shrinkage measurements, X;ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. By adding fillers to the top coat, the surface permeability was decreased. The effects of thermal loading, composition of the matrix and the curing conditions were investigated by an experimental study including acoustic emission. To
illustrate the potential of the proposed method, a thermoplastic prepreg was processed in both the conventional metal and the TRC equivalent. The proof of concept showed that a textile reinforced cement mold can be used to thermoform a thermoplastic prepreg to an acceptable part.
expensive and time consuming to build. For that reason, a production strategy was developed to build a textile reinforced phosphate based cement mold with a thermal stability to at least 300°C. In this research, a composite mold is developed, based on glass fiber textile reinforced phosphate cement (TRC). This tooling system is combining the advantages of a thermoset mold with elevated temperature use. Since cement based molding systems contain water, major challenges are the reduction of porosity, the sealing of the surface and the limitation of the thermal shrinkage. The development of an isothermal curing method resulted in a more stable calcium phosphate cement, as confirmed by shrinkage measurements, X;ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. By adding fillers to the top coat, the surface permeability was decreased. The effects of thermal loading, composition of the matrix and the curing conditions were investigated by an experimental study including acoustic emission. To
illustrate the potential of the proposed method, a thermoplastic prepreg was processed in both the conventional metal and the TRC equivalent. The proof of concept showed that a textile reinforced cement mold can be used to thermoform a thermoplastic prepreg to an acceptable part.
Book: Developments in Strategic Ceramic Materials II - A Collection of Papers Presented at the 40th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, ICACC 2016
Edition: 7
Volume: 37
Pages: 69-78
Number of pages: 10
ISBN:9781119040439
Publication year:2017