scholarly journals 3D Printing of Metallic Microstructured Mould Using Selective Laser Melting for Injection Moulding of Plastic Microfluidic Devices

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Jinghang Liu ◽  
Honggang Zhang ◽  
Nigel J. Kent ◽  
Dermot Diamond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Injection Moulding ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Machining Processes

A new method, a 3D printing technique, in particular, selective laser melting (SLM), has been used to fabricate moulds for the injection moulding of thermoplastic microfluidic chips that are suitable for prototyping and early stage scale-up. The micro metallic patterns are printed on to a pre-finished substrate to form a microstructured mould. The dimensional accuracy, surface morphology, bonding strength between the printed patterns and substrate, as well as the microstructure of micro features were all characterized. A microfluidic mould was successfully printed and used directly for injection moulding of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) microfluidic chips, which were used subsequently to successfully monitor nitrite concentrations in environmental water. The characterization indicated that this new process can be used for fast fabrication of mould tools for injection moulding/hot embossing microfluidic devices. It is faster, more flexible and less expensive than conventional micro-machining processes, although the accuracy and finish are still needed to improve though process optimization and hybrid SLM and machining processes.

scholarly journals Selective laser melting for improving quality characteristics of a prism shaped topology injection mould tool insert for the automotive industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 095440622198938
Author(s):  
Mennatallah F El Kashouty ◽  
Allan EW Rennie ◽  
Mootaz Ghazy ◽  
Ahmed Abd El Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Injection Moulding ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Surface Topology ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Injection Mould ◽  
Tool Insert

Manufacturing process constraints and design complexities are the main challenges that face the aftermarket automotive industry. For that reason, recently, selective laser melting (SLM) is being recognised as a viable approach in the fabrication of injection moulding tool inserts. Due to its versatility, SLM technology is capable of producing freeform designs. For the first reported time, in this study SLM is recognized for its novel application in overcoming fabrication complexities for prism shaped topology of a vehicle headlamp’s reflector injection moulding tool insert. Henceforth, performance measures of the SLM-fabricated injection mould tool insert is assessed in comparison to a CNC-milled counterpart to improve quality characteristics. Tests executed and detailed in this paper are divided into two stages; the first stage assesses both fabricated tool inserts in terms of manufacturability; the second stage assesses the functionality of the end-products by measuring the surface roughness, dimensional accuracy and light reflectivity from the vehicle reflectors. The results obtained show that employing SLM technology can offer an effective and efficient alternative to subtractive manufacturing, successfully producing tool inserts with complex surface topology. Significant benefits in terms of surface roughness, dimensional accuracy and product functionality were achieved through the use of SLM technology. it was concluded that the SLM-fabricated inserts products proved to have relatively lower values of surface roughness in comparison to their CNC counterparts.

scholarly journals Tool Life Performance of Injection Mould Tooling Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting for High-Volume Production

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashouty ◽  
Rennie ◽  
Ghazy
Keyword(s):  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Injection Moulding ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Stainless Steel 316L ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
High Volume Production ◽  
Volume Production

Rapid Tooling processes are developing and proving to be a reliable method to compete with subtractive techniques for tool making. This paper investigates large volume production of components produced from Selective Laser Melting (SLM) fabricated injection moulding tool inserts. To date, other researchers have focused primarily on investigating the use of additive manufacturing technology for injection moulding for low-volume component production rather than high volume production. In this study, SLM technology has been used to fabricate four Stainless Steel 316L tool inserts of a similar geometry for an after-market automotive spare part. The SLM tool inserts have been evaluated to analyse the maximum number of successful injections and quality of performance. Microstructure inspection and chemical composition analysis have been investigated. Performance tests were conducted for the four tool inserts before and after injection moulding in the context of hardness testing and dimensional accuracy. For the first reported time, 150,000 injected products were successfully produced from the four SLM tool inserts. Tool inserts performance was monitored under actual operating conditions considering high-level demands. In the scope of this research, SLM proved to be a dependable manufacturing technique for most part geometries and an effective alternative to subtractive manufacturing for high-volume injection moulding tools for the aftermarket automotive sector.

scholarly journals Fabrication of Mesh Patterns Using a Selective Laser-Melting Process

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Woo Hwang ◽  
Young Yun Woo ◽  
Sang Wook Han ◽  
Young Hoon Moon
Keyword(s):  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Base Plate ◽  
Steel Powder ◽  
Melting Process ◽  
304 Stainless Steel ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Metal Mesh

The selective laser-melting (SLM) process can be applied to the additive building of complex metal parts using melting metal powder with laser scanning. A metal mesh is a common type of metal screen consisting of parallel rows and intersecting columns. It is widely used in the agricultural, industrial, transportation, and machine protection sectors. This study investigated the fabrication of parts containing a mesh pattern from the SLM of AISI 304 stainless steel powder. The formation of a mesh pattern has a strong potential to increase the functionality and cost-effectiveness of the SLM process. To fabricate a single-layered thin mesh pattern, laser layering has been conducted on a copper base plate. The high thermal conductivity of copper allows heat to pass through it quickly, and prevents the adhesion of a thin laser-melted layer. The effects of the process conditions such as the laser scan speed and scanning path on the size and dimensional accuracy of the fabricated mesh patterns were characterized. As the analysis results indicate, a part with a mesh pattern was successfully obtained, and the application of the proposed method was shown to be feasible with a high degree of reliability.

Novel Development of Implant Elements Manufactured through Selective Laser Melting 3D Printing

2021 ◽  
pp. 2001488
Author(s):  
Piotr Kuryło ◽  
Małgorzata Cykowska-Błasik ◽  
Edward Tertel ◽  
Łukasz Pałka ◽  
Piotr Pruszyński ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Laser Melting

Benchmark test artifacts for selective laser melting – a critical review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weishi Li ◽  
Kuanting Wang ◽  
Shiaofen Fang
Keyword(s):  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Melting Process ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Benchmark Test ◽  
High Surface Quality ◽  
Machine Performance

Background: Selective laser melting is the best-established additive manufacturing technology for high-quality metal part manufacturing. However, the widespread acceptance of the technology is still underachieved, especially in critical applications, due to the absence of a thorough understanding of the technology, although several benchmark test artifacts have been developed to characterize the performance of selective laser melting machines. Objective: The objective of this paper is to inspire new designs of benchmark test artifacts to understand the selective laser melting process better and promote the acceptance of the selective laser melting technology. Method: The existing benchmark test artifacts for selective laser melting are analyzed comparatively, and the design guidelines are discussed. Results: The modular approach should still be adopted in designing new benchmark test artifacts in the future, and task-specific test artifacts may also need to be considered further to validate the machine performance for critical applications. The inclusion of the design model in the manufactured artifact, instead of the conformance to the design specifications, should be evaluated after the artifact is measured for the applications requiring high-dimensional accuracy and high surface quality. Conclusion: The benchmark test artifact for selective laser melting is still under development, and a breakthrough of the measuring technology for internal and/or inaccessible features will be beneficial for understanding the technology.

In Implementing a Metal 3D AM Machine

2018 ◽  
Vol 786 ◽  
pp. 356-363
Author(s):  
Tero Jokelainen ◽  
Kimmo Mäkelä ◽  
Aappo Mustakangas ◽  
Jari Mäkelä ◽  
Kari Mäntyjärvi
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Acceptance Test ◽  
Aisi 316L ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Geometrical Accuracy ◽  
Machine Performance ◽  
Geometrical Features ◽  
Made In

Additive Manufacturing (AM) does not yet have a standardized way to measure performance. Here a AM machines dimensional accuracy is measured trough acceptance test (AT) and AM machines capability is tested trough test parts. Test parts are created with specific geometrical features using a 3D AM machine. Performance of the machine is then evaluated trough accuracy of test parts geometry. AM machine here uses selective laser melting (SLM) process. This machine has done Factory acceptance test (FAT) to ascertain this machine ́s geometrical accuracy with material AISI 316L. Manufacturer promises accuracy of ±0.05 mm. These parts are used as comparison to AT parts made in this study. After installation two AT parts are manufactured with AM machine. One with AISI 316L and one AlSi10Mg. Dimensional accuracy of geometrical features on these parts are then compared to FAT part and to one another. Machines capability is measured trough two test parts done with material AlSi10Mg. Two of the test parts are done at the same time using same model as the FAT. Parts are printed without supports and with features facing same directions. Features of these parts were then evaluated. Another test to find out AM machines capability was to create part consisting of pipes doing 90˚ angle resulting in horizontal and vertical holes. Dimensional accuracy and circularity of holes was measured. Through these tests machines capability is benchmarked.

scholarly journals Investigation on Selective Laser Melting AlSi10Mg Cellular Lattice Strut: Molten Pool Morphology, Surface Roughness and Dimensional Accuracy

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuesong Han ◽  
Haihong Zhu ◽  
Xiaojia Nie ◽  
Guoqing Wang ◽  
Xiaoyan Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Selective Laser Melting ◽  
Molten Pool ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Laser Melting

scholarly journals 3D Printed Microfluidics

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna V. Nielsen ◽  
Michael J. Beauchamp ◽  
Gregory P. Nordin ◽  
Adam T. Woolley
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Fabrication Method ◽  
Size Scale ◽  
Additional Work ◽  
Fluidic Devices ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Microfabrication Techniques

Traditional microfabrication techniques suffer from several disadvantages, including the inability to create truly three-dimensional (3D) architectures, expensive and time-consuming processes when changing device designs, and difficulty in transitioning from prototyping fabrication to bulk manufacturing. 3D printing is an emerging technique that could overcome these disadvantages. While most 3D printed fluidic devices and features to date have been on the millifluidic size scale, some truly microfluidic devices have been shown. Currently, stereolithography is the most promising approach for routine creation of microfluidic structures, but several approaches under development also have potential. Microfluidic 3D printing is still in an early stage, similar to where polydimethylsiloxane was two decades ago. With additional work to advance printer hardware and software control, expand and improve resin and printing material selections, and realize additional applications for 3D printed devices, we foresee 3D printing becoming the dominant microfluidic fabrication method.

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