pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S11 - Additive Manufacturing
Oral Presentation
 
 

Feasibility Study of SLA Printed Tooling for Microinjection Molding Applications

Barry Carol M.F. (1)*

(1) UMass Lowell - Massachusetts - USA

The use and proliferation 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 excellent process throughput, but the manufacture of microfeature-containing tooling remains a slow and expensive endeavor as combinations of micromachining and lithography processes are required to produce tooling in robust metal materials. This work investigated the feasibility of utilizing additive manufacturing, specifically the inverted stereoligthography process, to produce polymer based microfeature-containing tooling for microinjection molding. Aspects of polymer tooling investigated include wear properties, thermal conductivity advantages, surface metallization affects, and overall replication capability across a variety of positive and negative microfeatures of varying aspect ratios. Samples were characterized using optical interferometry and microimaging techniques.