Rapid Prototyping Manufacturing

Rapid Prototyping (Rapid PrototypingManufacturing, abbreviated RPM), high-tech manufacturing technology is based on a material deposition method, it is considered the last 20 years, a major achievement in the field of manufacturing. It combines mechanical engineering, CAD, reverse engineering, layered manufacturing technology, numerical control technology, materials science, laser technology in one automatically, directly, quickly and accurately convert design to prototype with a certain function or direct manufacturing of parts , so as part prototyping, calibration, etc. the new design provides a cost-effective means of achieving. That is, rapid prototyping technology is the use of three-dimensional CAD data, through rapid prototyping machine, the stacked layers of material into a physical prototype.

Rapid Prototyping Features

(1) prototyping materials used are not limited to, a variety of metallic and non-metallic materials can be used;

(2) prototype reproducibility, high interchangeability;

(3) regardless of the manufacturing process prototyping geometry, more favorable when machining complex surfaces;

(4) Processing cycle is short, low-cost, independent of the degree of cost and complexity of products, general manufacturing costs by 50%, saving more than 70% of the processing cycle;

(5) a high degree of technology integration, to achieve the integration of design and manufacturing;

The practical application of rapid prototyping technology, mainly in the following aspects:

(1) Application of the new product design process of rapid prototyping technology to build a new product development model for industrial product design and development staff. The use of RP technology to quickly, directly and accurately design ideas into physical model has a certain function (sample), which not only shorten the development cycle and reduce development costs, but also enable enterprises occupy the first in the fierce competition in the market machine.

(2) in the field of machinery manufacturing technology due to RP own characteristics, so that it is in the manufacture of machinery for a wide range of applications, used for manufacturing a single-piece, small batch manufacturing metal parts. Some special complex parts, because only single-piece production, or less than 50 small quantities, usually can be molded directly by RP technology, low cost, short cycle.

(3) rapid tooling traditional mold for a long time and high cost. The rapid prototyping technology with traditional mold manufacturing technology, can greatly shorten the development cycle of the mold manufacturing, increased productivity, it is an effective way to mold design and manufacturing weaknesses addressed. Rapid Prototyping technology in mold manufacturing can be divided into direct and indirect molding molding two types of direct molding is the use of RP technology directly stacked to create a mold, indirect molding is a rapid prototyping system first part, and then copy the parts obtain the desired mold.

Rapid Prototyping Development Direction

From the current status of research and application of RP technology point of view, further research and development of rapid prototyping technology, mainly in the following aspects:

（1）Rapid development of good performance molding material, such as low cost, easy to shape, small deformation, high strength, durability and non-polluting molding material.

(2) increase the processing speed RP system and open up a parallel process for manufacture.

(3) rapid prototyping systems to improve reliability, increase their productivity and production of large capacity, optimize the device structure, in particular to improve the forming precision, surface quality, mechanical and physical properties of the member, provide a basis for further mold and functional assays .

（4）RPM high-performance software the development of rapid prototyping. Improve the speed and accuracy of data processing, research and development of the use of the original CAD data directly slice of ways to reduce the STL format conversion generated by the slicing process and loss of accuracy.

IML (In Mold Label) technology introduction

IML's Chinese name: injection mold inserts its remarkable features is the process: the surface is a layer of hardened transparent film, the middle layer is printed patterns, the back is plastic layer, since the ink in the middle, the product can prevent surface scratches and abrasion, and can be difficult to maintain long-term bright colors fade.

                                                         

IML technology introduction

                                             

Keywords: IML IMD molding process

The concept of IML

IMD (In-Mold Decoration) Film is a film placed in the injection mold decorated plastic exterior surface of the new technology. Currently IMD has two manufacturing methods, one is to be made into a film Film printed circulation drum roll band, mounted in the injection molding machines and injection molds, as Label label affixed to the front surface of the mold fully automatic cycle with mobile production out; that is, people called IMD (injection transfer in the mold).

Another is to pass a good film printing Film Forming molding machine, then placed after the cut produced in the injection mold. That is called IML (in mold foil injection). This Film can generally be divided into three layers: a substrate (typically PET), an ink layer (INK), gluing material (mostly a special adhesive).

When the injection is completed, the adhesive effect makes plastic Film and closely integrated, because of their positive surface covered with wear-resistant protective film on the outermost layer of PET, there is abrasion and scratch effect, the surface hardness reach 3H, and will feel more brighter. Wherein the molding material is more PC, PMMA, PBT, and so on. As shown below:

IML process step

Conference materials --- --- flat printing ink drying protective film stickers fixed --- --- --- punching positioning holes cut peripheral shape thermoforming --- --- material injection molding process as follows: specific instructions as follows:

1) Conference materials: Film roll of the film has been cut into a square block sizes designed for printing, molding process used.

2) flat printing: according to the requirements of icons, text manufactured Philippine forest belt, cut a good film on the square block printing Film icon, text.

3) Fixed ink drying: The printed film Film square placed in a high temperature oven drying, aimed at fixing IML ink.

4) Protective Film: Avoid red when positioning hole step to get to spend a good film Film printed surface, and sometimes need to paste single or double layer of protective film.

5) positioning hole punch: positioning hole thermoformed certain quasi-hub. Positioning hole cutting operations sometimes also punched in advance.

6) Thermoforming (high or copper mold): After the printed film is heated with a high-pressure molding machine or mold in the warm-up state.

7) Cut the peripheral shape: the scrap molding good stereoscopic film cut off.

8) Injection material: the three-dimensional shape after molding die in front of exactly the same film placed on the front mold, injection molded IML products.

IML technology advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

1) Film production cycle is short, the performance of multiple colors;

2) in the production of patterns and colors can be changed at any time;

3) IML outermost layer is FILM, silkscreen ink on the intermediate layer, smooth surface appearance, the more light touch, with excellent scratch resistance;

4) Number of IML production volume is very flexible and suitable for many varieties of small production

Disadvantages:

1) pre-long period;

2) easy to produce the film off, distortion, etc.;

3) poor product rate

Injection mold manufacturing characteristics and requirements

Plastic mold production of general machinery products in common, and also that its particularity. Compared with the general machinery manufacturing, mold manufacturing is generally difficult, especially precision molds. As a special technical equipment, tooling and production process are the characteristics of the following aspects.

1. Precision mold manufacturing, high quality requirements, not only requires high precision, but also processing the surface of good quality. In general, the working part of the mold manufacturing tolerances should be controlled within ± 0.011mm, and some even claim within the micron range, surface defects after mold processing requirements are very strict, and the surface roughness of the working part of Ra <0.8 um.

2. The complex shape of the working part of precision molds are generally two or three dimensional complex surface (especially the cavity mold), rather than the general machining of simple geometric profile.

3. The mold as a single piece, production of many varieties of each pair of mold can only produce a certain shape, size and accuracy parts. In the manufacturing process as much as possible the use of common tools, common measuring tools and instruments, as much as possible to reduce the number of special tools. In the manufacturing process of the step arrangement requires relatively concentrated, in order to ensure the quality and accuracy mold, simplify management and reduce the process cycle time.

4. The high hardness of the material is actually a plastic mold machining tool, its high hardness, are generally made of hardened alloy tool steel or carbide and other materials, if manufactured using conventional machining methods, tend to difficult, so mold processing method different from the general machining.

5. Due to the short production cycle and accelerate the upgrading of increasingly fierce market competition, requiring mold production cycles are getting shorter. Mold production management, design and technological work should meet this requirement, to improve the mold design, manufacturing and standardization, in order to shorten the manufacturing cycle.

6. When a complete set of production parts need more deputy mold, a mold before the manufactured products are mutually implicated restrict Yi blank mold, mold parts, and only eventually qualified parts, which was a series of mold considered qualified. In the production and scheduling of the mold must take full account of this characteristic.