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Microinjection molding of thermoplastic polymers: a review

2007; IOP Publishing; Volume: 17; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1088/0960-1317/17/6/r02

1361-6439

Julien Giboz, Thierry Copponnex, P. Mélé,

Nanofabrication and Lithography Techniques

Microinjection molding (µIM) appears to be one of the most efficient processes for the large-scale production of thermoplastic polymer microparts. The microinjection molding process is not just a scaling down of the conventional injection process; it requires a rethinking of each part of the process. This review proposes a comparative description of each step of the microinjection molding process (µIM) with conventional injection molding (IM). Micromolding machines have been developed since the 1990s and a comparison between the existing ones is made. The techniques used for the realization of mold inserts are presented, such as lithography process (LIGA), laser micromachining and micro electrical discharge machining (µEDM). Regarding the molding step, the variotherm equipment used for the temperature variation is presented and the problems to solve for each molding phase are listed. Throughout this review, the differences existing between µIM and conventional molding are highlighted.