Surface Treatment and Analysis of 3D-Printed Plastic Molds for Prototype and Small-Series Injection Molding

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F49777513%3A23210%2F25%3A43976936" target="_blank" >RIV/49777513:23210/25:43976936 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/17/22/2977" target="_blank" >https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/17/22/2977</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym17222977" target="_blank" >10.3390/polym17222977</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Surface Treatment and Analysis of 3D-Printed Plastic Molds for Prototype and Small-Series Injection Molding

Original language description

Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a promising technology for producing low-cost, customized tooling, particularly for prototyping and small-series injection molding. However, the inherent surface roughness and anisotropic properties of 3D-printed parts pose significant challenges for their direct use as functional mold inserts. This study investigates the effectiveness of various post-processing techniques on 3D-printed plastic inserts made from polyamide 12 (PA12) and glass bead-filled PA12 (PA12GB). The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of these surface treatments on the functional properties and service life of the mold inserts. A comprehensive analysis was conducted, including a detailed characterization of roughness using a confocal microscope, cross-sectional analysis to determine layer thickness, and tribological tests employing the ball-on-disc method to assess wear resistance. The study employed a modular injection mold and tested a range of surface finishing processes, including PostProcess Suspended Rotational Force (SRF) technology, metal decomposition coatings from HVM Plasma, and various methods from DyeMansion (Powershot S and Powerfuse). Results show a significant reduction in surface roughness across all methods. Notably, the vapor-based Powefuse treatment from DyeMansion achieved a surface roughness (Ra) of 1.2797 mu m, which is below the typical Ra value of 1.6 mu m for conventional metal molds, thereby making it suitable for high-quality molding applications. The tribological analysis provided critical insights into the durability and wear resistance of the treated surfaces, supporting their potential for extended use. This research validates the potential of specific post-processing methods to transform AM parts into functional tooling, enabling cost-effective and rapid prototyping in the plastics industry.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20301 - Mechanical engineering

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Polymers

ISSN

2073-4360

e-ISSN

2073-4360

Volume of the periodical

17

Issue of the periodical within the volume

22

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

nestránkováno

UT code for WoS article

001623784800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105022886343