Abstract
A new micro-molding machine is described which is used to fabricate micro-parts made of a thermoplastic material. A single pellet is directly molded into a transparent mold by means of a diode laser source. A very low holding pressure is applied and no mold heating system is required; therefore the size of the micro-machine is extremely small as well as the size of the mold. The micro-machine was used to mold three different materials: high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS). A process map was initially defined for all the materials by changing the main process variables (i.e. laser power, molding time and focalization condition). In this phase, small disks, 3.5 mm in diameter, were molded and their diameter was measured to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of the process. Subsequently, internal micro-gears in HDPE and PS and a micro-coin in ABS were molded to show the capability of the new process in the replication of the mold cavity.
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