Abstract
Product miniaturization is a constant trend in industries that demand ever-smaller products that can be mass produced while maintaining high precision dimensions in the final pieces. Ultrasonic micro injection molding (UMIM) technology has emerged as a polymer processing technique capable of achieving the mass production of polymeric parts with micro-features, while still assuring replicability, repeatability, and high precision, contrary to the capabilities of conventional processing technologies of polymers. In this study, it is shown that the variation of parameters during the UMIM process, such as the amplitude of the ultrasound waves and the processing time, lead to significant modification on the molecular structure of the polymer. The variation of both the amplitude and processing time contribute to chain scission; however, the processing time is a more relevant factor for this effect as it is capable of achieving a greater chain scission in different areas of the same specimen. Further, the presence of polymorphism within the samples produced by UMIM is demonstrated. Similarly to conventional processes, the UMIM technique leads to some degree of chain orientation, despite the fact that it is carried out in a relatively small time and space. The results presented here aim to contribute to the optimization of the use of the UMIM process for the manufacture of polymeric micro parts.
Highlights
Today, the use of polymers in industries such as information technology (IT), biomedical, automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace is increasing because the properties offered by these materials, such as low cost and weight and resistance to corrosion, have become crucial
Ultrasonic micro injection molding (UMIM) technology has emerged as a polymer processing technique capable of overcoming the disadvantages presented by conventional methods and achieving mass production of polymeric parts with micro-features while assuring replicability, repeatability, and high precision, which are crucial in any industry
The behavior of isotactic homopolymer of polypropylene (iPP) processed by the ultrasonic micro injection molding (UMIM) technique was studied in detail by analyzing the polymer molecular structure
Summary
The use of polymers in industries such as information technology (IT), biomedical, automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace is increasing because the properties offered by these materials, such as low cost and weight and resistance to corrosion, have become crucial. Product miniaturization is a constant trend in many of these industries, which demand ever-smaller products that can be mass produced while preserving a high precision in the final pieces This opens the opportunity for new manufacturing technologies that guarantee the requirements mentioned above, and through which the broadest possible variety of polymers can be processed, in order to provide a range of solutions to the challenges that such industries face every day. Conventional processing technologies of polymers, such as extrusion, injection molding, compression molding, or blow molding, have been primarily used for the mass production of daily use commodities Such processes are no longer suitable for manufacturing small products with a dimensional precision in the micro-scale, or with a total mass ranging between 0.1 and 0.001 g. Ultrasonic micro injection molding (UMIM) technology has emerged as a polymer processing technique capable of overcoming the disadvantages presented by conventional methods and achieving mass production of polymeric parts with micro-features while assuring replicability, repeatability, and high precision, which are crucial in any industry
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