Characteristics and development of rapid prototyping

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 and development trends

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

In addition to this new technology, we also specialize in the production of Die-casting .

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.

Injection mold processing is divided into several stages？

The injection molding process can be roughly divided into the following six stages

Clamping, glue, pressure maintaining and cooling, mould and products.

The above process again and again, can batch periodically to produce products. Thermosetting plastic and rubber molding including the same process, but a thermoplastic material barrel temperature is low, the injection pressure is higher, the mould is heated, finished material injection in the mold of the subject to curing or curing process, and then strike off membrane.

The trend of the current processing technology is developing towards the direction of the high and new technology, these technologies include: micro injection molding, high filling compound injection, water injection, mixed with a variety of special injection molding process, foam injection molding, mold technology, simulation technology, etc.

The temperature control

Injection molding equipment and mold

1．nitrogen-treated barrel temperature, injection molding process, the need to control the temperature of the cylinder temperature, nozzle temperature and mould temperature, etc. The first two main influence plastic plasticizing temperature and flow, and then a temperature is mainly influence plastic flow and cooling. Each kind of plastic flow with different temperature, the same kind of plastic, due to different sources or brand, the flow temperature and decomposition temperature is little different, this is due to the different average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, plastic in different type of injection machine of plasticizing process is also different, so choose the cylinder temperature is not the same.

2. The nozzle temperature, nozzle temperature is usually slightly lower than expected tube maximum temperature, this is to prevent the molten material in straight through the nozzle may be "salivate phenomenon". Nozzle temperature also cannot too low, otherwise will cause early setting of melting and the nozzle clogging, or due to early coagulation material into the cavity affect the performance of the products.

3．Pictures of mold temperature, mold temperature inner performance and apparent impact on the quality of products. Mold temperature is determined by the size of the plastic, of crystalline products and structure, performance requirements, and other process conditions (melt temperature, injection speed and injection pressure, molding cycle, etc.).

Pressure control

In the process of injection molding pressure including plasticizing and injection pressure, and directly affects the quality of plasticizing and plastic products.

1．plasticizing pressure: (back pressure) adopts screw injection machine, screw at the top of the molten material in the screw rotating back pressure is called the plasticizing, which is also called back pressure. The size of the pressure can be found on the overflow valve to adjust the hydraulic system. In injection, the size of the plasticizing pressure is depending upon the design of the screw, the product quality requirements, and the type of plastic and needs to change, if the situation and the screw rotation speed is constant, increase plasticizing pressure will strengthen shearing action, which will raise the temperature of the melt, but will reduce the plasticizing efficiency, increase the current and leakage flow, increase the driving power.

In addition, increase plasticizing pressure often can make the melt temperature uniformity, color mixing and discharge gas in the melt. general

Injection molding in the operation of the pressure curve, the plasticizing pressure shall be on the premise of guarantee the products quality is lower, the better, the specific values are vary with the varieties of the plastic, but usually rarely more than 20 kg/cm2.

2. Injection pressure: in the current production, almost all the injection pressure of injection machine are in piston or screw at the top of the plastic

On the pressure (by oil pressure conversion) shall prevail. Injection pressure in injection molding, the role of is, to overcome the flow resistance of plastic flowing from cylinder cavity, given the rate of molten material molding and compaction of molten material.

CNMOULDING shows how internet can be used to deliver custom mold manufacturer service around the world

CNMOULDING offers plastic molding services for various industries, such as automotive, electronics, home appliances and others around the world using the internet.

China based CNMOULDING believes in using the latest technologies to develop and deliver plastic molds to their industrial clients across the world. The company now uses the internet to build custom molds as per client specifications and reduces the time and cost of designing and engineering molds.

Offering their efficient plastic injection molding service through the internet, CNMOULDING allows customers to send drawings via email. Based on the drawing, they provide quotation for the molding project within twenty-four hours, and the workers of CNMOULDING provide the mold drawing for approval after receiving the Purchase Order from the customer. Once the drawing is approved by the customer, they start manufacturing the mold and send it for the customer's approval again. When the customer approves the sample mold and makes the payment, the production of mold is started. Thereafter, the mold is shipped to the customer.

The spokesperson of the company reveals that their CNMOULDING Mould development and delivery process has been liked by several customers around the world. The internet based process is much faster and helps deliver the product as per the customer's specification. With a strict drawing and sample approval process, the product precisely meets the customer requirements. Moreover, they have a worldwide product delivery mechanism to ship products anywhere in the world.

CNMOULDING maintains a systematic and transparent PO procedure that allows customers to put a control on the product quality, cost and the production cycle. The faster is the approval process, the quicker will be the design and development of the plastic mold. The company has a vast experience in the injection molding and designing and engineering of molds for a number of industries. This is the reason why an industrial client can rely on their production technology and the product quality.

Using the internet, CNMOULDING intends to offer convenience and a simple way of getting custom molds for industries around the world.

we are also offer Dies casting and blister mold

In Coal-Powered China, Electric Car Surge Fuels Fear of Worsening Smog

Automakers' latest projections for rapid growth of China's green car market have added to concerns of worsening smog as the uptake of electric vehicles powered by coal-fired grids races ahead of a switch to cleaner energy.

Volkswagen AG plans 15 new-energy models over 3-5 years, its China chief told a green car conference in Beijing on Saturday, predicting - like the government - that Chinese production of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would grow almost six times to 2 million annually by 2020.

At the same event, BYD Co Ltd's chairman told media that the Chinese automaker's electric vehicle sales would double in each of the next three years.

The government has been promoting electric vehicles to cut the smog that frequently envelops Chinese cities, helping sales quadruple last year and making China the biggest market, the finance minister said at the conference. Less than 1 percent of passenger cars are now new energy, but the pace of growth raises their potential to worsen smog.

A series of studies by Tsinghua University, whose alumni includes the incumbent president, showed electric vehicles charged in China produce two to five times as much particulate matter and chemicals that contribute to smog versus gas-engine cars. Hybrid vehicles fare little better.

"International experience shows that cleaning up the air doesn't need to rely on electric vehicles," said Los Angeles-based An Feng, director of the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation. "Clean up the power plants."

China plans to convert the grid to renewable fuel or clean-coal technology as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2020.

That will speed the green impact of electric vehicles, said environmental science professor Huo Hong at the elite Tsinghua university. But that goal will be "really difficult to achieve."

Tsinghua's studies call into question the wisdom of aggressively promoting vehicles which the university said could not be considered environmentally friendly for at least a decade in many areas of China unless grid reform accelerates.

China's industry, environment and science ministries, which devise most new energy vehicle policies, did not respond to requests for comment. BYD and Volkswagen declined to immediately comment.

POLICY MISMATCH

To promote new-energy vehicles, the government has offered various incentives in recent years including tax breaks, and set targets such as having 5 million new-energy vehicles on the road by 2020 - more than 8 times the current number.

Authorities in some cities particularly affected by smog have gone further. Beijing and Tianjin, for instance, have exempted new-energy vehicles from limits on the number of new cars granted license plates, and exempted them from driving restrictions that other cars face on certain days of the week.

This month, the industrial Hebei province decreed that all new residential complexes must have car-charging facilities.

In western Beijing, 62-year-old retired truck and taxi driver Zhang Zhijun bought a BYD Tang hybrid last month and plans to trade in his gas-engine Toyota Corolla for an electric car for short rides like taking his grandson to school.

"Right now smog is very heavy in China. This way, if everyone does their part, it will definitely cut down on pollution," Zhang said.

But Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are all more than 90 percent reliant on coal for energy, Tsinghua's research showed.

Huo and academics point out that, at the very least, the proliferation of electric vehicles pushes more sources of pollution away from heavily populated urban centers.

Whatever the impact, Qin Lihong, president of startup electric automaker NextEV, said cleaning the grid would be the quickest route to clear skies.

"It's much easier for society to make hundreds of power plants better than change the hundreds of millions of cars in thousands of cities," he said.

About us:

We are a company specialized in various plastic injection mould & molding technology stationed here in shanghai ,china. we build company since 1997, our major field of activities is production of steel molds for plastic injection mould and injection molding of plastic parts in variety of designs, material and appliance. Additional service includes OEM/ODM manufacturing .

Plastics in Electronics Components: Technologies and Global Markets

- Analyze current and likely future sizes of thermoplastics and thermosetting polymer markets, broken down by component and by type.

- Learn about the use of plastics in electronic components.

- Identify major material suppliers and key processors.

- Review important new technologies, as well as changes in legislation and industry standards and norms that may have significant effects on markets for electronic components.

Highlights

- The global electronic component totaled 3.6 billion pounds in volume in 2014. This market should reach nearly 3.8 billion pounds in 2015 and more than 4.4 billion pounds by 2020, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% from 2015 to 2020.

- The global thermoplastic market should reach nearly 2.7 billion pounds n 2015 and 3.2 billion pounds by 2020, with a CAGR of 3.8% for 2015-2020.

- The global thermoset market should total nearly 1.1 billion pounds in 2015 and 1.2 billion pounds by 2020, with a CAGR of 2.0% through 2020.

Introduction & Scope

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

This study focuses on the use of plastics in electronic components. It considers the wide range of thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers (including polyurethanes) that are being used in electronic components found in industrial, automotive and consumer electronics. It reviews the most recent developments in these materials that respond to the changing needs of the markets, and it analyzes the current and likely future sizes of these markets, broken down by component and by polymer type.

SCOPE AND FORMAT

This study covers all electronic components where plastics are used to a significant extent. It concentrates on components produced by injection molding, compression molding and encapsulation. It does not cover wire and cable, films used in capacitors or recording media, or enclosures. The study also identifies major material suppliers and key processors. It reviews important new technologies, as well as changes in legislation and industry standards and norms that may have significant effects on markets for electronic components, and it looks at interpolymer competition.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Overall, plastics consumption in electronic components had been growing at rates well above those of growth in gross domestic product for many years. Electronic products have invaded virtually all areas of our personal and business lives, and their levels of sophistication continue to increase. The amount of electronics in automobile control, driver assist and infotainment systems is rising rapidly. Cloud computing is carried out on a massive scale, and now the Internet of Everything is connecting devices as well as people. At the same time, the tendency of many personal electronics to become fashion items has reduced product life cycles, with each new product generation putting new demands – in performance and especially cost – on the materials that go into them. In addition, the increasing visibility of electronic devices, most notably in mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), has been a key driver in pushing electronics companies to use more "environment-friendly" technologies and materials in their products.

About us

We are a company specialized in various plastic injection mould & molding technology stationed here in shanghai ,china. we build company since 1997, our major field of activities is production of steel molds for plastic injection mould and injection molding of plastic parts in variety of designs, material and appliance. Additional service includes OEM/ODM manufacturing .