MICROMOLDING

Micromolding is an unconventional method that can serve manufacturing initiatives in several ways. But it doesn’t come without its challenges. These include:

• How to teach product designers about the new possibilities offered by micromolding.
• Determining limits on what is possible to mold. What are the limits on characteristics such as wall stock and gate sizes?
• How to ensure that mold flow is balanced during micromolding. What in terms of flow dynamics must be considered when the parts being molded are fractions of a pellet? This is particularly important when multiple cavities are involved.
• Figuring out the best way to perform mold flow analysis for microsized parts.
• Determining acceptable tolerances. Chances are, some tolerances acceptable in conventional molding won’t be in micromolding.
• How to achieve accurate steel positioning to ultra-precise tolerances.
• How to determine the optimal way to handle microsized parts.

If you carefully consider materials properties and design an optimal process, you could benefit from implementing a micromolding strategy. This can be the case regardless of whether your product is new or mature.