Tillämpning av additiv tillverkning för framtagning av ett hållfast formsprutningsverktyg

Sammanfattning: Introduction: Additive manufacturing (AT) also known as 3D printing has become a more widespread technology in various industries. The manufacturing method has increased the efficiency of manufacturing industries in producing products with technically challenging properties. Through continuous research and development, AT could compensate for traditional working methods and strive to reduce material and time loss as well as manufacturing costs. Purpose: The project aims to investigate how additive manufacturing can be used to create molds with accuracy and precision. It will also be explored how these molds will result in injection molding with high precision and accuracy. To obtain relevant data, a suitable material must be selected for injection molding. To realize this, it is necessary to define which parameters are required and how a mold should be constructed. The goal of the project has resulted in the formulation of two research questions: Q1: How can Additive Manufacturing (AT) be applied to make molds? Q2: Which parameters can be identified to optimize the quality of the mold and thereby achieve good precision and accuracy of the injection molded product? Method: Within the work, both qualitative and quantitative research has been conducted. The information gathered is based on scientific articles, relevant literature, and the execution of a case study in collaboration with Mälardalen industrial Technology Center (MITC). An abduction approach was used where data from both the literature and the case study were found continuously. During the process, the writers were allowed to develop a deeper understanding of the area which enabled the generation of new data from the literature and articles. By using these two data types in an iterative process to verify information, it increases validity and reliability. Conclusion: Within the case study, it was observed that SLA 3D printing was not completely accurate and produced unexpected results. The distinction between the geometry of CAD design and 3D printing can be accurately evaluated based on the positioning of the component in the 3D printer. Both the precision and accuracy of the geometry and design that is 3D printed by SLA can vary due to several factors such as shrinkage, deformation, and volume. To improve the precision and accuracy of injection molding results for components, it is crucial to adapt the mold to manage injection molding. In addition to the recommended material, the mold design needs features such as cooling systems and ventilation channels, which can be optimized using CAD tools. The mold cavity is designed with rounded corners, even wall thicknesses, no protruding details, and specifically adapted release angles.