Injection molding of polymeric micro-structures device

Abstract

Plastic injection moulding is a manufacturing technique for making parts from thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials in production process and it is widely used for mass production because of its low cost and high efficiency. This report is to show an understanding on the plastic injection moulding process and also the different equipment used in this project. In addition, the two polymers polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA) and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) will be characterized with testing using TGA and DSC. Different moulding parameters for moulding micro plastic parts and defects encountered during experiments will be discussed. Experiments will be conducted to find out the optimal parameters for moulding the micro mixer using PMMA and COC and experimental results will be presented. In addition, a comparison on the results between PMMA and COC will be made as well. No definite conclusion can be drawn from the results analysis but COC was found to be a better material through reasoning. A write-up on the problems faced throughout the project and how it was being troubleshoot will be produced. Lastly, a conclusion will be made to sum up on the experiences and lessons learnt on throughout this project.