Thin-walled Micromolding

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently, there is a serious disconnect between macro and micro injection molding industry. Manufacturers' polymer material data sheets that predict the physical and mechanical properties including flow do not predict properties below 0.020" thickness.. Since properties have proven to be non-linear in thin-walled applications, data below 0.020" may not be able to be accurately predicted. Although there are numerous ASTM standards for material property characterization of macro injection molded parts, none exist for micro- molding. The goal of this proposal is to predict the flow of polymer materials into micro cavities with nano volume features. This information will accelerate the design of thin-walled (<0.010") micro injection moldable parts for numerous commercial applications. In order to achieve this goal we will start by creating standards to evaluate the physical properties of materials with wall thicknesses of <0.010". These same standards would be useful in characterizing new enhancements or processes in material science. In Phase I, we will begin to investigate and characterize one such process. We will compare "neat" to "treated" polymer performance in the production of thin-walled micro injection molded samples.