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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

8th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC)
March, 26-29, 2023, College Park, MD, USA

USE OF PULSED CURRENTS FOR ELECTROPOLISHING AND SHAPING OF MICRO-MOULD TOOLS TO REDUCE DEMOULDING DEFECTS

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 1573-1580
DOI: 10.1615/TFEC2023.mnm.046262

Abstract

Electropolishing is a non-contact electrochemical machining process which has the potential to clean, debur, passivate the surface, and shape the microfeatures on a metal. The fabrication of micro mould tools holds immense significance in the microinjection moulding process as it regulates the replication efficiency. Feature accuracy and geometric integrity of micro mould tools are the key design factors to produce good quality polymeric micro and nano surface structures used widely in microfluidics, micro-optics and functional surfaces. However, demoulding imposes a serious challenge in the form of friction, adhesion and thermal stresses at the interface of metallic mould/polymeric part receding the efficiency of the micro injection moulding process. Resultantly the polymeric part develops cracks, burs and distorted features. In order to address these problems, shaping and electropolishing of Ni micro mould tools has been suggested by increasing the draft angle (θ), fillet radius (r), and a low surface roughness (Sa) through pulsed electrochemical polishing in nickel sulfamate solution. The use of pulsed electropolishing involves positive anodic pulse which will remove material from the microfeatures (more at the edges and along the corners thus shaping them) and an off pulse which will remove the reaction by products from Ni surface. Principally the material removal in electropolishing is based on the current density distribution which is higher at peak than valley regions thus shaping and forming of micro features is observed. Such a design change will make the ejection of polymeric part from the metallic mould easier cause of the increased fillet radius, positive draft angle and shinier surface aggrandizing the performance of micro injection moulding.