Abstract

COMBRINCK, J.; VAN DER WALT, J.G.; BOOYSEN, G.J.  and  DE BEER, D.J.. Evaluating the suitability of Alumide® tooling for injection moulding of different polymers. S. Afr. J. Ind. Eng. [online]. 2018, vol.29, n.3, pp.271-283. ISSN 2224-7890.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7166/29-3-2075.

This paper describes the possibility of using laser-sintered Alumide® as an alternative material for producing rapid tooling (RT) inserts. To determine the durability of Alumide^® inserts for the injection moulding (IM) process, a product with geometrical features was developed, and Alumide^® inserts were manufactured. Polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polyamide 6 (PA 6) were used for IM trials with the Alumide^® inserts. From these trials, it was concluded that polymer materials with a processing temperature of about 230 °C, similar to PP and ABS, can be used with Alumide® inserts as RT inserts for the IM process.

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