Micro injection molding is a molding process for the manufacture of plastics components for shot weights of 1 to 0.1 grams with tolerances in the range of 10 to 100 microns. This molding process permits the manufacture of complicated small geometries with maximum possible accuracy and precision.

Basic concept

The basic concept of the micro injection molding process is quite similar to the regular

injection molding Injection moulding (U.S. spelling: injection molding) is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mould, or mold. Injection moulding can be performed with a host of materials mainly including metals (for ...

process. In this process, a micro injection unit is integrated in the

injection molding machine An injection molding machine (also spelled as injection moulding machine in BrE), also known as an injection press, is a machine for manufacturing plastic products by the injection molding process. It consists of two main parts, an ''injectio ...

. When it comes to the production of micro components the machine and process technology mainly depend on the below points: *Short dwell time *Low shear stress on the polymer melt *Homogeneous material preparation before molding *Precision injection and ejection *Accuracy of dimensions

Critical factors

Parting line issue

A parting line (PL) is the line of separation on the part where the two halves of the mold meet. The parting line matching for micro parts is a big issue. The interlocking features of mold cavity and core for precise mating are used to reduce such issues.

Degating issue

Another major critical factor of micro injection technology is that the smaller part size causes problems with degating (gate removal).

Sprue and runner size

Runner and sprue diameters are another concern. The total volume of the feed system (sprue, runners and gates) can exceed the volume of the parts by a factor of 100 or more.

Materials and applications for micro injection molding

The most common

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s used in micro injection molding are reported in the table below:

Machine used for micro injection molding

In the 1980s, micro injection molding techniques utilized traditional injection molding, but no dedicated machines were available until the mid-1990s. Currently, commercial micro molding systems are produced from

Milacron Milacron is an American limited liability company that manufactures and distributes plastic processing equipment for fields such as injection molding and extrusion molding. Milacron is one of many operating companies that make up Hillenbrand, I ...

Arburg Arburg GmbH + Co KG (referred to as ARBURG) is a German machine manufacturing company. It is owned by the Hehl and Keinath families and, with its electric, hybrid and hydraulic plastic injection moulding machines, turnkey systems and its indus ...

, and Sumitomo Demag as micro injection units for regular machines. At the same time, Wittmann Battenfeld, Babyplast and Desma are manufacturers of dedicated micro injection molding machines. Milacron developed two types of micro injection units: *A two-stage and all-electric injection unit accomplished by an extruder and injection plunger *An all-electric injection unit with 14 mm screw to inject the polymer melt into the mold Arburg developed a micro injection molding machine with an 8 mm injection to ensure high degree of dosing precision. This type of machine is combined with a second screw, which is responsible for melting and homogenous mixing of the material. Sumitomo Demag developed a customized micro molding injection unit suitable for micro parts weighing of 5 g to 0.1 g.

Applications

Micro injection molding is widely applied for parts and devices in the medical, pharmaceutical, electronics, automotive, optical and other industries. In general, the medical micro injection molding market is the leading one, due to an increase in the usage of sophisticated micro components for endoscopic surgery, minimally invasive treatments,

point-of-care testing Point-of-care testing (POCT or bedside testing) is defined as medical diagnostic testing at or near the point of care—that is, at the time and place of patient care. This contrasts with the historical pattern in which testing was wholly or most ...

and other advanced technology developments. Applications in other fields include parts for electric motors, micron-tolerance door components, thing-wall containers, etc.

Market prospects

The miniaturization of automotive, medical, electronics, telecommunications devices is driving the need for micro molding of smaller components. The global polymer and thermoplastic micro molding market covering medical, automotive, electronics and telecommunications was valued at $308 m in 2012. The micro injection molding plastic market was valued at $1,145.85 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $2,640 million by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.0% from 2023 to 2030.

References

{{reflist Injection molding