Coated Injection Mold Boundary Cutting to Eliminate Line Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing molds in injection molding processes often produce line artifacts at boundary areas between coated components due to insufficient tolerance, especially when the coating has a structured surface, leading to undesirable visual and tactile issues in molded parts.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mold with coated components where the coating is applied and cut in a specific arrangement using an ultrashort pulse laser to minimize tolerance deviations and eliminate line artifacts, allowing for precise cutting of the coating without damaging the underlying metallic components, and introducing structured surfaces for aesthetic and functional benefits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a coating is applied to separate mold components to protect the mold and enable surface structures, then the mold protection and surface structure capabilities are improved, but line artifacts appear at the boundary regions between components due to tolerance deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The coating is segmented into multiple sections corresponding to different mold components, with each section being separately applied but continuously connected at boundary regions. This allows the coating to maintain its protective function while being adapted to the segmented mold structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating application process is locally adapted at boundary regions, where the coating is applied in a continuous manner across component interfaces rather than as separate discrete sections. This local modification ensures smooth transitions and eliminates line artifacts at the most critical alignment zones.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the coating has a structured surface to enable surface structures on molded parts, then the surface structure capability is improved, but edge lines of surface structures on both sides of boundary areas become difficult to adapt to each other
Solution Approach 1:
The coating is applied in a continuous manner across boundary regions before the mold components are assembled. This preliminary continuous application ensures that the surface structures on both sides of boundary areas are pre-aligned, eliminating the need for subsequent edge line adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating sections from adjacent mold components are merged into a continuous coating layer at boundary regions. This merging combines the surface structures from both sides into a unified, seamless pattern, making edge line adaptation unnecessary.
3Ease of manufacture
If coating is applied individually to separated components, then the coating application process is simplified, but tolerance deviations between coating contours increase leading to line artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
A continuous coating application process acts as an intermediary between separate mold components, bridging the gap at boundary regions. This intermediary approach maintains the simplicity of separate component manufacturing while ensuring precise coating alignment through continuous application across interfaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively reduces or eliminates line artifacts on molded parts by ensuring precise alignment of coatings, resulting in high-quality, visually appealing, and functional parts with minimal or no noticeable boundary lines, suitable for vehicle components and other applications.
Implementation Method 1
The coating can be severed using a pulsed laser, with a pulse duration of operation of the pulsed laser preferably in the range of 1 fs to 1 ps (ultrashort pulse laser). The use of a laser of this type enables precise cutting, with the laser power applied to the material being selected so that only the coating is severed, while the material of the first or second component is not damaged.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The application relates to a method for manufacturing a mold (100) for forming a molded part (200), in particular a mold (100) for an injection molding device, wherein the method comprises: providing a first component (110) of the mold (100) with a first surface (111) configured for forming a first region (210) of the molded part (200), and a second component (120) of the mold (100) with a second surface (121) configured for forming a second region (220) of the molded part (200), joining the first component (110) and the second component (120) so that a boundary region (130) is formed between the first surface (111) and the second surface (121), and applying a coating (140) to the first and the second surfaces (111, 121) so that the boundary region (130) is protected by the coating (140) is covered, cutting through the coating (140) along the boundary area (130).