Laser Sprue Separation for Burr-Free Micro Injection Moulded Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating the sprue section from injection molded components, particularly in micro-injection molding, result in poor surface quality due to burrs and loosened particles, and are inefficient with high maintenance costs, as they often cause deviations from the intended separation line and require frequent blade sharpening or replacement.
Innovation Solution
A separation system utilizing a laser source configured to emit a laser beam along a predefined separation line for photoablation, which removes material locally without significant thermal stress, ensuring high surface quality and minimizing burrs and particles, with options for continuous or pulsed lasers and oscillating movements to optimize cutting speed and precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If blade or laser cutting is used to separate sprue from component, then separation is achieved, but surface quality deteriorates due to burrs and loosened particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical blade cutting with laser beam cutting to separate the sprue from the component. The laser beam melts and vaporizes material along the separation line without mechanical contact, eliminating burrs and loosened particles that are generated by blade cutting. This substitution of mechanical system with optical/thermal system resolves the contradiction between achieving separation and maintaining surface quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser cutting process utilizes phase transitions of the material (melting and vaporization) to achieve separation. The laser beam heats the material along the separation line, causing it to melt and then vaporize, creating a clean separation without mechanical contact. This phase transition-based approach eliminates the generation of burrs and particles that occur with mechanical cutting.
2Manufacturing precision
If blade cutting is used for separation, then separation is achieved, but maintenance costs increase due to wear and sharpening requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical blade system with a laser beam system. The laser beam has no physical contact with the workpiece, eliminating wear on cutting tools. Laser sources do not require sharpening or replacement like blades, significantly reducing maintenance costs and downtime while maintaining high separation precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If mechanical cutting or breaking is used for separation, then separation is achieved, but component integrity deteriorates due to material squeezing and deviation from separation line
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cutting forces with laser beam energy. The laser beam delivers energy precisely along the predetermined separation line, melting and vaporizing material without applying squeezing forces that could cause deviation or damage. This maintains both separation accuracy and component integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser beam acts as an intermediary between the control system and the material separation process. It transfers energy precisely along the predetermined separation line, enabling accurate separation without direct mechanical contact that would cause squeezing and deviation. The laser beam mediates the separation process while preserving component integrity.
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 system achieves precise separation with high surface quality, reduced thermal stress, and lower maintenance costs, enabling efficient and accurate removal of the sprue section while maintaining component integrity and quality, especially suitable for medical-grade components.
Implementation Method 1
The laser source is configured to emit the laser beam such that separating the sprue section from the component section along the separation line is performed under photoablation. Due to the photoablation material is removed along the separation line from the surface of the component. The material is heated very locally, and the heated material evaporates or sublimates due to the absorbed laser energy.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a separation system 1, an injection molding system, comprising the separation system and a method for separating a sprue 102 from an injection molded component 100, particularly a micro-injection molded component. The separation system comprises at least one laser source 10, wherein the laser source is adapted to emit and direct a laser beam 12 onto the component 100. Further the system comprises at least one component holding device 15, that is assigned to the laser source 10 and that is adapted to hold and move the component 100 in such a way that the laser beam 12 follows a predefined separation line 14 on the component, wherein the predefined separation line separates a sprue section 110 of the component, including a sprue 102, from a component section 120 of the component 100, and wherein the laser source is configured to emit the laser beam such that separating the sprue section from the component section along the separation line is performed under photoablation.