Laser texturing of injection molding tools

Ultra-fine structures in the micro and nano range on injection molds have the potential to reduce the production cycles of plastic products. A new project funded by Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency, is now investigating how this technology can be successfully applied on an industrial scale.

Medical products and consumables made of plastic, such as pipette tips or liquid handling cups, are manufactured in large quantities using injection moulding. The shorter the cycle in the manufacturing process, the more economically the parts can be produced. One of the decisive factors here is the demoulding force. This is the force required to remove a plastic part from its mould after injection moulding.

Micro- and nanostructures on the mould surface can reduce the demoulding force and thus reduce the cycle time. Such structures can be applied using state-of-the-art lasers, such as the ‘GL.compact II’ 5-axis processing centre from GFH GmbH by RhySearch. So far, however, the necessary systematic understanding of how texture, polymer properties, process parameters, demoulding force and cycle time are interrelated has been lacking in order to successfully apply this technology on an industrial scale.

Over the next few years, RhySearch will be working with three industrial and two research partners to develop a technology platform that will build up this expertise. The focus will be on research into suitable surface textures, the processing of injection moulding tools using ultrashort pulse laser technology and a simulation workflow that can be used to predict demoulding forces. The project results will ultimately be validated using a demonstrator product.

The project will enable the Swiss industrial partners to increase their productivity and at the same time expand their expertise in the field of plastic injection moulding in order to strengthen their market position. The cumulative additional revenue from the application of the project's results is estimated at around CHF 6.4 million by 2031 if the project is successful.

Facts: 

Project duration: January 2024 - June 2026
Funded by: Innosuisse
Industry partner: Flex Precision Plastics Solutions (Switzerland) AG, medmix Switzerland AG, 
Roche Diagnostics International AG
Research partner: inspire AG, OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, RhySearch