Evaluation of part consistency with photopolymer inserts in different injection moulding process parameters

Using additive manufacturing (AM) processes for direct fabrication of complex three-dimensional objects in a fewer time in comparison to the subtractive method is the advancement of this technology. This study connecting the AM with injection moulding (IM) process. AM inserts are directly manufactured by photopolymer material and used in IM process. Different combinations of IM parameters are used in order to find out the influence of various settings on the fabrication of the parts with soft inserts. The effects of injection moulding parameters are investigated by the use of a design of experiment (DOE) and optical metrology. DOE analysis concludes that the IM speed and cooling time are significant factors, for the geometry of the features. The height of bricks and knobs are also measured on the IM parts for assessment of different batches before any cracks appear on the inserts.