Effect of LBM and large-area EBM finishing on micro-injection moulding surfaces

Micro-injection moulding is an efficient process for large series production of thermoplastic polymer micro-parts. The moulding surface quality in the moulds is important and determines the manufacturing specifications for a given micro-engineering component. In this study, melting and vaporisation removal technologies were analysed: laser beam machining (LBM) as the material removal technique and electron beam machining (EBM) as the finishing process. Stainless steel DIN X42Cr13 was used for machining 10 x 10 mm(2) flat surfaces. LBM parameters, namely intensity, frequency, cutting depth, scanning speed and hatching, and EBM conditions, as energy density, number of irradiation and frequency, were varied. The surface topography and integrity and the micro-structure were characterised by optical and electronic microscopy, roughness profilometry, X-ray spectroscopy and micro- and ultrahardness tests. It was shown that the combination of LBM and large-area EBM is an interesting alternative to polishing by hand lapping of moulding surfaces for micro-moulding, improving surface roughness and surface integrity without cracks and smaller HAZ. The morphology analysis demonstrated that EBM finishing improves corrosion and oxidation resistance compared with conventional heat-treated surfaces.