About the Centre
The Centre has an extensive range of processing hardware specifically designed for micro and nano moulding activities:
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"Customer focused R&D."
Our laboratory has been actively researching micro-moulding since 2001 when we were awarded an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant which was the first to be awarded in this research area. We have since expanded our activities to include a range of micro-moulding process technologies and metrology equipment, which allows us to keep at the forefront of technology advancement. Our research activities fall in three main areas:
1. Polymer Rheology
Measurement of the flow properties and material consistency of the polymer melt. Materials subjected to the high injection speeds and small cross sections of micro-moulding cavities can experience wall shear rates and associated shear heating effects which are orders of magnitudes higher than those seen in conventional injection moulding. We have pioneered work investigating the flow behaviour of a range of materials under typical micro-moulding flow conditions and are actively researching the effects of mixing, behaviour, thermal considerations and the presence of impurities on rheological properties.
2. Process Characterisation
In-process measurements are vital to fully understand the micro-moulding environment. We have investigated a variety of sensor technologies including ultrasound, magnetostrictive, advanced thermocouple and piezoelectric designs to accurately quantify machine dynamics, pressures and temperatures within the mould cavity. High-speed camera based optical techniques have also been adopted to provide full field evaluation of micro-moulding flow behaviour plus stress-induced birefringence contours and shrinkage measurements. This data is helping to develop simulation software which provides a route for micro-moulding process design without costly R & D trials.
3. Product Property Evaluation
One of the major challenges associated with micro-moulded products is how to quantify the geometric, mechanical and morphological properties of the products. The physical size of these products has required us to adopt advanced characterisation techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy, White Light Interferometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy for product metrology. We are also investigating a number of in-process inspection techniques allowing quality inspection of 100% of the manufactured products prior to assembly and packaging operations.