The art and science of micro-moldmaking
Cutting Tools Engineering magazine ran a special issue this month with a focus on micro. Topics included making molds with submicron features, laser machining micro medical parts, and tools with hair-thin diameters. MTD was proud to make the cover of this special issue with a photo of an MTD-made overmolded suturing device.
MTD teamed up with Accumold to discuss all things micro, including the definition of micro molding, a look at the medical market, and the true artform of micro-tooling. Both companies value vertical integration, keeping 100% of micro-tool building in-house, acknowledging that a successful micro-molded product starts with an exact mold.
In micro, there is a heightened focus on tolerances when it comes to mold buiilding and achieving that level of detail can be tricky when applying cutting tools smaller than 0.010″ (0.254mm) in diameter with length-to-diameter ratios of 5:1 to 8:1.
A typical tolerance for an MTD micromold, taking into account all the factors of a client’s product design, is ±0.0001″ (2.54μm), he said, noting a red-blood cell is 6μm to 8μm in diameter.
Read the full article here.
