Microstructuring
We can endow materials with properties they didn't have before, without the need for adding coatings or chemical agents.
Petition
In order to improve the finish of the parts of the injection process, the client performs a traditional mechanical polishing of their moulds. This process requires specialized labor and a lot of time to obtain good quality finishes.
Objective
Study the laser polishing technique to know if:
- It is a suitable process for the industry
- It has good quality finishes.
- It is possible to automate
- Represents cost and time reduction
ATRIA Solution
Firstly, a theoretical study on laser polishing of injection molds was carried out in order to know the degree of maturity of the technique and obtain guidance on the best type of laser and parameters for this application.Once the theoretical basis of the work was obtained, a battery of tests was carried out with laser equipment of different characteristics and wavelengths. In this way, it was possible to know the performance achieved with each one and determine the best option and configuration to carry out the laser polishing of the injection molds.
After the testing phase with the laser equipment, a confocal microscope was used to determine the roughness of the surface, both before and after the laser processes, and thus determine the degree of polishing obtained on the surface.
Finally, despite the great variation in the initial roughness of the molds studied, it was possible to find laser parameters that managed to reduce the roughness of the surface and obtain a reflectance and metallic shine close to that of mirror polishing.
