The Impact of Surface Roughness on Conformal Cooling Channels for Injection Molding.

Injection molding technology is widely utilized across various industries for its ability to fabricate complex-shaped components with exceptional dimensional accuracy. However, challenges related to injection quality often arise, necessitating innovative approaches for improvement. This study investigates the influence of surface roughness on the efficiency of conformal cooling channels produced using additive manufacturing technologies, specifically Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM). Through a combination of experimental measurements, including surface roughness analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and cooling system flow analysis, this study elucidates the impact of surface roughness on coolant flow dynamics and pressure distribution within the cooling channels. The results reveal significant differences in surface roughness between DMLS and ADAM technologies, with corresponding effects on coolant flow behavior. Following that fact, this study shows that when cooling channels' surface roughness is lowered up to 90%, the reduction in coolant media pressure is lowered by 0.033 MPa. Regression models are developed to quantitatively describe the relationship between surface roughness and key parameters, such as coolant pressure, Reynolds number, and flow velocity. Practical implications for the optimization of injection molding cooling systems are discussed, highlighting the importance of informed decision making in technology selection and post-processing techniques. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of surface roughness in injection molding processes and provides valuable insights for enhancing cooling system efficiency and product quality.

The Modification of Useful Injection-Molded Parts' Properties Induced Using High-Energy Radiation.

The modification of polymer materials' useful properties can be applicable in many industrial areas due to the ability to make commodity and technical plastics (plastics that offer many benefits, such as processability, by injection molding) useful in more demanding applications. In the case of injection-molded parts, one of the most suitable methods for modification appears to be high-energy irradiation, which is currently used primarily for the modification of mechanical and thermal properties. However, well-chosen doses can effectively modify the properties of the surface layer as well. The purpose of this study is to provide a complex description of high-energy radiation's (ß radiation) influence on the useful properties of injection-molded parts made from common polymers. The results indicate that ß radiation initiates the cross-linking process in material and leads to improved mechanical properties. Besides the cross-linking process, the material also experiences oxidation, which influences the properties of the surface layer. Based on the measured results, the main outputs of this study are appropriately designed regression models that determine the optimal dose of radiation.

The Implementation of Neural Networks for Polymer Mold Surface Evaluation.

This paper presents the measurement and evaluation of the surfaces of molds produced using additive technologies. This is an emerging trend in mold production. The surfaces of such molds must be treated, usually using laser-based alternative machining methods. Regular evaluation is necessary because of the gradually deteriorating quality of the mold surface. However, owing to the difficulty in scanning the original surface of the injection mold, it is necessary to perform surface replication. Therefore, this study aims to describe the production of surface replicas for in-house developed polymer molds together with the determination of suitable descriptive parameters, the method of comparing variances, and the mean values for the surface evaluation. Overall, this study presents a new summary of the evaluation process of replicas of the surfaces of polymer molds. The nonlinear regression methodology provides the corresponding functional dependencies between the relevant parameters. The statistical significance of a neural network with two hidden layers based on the principle of Rosenblatt's perceptron has been proposed and verified. Additionally, machine learning was utilized to better compare the original surface and its replica.

Study on Surface Roughness, Morphology, and Wettability of Laser-Modified Powder Metallurgy-Processed Ti-Graphite Composite Intended for Dental Application.

In this study, the surface laser treatment of a new type of dental biomaterial, a Ti-graphite composite, prepared by low-temperature powder metallurgy, was investigated. Different levels of output laser power and the scanning speed of the fiber nanosecond laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm and argon as a shielding gas were used in this experiment. The surface integrity of the machined surfaces was evaluated to identify the potential for the dental implant's early osseointegration process, including surface roughness parameter documentation by contact and non-contact methods, surface morphology assessment by scanning electron microscopy, and surface wettability estimation using the sessile drop technique. The obtained results showed that the surface roughness parameters attributed to high osseointegration relevance (Rsk, Rku, and Rsm) were not significantly influenced by laser power, and on the other hand, the scanning speed seems to have the most prevalent effect on surface roughness when exhibiting statistical differences in all evaluated profile roughness parameters except Rvk. The obtained laser-modified surfaces were hydrophilic, with a contact angle in the range of 62.3° to 83.2°.

Three-Dimensional Printing Process for Musical Instruments: Sound Reflection Properties of Polymeric Materials for Enhanced Acoustical Performance.

Acoustical properties of various materials were analyzed in order to determine their potential for the utilization in the three-dimensional printing process of stringed musical instruments. Polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate with glycol modification (PET-G), and acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) filaments were studied in terms of sound reflection using the transfer function method. In addition, the surface geometry parameters (Sa, Sq, Sz, and Sdr) were measured, and their relation to the acoustic performance of three-dimensional-printed samples was investigated. It was found that a higher layer height, and thus a faster printing process, does not necessarily mean poor acoustical properties. The proposed methodology also proved to be a relatively easy and rapid way to test the acoustic performance of various materials and the effect of three-dimensional printing parameters to test such a combination at the very beginning of the production process.

Iron-Sepiolite High-Performance Magnetorheological Polishing Fluid with Reduced Sedimentation.

A sedimentation-stable magnetorheological (MR) polishing slurry on the basis of ferrofluid, iron particles, Al2O3, and clay nanofiller in the form of sepiolite intended for MR polishing has been designed, prepared, and its polishing efficiency verified. Added clay substantially improved sedimentation stability of the slurry, decreasing its sedimentation rate to a quarter of its original value (1.8 to 0.45 mg s-1) while otherwise maintaining its good abrasive properties. The magnetisation curve measurement proved that designed slurry is soft magnetic material with no hysteresis, and its further suitability for MR polishing was confirmed by its magnetorheology namely in the quadratically increased yield stress due to the effect of applied magnetic field (0 to 600 kA m-1). The efficiency of the MR polishing process was tested on the flat samples of injection-moulded polyamide and verified by surface roughness/3D texture measurement. The resulting new composition of the MR polishing slurry exhibits a long-term stable system with a wide application window in the MR polishing process.

Solving the Issue of Discriminant Roughness of Heterogeneous Surfaces Using Elements of Artificial Intelligence.

This work deals with investigative methods used for evaluation of the surface quality of selected metallic materials' cutting plane that was created by CO2 and fiber laser machining. The surface quality expressed by Rz and Ra roughness parameters is examined depending on the sample material and the machining technology. The next part deals with the use of neural networks in the evaluation of measured data. In the last part, the measured data were statistically evaluated. Based on the conclusions of this analysis, the possibilities of using neural networks to determine the material of a given sample while knowing the roughness parameters were evaluated. The main goal of the presented paper is to demonstrate a solution capable of finding characteristic roughness values for heterogeneous surfaces. These surfaces are common in scientific as well as technical practice, and measuring their quality is challenging. This difficulty lies mainly in the fact that it is not possible to express their quality by a single statistical parameter. Thus, this paper's main aim is to demonstrate solutions using the cluster analysis methods and the hidden layer, solving the problem of discriminant and dividing the heterogeneous surface into individual zones that have characteristic parameters.

Online Rheometry Investigation of Flow/Slip Behavior of Powder Injection Molding Feedstocks.

Wall slip in the flow of powder injection molding (PIM) compounds can be the cause of unrealistically low viscosity values, and can lead to a failure of flow simulation approaches. Regardless of its importance, it has been considered only scarcely in the rheological models applied to PIM materials. In this paper, an online extrusion rheometer equipped with rectangular slit dies was used to evaluate the slip velocity of commercial as well as in-house-prepared PIM feedstocks based on metallic and ceramic powders at close-to-processing conditions. The tested slit dies varied in their dimensions and surface roughness. The wall-slip effect was quantified using the Mooney analysis of slip velocities. The smaller gap height (1 mm) supported the wall-slip effect. It was shown that both the binder composition and the powder characteristic affect slip velocity. Slip velocity can be reduced by tailoring a powder particle size distribution towards smaller particle fractions. The thickness of the polymer layer formed at the channel wall is higher for water-soluble feedstocks, while in the case of the catalytic polyacetal feedstocks the effect of surface roughness was manifested through lower viscosity at smooth surfaces.

Comparison of metrological techniques for evaluation of the impact of a cosmetic product containing hyaluronic acid on the properties of skin surface.

The aim of this research was to evaluate mutual interchangeability of four principally different biometric instrumental techniques designed for objective measurement of changes in the physical, mechanical, and topographical properties of the skin surface treated with commercial antiaging cosmetic products with hyaluronic acid. The following instrumental devices were used: Visioscope PC 35, Corneometer Multiprobe Adapter MPA 6, Reviscometer RVM 600, and 3D scanner Talysurf CLI 500. The comparison of the individual methods was performed using cluster analysis. The study involved 25 female volunteers aged 40-65. Measurements were taken before and after 30 daily in vivo applications of an antiaging preparation to the skin surface in the periorbital area. A slight reduction in skin surface roughness was recorded in 55% of the volunteers. On the contrary, a worsening from their initial states was detected in 25% of the subjects, while for 20%, no significant change was reported. Cluster analysis confirmed that the mentioned methodologies can be divided into two basic clusters, namely, a cluster of methods recording the changes in skin relief by means of optical techniques, and a cluster of methods investigating changes in hydration and anisotropy. In practice, the techniques in different clusters are not interchangeable and should be assessed separately.