Compression molding efficiency

The compression molded polyimide comes in a powdery brittle state as it is added into the compression mold s cavity. Pressure is applied and at the processing temperature cross-linking takes place. Due to the thermal cycling of the mold, the process is not very efficient and molds are subject to a shorter life [5], All of these factors add to the cost of the part. 

Injection compression molding (ICM) is, similarly to the gas injection technique and thermoplastic foam injection (TFI), particularly well-suited to making thick-walled moldings with little warping and few sink marks. However, thin-walled parts with long flow paths can also be produced efficiently by means of ICM. 

Micromolding represents the most efficient method of producing microfluidic devices through mass manufacturing. The process by which tooling can be developed is presented in Fig. 1. We present here a summary of the injection and compression molding techniques that can be used for micromolding applications. 

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