Milled Prototype Molds

These cutting operations are usually used only for machined prototypes, or very low volume production of simple shapes. High speed routing is sometimes used for slotting or gate removal on injection molded products. Standard end mills (two-flute), cir-... 

Flex-O-Therm, The Netherlands CNC-milled patterns, epoxy molds for RTM, pressing and injection molding, prototypes and 3-D visualizations, hydraulic/pneumatic auxiliary machines... 

Since USM mills can be used on these multipurpose milling machines, the micro milling process is considered a flexible manufacturing process. In addition, the process is characterized by low setup costs, unlimited part materials, and a high material removal rate (Ozel et al. 2011). It is, for example, used to machine small features in molds used for mass production (e.g., microfluidic devices), to structure medical implants for better biocompatibility, to generate deep x-ray lithography masks, and to manufacture prototypes rapidly as well as efficiently (Aurich et al. 2012). 

Molds from aluminum (aluminum casting and CNC-milled) or sheet steel are used today for rotational molds. Electroplated molding has established itself for special rotational molds for PVC plastisols. There are also a couple of other materials that can be used in prototype production. 

Synthetic resin molds Injection molding Milling and casting process Functional model Prototype Small series part Thermoplastic Thermoset Elastomer 50-300 10-20 2-4... 

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