Sebastian Theiß

Injection molding of products with functional surfaces by micro-structured, PVD coated injection molds

Molding of micro structures by injection molding leads to special requirements for the molds e.g. regarding wear resistance and low release forces of the molded components. At the same time it is not allowed to affect the replication precision. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is one of the promising technologies for applying coatings with adapted properties like high hardness, low roughness, low Young’s modulus and less adhesion to the melt of polymers. Physical vapor deposition technology allows the deposition of thin films on micro structures. Therefore, the influence of these PVD layers on the contour accuracy of the replicated micro structures has to be investigated. For this purpose injection mold inserts were laser structured with micro structures of different sizes and afterwards coated with two different coatings, which were deposited by a magnetron sputter ion plating PVD technology. After deposition, the coatings were analyzed by techniques regarding hardness, Young’s modulus and morphology. The geometries of the micro structures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy before and after coating. Afterwards, the coated mold inserts were used for injection molding experiments. During the injection molding process, a conventional and a variothermal temperature control of the molds were used. The molded parts were analyzed regarding roughness, structure height and structure width by means of laser microscopy.

Influence of Ar/Kr ratio and pulse parameters in a Cr-N high power pulse magnetron sputtering process on plasma and coating properties

Krypton is sometimes used in physical vapor deposition processes due to its greater atomic mass and size compared to argon, which leads to a lower gas incorporation and may have beneficial effects on kinetics of the coating growth. In this paper, the authors investigate the plasma composition and properties of deposited high power pulse magnetron sputtering Cr-N coatings for discharges with various Ar/Kr ratios and for various pulse lengths of 40 μs, 80 μs, and 200 μs, keeping the average discharge power constant. The results show that an addition of Kr influences the discharge process by altering the ignition and peak values of the discharge current. This influences the metal ion generation and growth conditions on the substrate by reducing the nucleation site densities, leading to a predominantly columnar grow. However, the deposition rate is highest for an Ar/Kr ratio of 120/80. The integral of the metal ion and atom emission exhibits the same trend, having a maximum for Ar/Kr ratio of 120/80. By decreasing the pulse length, the deposition rate of coatings decreases, while the hardness increases.

Flow curve determination on dc-MS and HPPMS CrAlN coatings

In this paper, a new method for determining flow curves of thin coatings is tested on the basis of chromium aluminum nitride coatings deposited by direct current and high power pulsed magnetron sputtering physical vapour deposition with a wide range of chemical composition. The flow curves have been determined using the nanoindentation technique with a spherical indenter combined with analytical methods and finite element simulation. Extensive analyses of the FEM simulation also examine the possible influence of the substrate material on the measured flow curves. The results show that different coating flow behaviour have been characterized with this method which can be correlated with material phase appearance in the coating. Suggestions to completely eliminate the substrates influence in experiment or simulation are made.

Hybrid Production Systems

While virtual product development allows great freedom in terms of design, actual development processes are rather restricted. Those boundary conditions are at best hardly possible to exert influence on. Therefore, future research has to focus both on the realisation of the concept of one-piece-flow while simultaneously increasing flexibility and productivity and on the technological advancement. Hence, hybridisation of manufacturing processes is a promising approach, which often allows tapping potentials in all the aforementioned dimensions.

Influence of the layer architecture of DLC coatings on their wear and corrosion resistance

Abstract In this work, the influence of diamond-like carbon top layers deposited on two different types of layer architecture on wear and corrosion resistance is investigated. Physical vapour deposition coatings with a-C:H top layer of various thicknesses were deposited on plasma nitrided 42CrMo4 by reactive magnetron sputter ion plating. Beneath the top layer, an architecture with and without a-C interlayers was deposited. Investigations using potentiodynamic polarisaton testing in artificial seawater as well as an impact tribometer show that it is possible to protect low-alloy heat treatable steel from both corrosion and wear by using pre-treatment and an appropriate diamond-like carbon coating. Thicker a-C:H top layers as well as the addition of a-C interlayers resulted in an overall improvement in the coating behaviour.

Application of variothermal heating concepts for the production of microstructured films using the extrusion embossing process

Abstract The application of the extrusion embossing process is a fast and cost-effective way to produce large-scale films with structured surfaces. In principle, microscopic and macroscopic surface structures can be manufactured this way. Particularly for the fabrication of microscopic structures, the reproduction accuracy can be remarkably improved by applying variothermal heating concepts for the embossing roll. In this article, two possible heating concepts are investigated: one laser-based and another using an inductor. The generated temperature profile along the circumference of the embossing roll is studied, taking the material of the embossing roll as well as different processing parameters into account. Both external heating systems (laser vs. inductor) are tested and compared. Furthermore, the improvement of the accuracy of the replicated microstructures is examined.

Manufacturing of micro-structured parts for mass production purposes

Micro-structured and thus functionalized surfaces offer high potentials for new approaches in processing techniques and product design. However, for mass production purposes quite a few challenges regarding the manufacturing of these surfaces have to be overcome. For the fast and economic production of large quantities of structured polymer films the extrusion embossing process is suitable. For embossing microstructures there are special requirements on temperature control because of the double function of the embossing roll. On the one hand the roll is used as an embossing roll with a high surface temperature to improve the embossing accuracy. On the other hand it is used as a cooling roll with a low surface temperature. Only by using variothermal heating systems these contradictory demands on the temperature control can be met. In order to achieve a high quality of the produced micro-structured films an integrative analysis and optimization of the entire process chain is required. This includes the manufacturing of suitable embossing rolls, the development of coating systems and the adaption of the extrusion process. This paper deals with the entire process chain for functionalized, super hydrophobic plastic parts with contact angles up to 165°. Therefore, conelike surface structures, mimicking the structure of lotus leaves, are replicated. Functionalized parts are produced in the injection molding as well as in the extrusion process; however, this paper focuses on the process chain of the extrusion process.