• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2017

Nanopowders provide better details for micro features and surface finish in powder injection molding processes. However, the small size of such powders induces processing challenges, such as low solid loading, high feedstock viscosity, difficulty in debinding, and distinctive sintering behavior. Therefore, the optimization of process conditions for nanopowder injection molding is essential, and it should be carefully performed. In this study, the powder injection molding process for Fe nanopowder has been optimized. The feedstock has been formulated using commercially available Fe nanopowder and a wax-based binder system. The optimal solid loading has been determined from the critical solid loading, measured by a torque rheometer. The homogeneously mixed feedstock is injected as a cylindrical green body, and solvent and thermal debinding conditions are determined by observing the weight change of the sample. The influence of the sintering temperature and holding time on the density has also been investigated. Thereafter, the Vickers hardness and grain size of the sintered samples have been measured to optimize the sintering conditions.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.48-53
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• 2008

We injection molded a thin type of plate and wedge type of plate with micro prizm patterns on its surface and investigated the fidelity of replication of the micro pattern depending on the process parameter such as mold temperature, melt temperature, injection rate or packing pressure. The size of the $90^{\circ}$ prizm pattern is $50{\mu}m$ and the size of the plate is about $335mm{\times}213mm$ and $400mm{\times}400mm$. The thicknesses are 2.6mm and 0.7mm at each edge of the wedge type of plate and 1mm at each edge of the thin type of plate. The fidelity of the replication turned out quite different according to the process parameters and location of the patterns on the plate. We measured the cavity pressure and temperature in real-time during the molding to analyze the effect of the local melt pressure and temperature on the micro pattern replication.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.989-992
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• 2004

A new method is proposed to fabricate a reusable qualtz master with order of 100 nm dot pattern on its surface. Some fabrication conditions such as dose are investigated to find optimal condition. This reusable qualtz master is used directly as a stamper to injection mold the dot patterns. Polycarbonate and Polyoxymethylene are used as molding materials and the effect of the mold temperature is also investigated to see the moldabilty of the injection molding for very fine dot features.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.382-395
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• 2002

Metal Injection Molding(MIM) is a technology without any mechanical processing, which is a promising area backed up by nano powder technology developed in late 1990's. The market was about 24 billion U$ in 1999. Many applications are made in process development, uses, powder making, hindering and sintering, of which order is in terms of the number of patents. This technologies are mainly developed by US firms, and applied by Japanese firms. Europe and Korea are still catch-up stage. More efforts should be made in this field because new opportunities are opening, thanks to nano technology.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.471-472
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• 2006

High aspect ratio of nano hairs on a plastic substrate is molded using thermoplstic materials including COC, PP, PC and PMMA. As a template for molding nano hairs, AAO membrane is adopted, which is 60um thick and 13mm in diameter. This membrane has about 109 of through-holes of which diameter is around 200nm. This AAO membrane and the pellet of materials are stacked in the mold and pressed to mold after heating up to be melted. The AAO membrane is removed using KOH to obtain the molded nano hairs. As a result, the diameter of the molded hairs is around 200nm and the length is $2um{\sim}60um$ depending on the molding conditions and materials.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.575-582
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• 2010

In recent years, several rapid-mold-heating techniques that can be used for the injection molding of thin-walled parts or micro/nano structures have been developed. High-frequency induction heating, which involves heating by electromagnetic induction, is an efficient method for the rapid heating of mold surfaces. The present study proposes an integrated numerical model of the high-frequency induction heating process and the resulting injection molding process. To take into account the effects of thermal boundary conditions in induction heating, we carry out a fully integrated numerical analysis that combines electromagnetic field calculation, heat transfer analysis, and injection molding simulation. The proposed integrated simulation is extended to the injection molding of a thin-wall part, and the simulation results are compared with the experimental findings. The validity of the proposed simulation is discussed according to the ways of the boundary condition imposition.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.2 s.233
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• pp.228-231
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• 2005

In this paper, we present reusable quartz master fabricated by electron-beam lithography and dry etching process of quartz, and results of injection molding based on the reusable quartz master for the manufacturing of nano-scale information media. Since patterned structures of photoresist can be easily damaged by separation (demolding) process of nickel stamper and master, a master with photoresist cannot be reused in stamper fabrication process. In this work, we have made it possible of the repeated use of master by directly patterning on quart in nickel stamper fabrication process. We have designed and fabricated four different specimens including 100nm, 140nm 200nm and 400nm pit patterns. In addition, both intaglio and embossed carving patterns are fabricated for each specimen. In the preliminary test of injection molding, we have fabricated polycarbonate patterns with varying mold temperature. We have experimentally verified the fabrication process of the reusable quart master and possibility of quartz master as direct stamper.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.503-504
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• 2010

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.481-487
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• 2008

Rapid mold heating has been recent issue to enable the injection molding of thin-walled parts or micro/nano structures. Induction heating is an efficient way to heat material by means of an electric current that is caused to flow through the material or its container by electromagnetic induction. It has various applications such as heat treatment, brazing, welding, melting, and mold heating. The present study covers an experimental investigation of induction heating in order to rapidly raise the mold temperature. It is observed that the mold surface temperature is raised up to $200^{\circ}C$ in 2 seconds. This induction heating is applied to injection molding of a flexspline for a plastic harmonic drive, which has difficulty in cavity filling because its minimum thickness is only 0.35 mm. The induction heating is then successfully implemented on this ultra-thin wall molding by raising the mold surface temperature around the glass-transition temperature of the molding material.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2010

Recently, many researches on the development of super-hydrophobic surface have been concentrated on the fabrication of nano-patterned products. Nano-patterned mold is a key to replicate nano-patterned products by mass production process such as injection molding and UV molding. The present paper proposes the new fabricating method of nano-patterned mold at low cost. The nano-patterned mold was fabricated by electroforming the anodic aluminum oxide membrane filled with UV curable resin in nano-hole by capillary phenomenon. As a result, the final mold with nano-patterns which have the holes with the diameter of 100~200 nm was fabricated. Furthermore, the UV-molded products with clear nano- patterns which have the pillars with the diameter of 100~200nm were achieved.