Hybrid moulds:: The use of combined techniques for the rapid manufacturing of injection moulds

Injection moulding is the major polymer processing technique. The mould is a key element of this process and its characteristics have a key importance on the parts produced. The fabrication of products with higher added value, especially in terms of production time and costs, is essential for the success of the mouldmaking industry within a global competitive environment. This paper presents the concept of hybrid mould, a recent concept for injection moulding of prototype and short series. Direct and indirect rapid tooling technologies can be used for the fabrication of these moulds. Hence, new design guidelines need to be defined to produce these moulds as well to assess its performance. Epoxy tooling and selective laser sintering are the two rapid tooling technologies explored to produce inserts for hybrid-moulds. This work studies the fabrication of hybrid-moulds through these rapid tooling technologies, as well its mechanical and thermal behaviour.