Experimental rapid surface heating by induction for micro-injection molding of light-guided plates

This work experimentally investigates the use of induction-heating to heat mold surfaces rapidly, and thus enhance the replication effect of the microstructure of light-guided plates (LGP) in the injection molding process. This investigation employs a 2-inch LGP injection mold as the experimental carrier, and compares the replication effect on the microstructure of induction heating with that of conventional oil-heating. Temperature increases on the mold plate are examined using a thermal video system. The experimental results show that (1) the flat induction coil design promotes rapid surface heating. (2) Induction-heating the mold surface to 110°C improves the replication rate of the height of the micro-structure by up to 95%. (3) The LGP produced by induction heating has no significant residual stress.