Development of Wood-Based Injection Moulds for Small-Series Production – Kleinholz

Injection moulding is one of the key manufacturing processes in plastics processing. However, the development and manufacture of injection moulds involve significant costs, depending on the complexity of the injection-moulded part and the requirements placed on the component and the manufacturing process. As a result, injection moulding becomes increasingly uneconomical as the production volumes of a particular component decrease. This is particularly relevant for the manufacture of prototypes, functional samples and other initial test components, for which only small quantities are often required.

To reduce costs, this research project will evaluate whether, and in what form, wood can be used as a material for injection moulds. In addition, the different mechanical and thermal properties of wood as a material for injection moulds, compared with metallic materials, may open up new areas of application for injection moulding. In addition to processing particularly aggressive materials that would destroy the significantly more expensive metal moulds too quickly, other high-performance plastics may also be processed more cost-effectively or, in some cases, made processable for the first time due to the different thermal conductivity properties of wood.

The sub-project Scientific Investigation, Development and Testing of Suitable Wood-Based Materials and Modifications for Use in Injection Moulding forms part of the overall project Development of Wood-Based Injection Moulding Tools for Small-Series Production.