The project has been advancing in different lines towards the development and fabrication of a one shoot flange wheel.
The main results of the technical part of the project are the fabrication and design of a flange wheel. It has been necessary to validate suitable materials as removable inserts. As well as their capability to hold pressures and temperatures needed during the injection process.
The final design of the flange wheel, the soluble inserts geometry as well as the insert core, were possible thanks to a close collaboration between consorium and topic manager. Afterwards, the real mould was manufactured and material trials with the prototype were stopped.
Before the injection trials, simulations were made, to understand the difficulties of the injection and prepare different strategies that might enable to overcome the difficulties
With all these data, it was decided to move forward with 3D printable inserts. In this way, the versatility of 3D printing would enable to manufacture flange wheels with slight modifications. Allowing to learn and adapt during the injection trials.
In this way the strategies for soluble inserts were separated in two categories:
1- 3D printable resin. Versatile production enables to do modifications between batches. Each flange wheel can be differnt from any other
2- Salt cores. Production scale, not feasible to have changes between flange wheels
With this in mind, the consotirum decided to move forward with the 3D printable resin.
In this sense, the INN-PAEK consortium has been able to manufacture flange wheels with different materials such as PE, PA, reinforced PA, PEEK and reinforced PEEK.
In each of the materials different observations were made regarding pressure, viscosity, fluidity of the material, temperature and of course flange wheel imperfections.
The major modifications done first to the 3D printable inserts adn afterwards transfered to the mould were:
1- Fast channels
2- Thickness of the external shield
3- Gas exits
Once, reinforced PAEK flange wheels were manufactured, it was possible to move towards the next step, and measure the quality of flange wheel in the internal parts as well as the union between the core insert and the overinjected PAEK part
Finally, it has been possible to summarize that succesful flange wheels have been manufactured in different materials and that even though the inherit difficulties of the PAEK materials, flange wheels with high quality have been achieved.
