Objective
The Hi-Micro project intends to realise an innovative approach for the design, manufacturing and quality control of tool inserts to achieve significant breakthrough in mass production of precision 3D micro-parts, through further developing both enabling manufacturing technologies, including additive manufacturing (AM), micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM), micro electro-chemical machining (micro-ECM) and micro-milling, and unique metrology and quality control methods such as computer-tomography (CT) metrology and digital holography. Together with industrial technology providers, the Hi-Micro project will further bolster the performance of industrial equipment for mass production of precision 3D micro-parts, through modular design of tool insert units with improved thermal management capability, development of on-machine handling system and in-line quality control device. Activities will run over the entire value chain of mass production of precision 3D micro-parts, from product and tool insert design, manufacturing of tool inserts, micro injection moulding processes, to the production equipment and quality control in the whole production chain.
In order to tackle the identified challenges and critical problems, the Hi-Micro project will provide radical innovations and major breakthroughs as follows:
• Development of design and tolerance guidelines for advanced micro manufacturing of components (nominal size <1mm)
• Reliable capability of manufacturing tool inserts with complex internal features for conformal thermal management in micro-injection moulding (μIM) and micro powder injection moulding (μPIM)
• Processing technologies and equipment for manufacturing of 3D micro-parts with increased precision and accuracy to ensure smaller tolerances for the products,
• Metrology methods for complex internal structure and high-speed inline quality control with improved measurement efficiency and without loss of resolution or accuracy.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-2012-NMP-ICT-FoF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research projectCoordinator
3000 Leuven
Belgium