Polishability of tool steels - Characterisation of high gloss polished tool steels
Licentiatavhandling, 2009

The manufacturing of plastic components, like a majority of other mass produced discrete parts, require well designed dies and moulds. Complex geometries and increasing demands on final surface appearance, which is strongly connected to the quality impression, are pushing for high demands on mould-makers and polishers as well as steel producers. Moulds for production of shiny plastic components require tool steels with low defect levels to achieve highly gloss and very smooth mould surfaces (roughness levels in the nm-range). It is the ability to achieve those mirror-like surfaces, the polishability of tool steels, that is the central part in this study. To increase the understanding of how material properties and different surface preparation techniques impact the polishability, a selection of high gloss polished tool steel qualities were characterised using non-contact 3D-surface texture analysis. A first step towards a grading system of the polishablility was made based on a classification of surface defects detected on included steel samples. 3D surface parameters based on interferometer measurements seemed to be useful for a characterisation, even though further studies (involving different filters and segmentation methods) are needed to find less and more precise parameter values to grade tool steel qualities. Future work will include analysis of surface measurements of test moulds and plastic parts, as well as studies of how quantitative parameters can be linked to qualitative estimations in order to better understand how surface features on the mould are transferred into the surface of plastic components.

surface characterisation

3D parameters

high gloss polishing

polishability

Tool steels

Seminar room Delta-Gamma, Hörsalsvägen 7, Chalmers University of Technology
Opponent: Dr. Olaf Dambon, Department Process Technology, Fraunhofer IPT, Germany

Författare

Sabina Rebeggiani

Chalmers, Material- och tillverkningsteknik

Measuring strategies for smooth tool steel surfaces

Proceedings of the XII. International Colloquium on Surfaces,; (2008)p. 110-119

Paper i proceeding

Ämneskategorier

Bearbetnings-, yt- och fogningsteknik

Seminar room Delta-Gamma, Hörsalsvägen 7, Chalmers University of Technology

Opponent: Dr. Olaf Dambon, Department Process Technology, Fraunhofer IPT, Germany

Mer information

Skapat

2017-10-07