The use of additive manufacturing techniques in conjunction with injection moulding is becoming increasingly popular, with financial and time benefits to coupling the techniques. This study demonstrates a systematic development process of 3D printed rapid tooled moulds using stereolithography. A high flexural modulus and elongation were found to increase the likelihood of success of a mould material in the injection moulding process. Success is defined as the mould surviving the process and being capable of producing the desired object successfully. Stereolithography was found to produce high quality moulds when a diagonal print orientation and a scaling factor of 109.3% is employed. The presented technique and systematic workflow is highly suitable for the production of moulds with detailed micro-features. This is of particular interest for rapid tooling for micro-injection moulding for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, where the microstructure directly impacts the performance of the products.

将增材制造技术与注射成型结合使用正变得越来越流行，耦合这些技术具有经济和时间上的好处。这项研究演示了使用立体光刻技术对3D打印快速模具进行系统开发的过程。发现高的挠曲模量和伸长率增加了在注射成型过程中模具材料成功的可能性。成功的定义是模具能够经受住整个过程，并且能够成功生产出所需的物体。当采用对角线印刷方向和比例因子为109.3％时，立体光刻技术可以生产出高质量的模具。提出的技术和系统的工作流程非常适合于生产具有详细微观特征的模具。