| The application of rapid tooling to powder injection molding can produce functional prototypes of a complex metal or ceramic part more rapidly than other rapid prototyping technologies. While rapid tooling cuts the lead-time required for tooling production, little research has been done to determine the thermal characteristics of commonly used rapid tooling molds. Additionally, the inability to predict anisotropic shrinkage for a given part geometry often causes several modifications before a functional mold is produced.;In this thesis, models were developed that describe anisotropic shrinkage in two 2% nickel steel PIM feedstocks, one commercial and one formulated. Additionally, the apparent thermal diffusivity for copper-polyamide, epoxy, and steel rapid tooling molds was found. The integration of these models into CAD, IDEAS, or other design software would reduce the number of modifications required to achieve a functional mold, thereby decreasing the lead-time to part delivery. |
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