Analysis for microstructure of micro-cantilevers arrays in micro-injection molding by using numerical simulations

Polymeric micro-cantilevers (Cs) are rapidly becoming popular for MEMS applications such as chemo- and bio-sensing as well as purely electromechanical applications such as microrelays. Polymer materials present suitable physical and chemical properties combined with low-cost mass production. Hence, micro-cantilevers made of polymers indicate much more biocompatibility and adaptability of rapid prototyping along with mechanical properties. This research emphasizes the analysis for microstructure of micro-cantilevers arrays in micro-injection molding. The finite element simulation in a three-dimensional inertia-free, incompressible flow is presented. A control volume scheme with a fixed finite element mesh is employed to predict melt front advancement. Two types of polymers polypropylene (PP) SABIC 56M10 and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) Magnum 8434 were used as the material for the implementation of simulations.