Ricerc@Sapienza

In order to deepen the mechanisms at the basis of mold surface replication onto the molded plastic surface, a novel experimental approach is proposed. Up to 20 different mold surface textures were made by machining with repetitive patterns of peaks and valleys. Mold replication tests were performed by over-molding of high density polyethylene (HDPE) on steel inserts. The surface morphology of inserts and injection molded parts was acquired by surface analyzer, and all the main roughness parameters were extracted and compared as well as the geometrical profiles.

This work describes the development, manufacturing and testing of a zero Poisson’s ratio PEEK cellular structure (AuxHex) made using Kirigami-inspired techniques. The AuxHex hybrid cell pattern is a combination of cells with different shapes that interlock with each other. This principle can lead to graded honeycombs possessing, in different areas, synclastic as well as anticlastic behavior. The AuxHex samples produced have been tested for flatwise compression according to ASTM standards and the results are compared with a unit-cell-based analytical model.