Feasibility Study of Additively Manufactured PETG Injection Moulds: Comparative Evaluation of Non-Plated, Plated, and Metal-Cased Variants Without Cooling Assistance

  • Unique Paper ID: 188475
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 7
  • PageNo: 6076-6084
  • Abstract:
  • This paper presents a feasibility study on the use of PETG-based 3D-printed moulds for low-volume injection moulding applications under no-cooling conditions. Additively manufactured polymer moulds offer rapid fabrication and cost advantages, but their thermal limitations restrict their use with polymer melts in the 220–250 °C range. To understand the prac- tical operating limits, four mould configurations were evaluated: (A) a standalone PETG mould, (B) a PETG mould enclosed in a metal casing, (C) a PETG mould electroplated with a thin metallic layer, and (D) a hybrid configuration combining both metal casing and electroplating. The study examines the thermal stability, deformation behaviour, surface integrity, and mould longevity across all variants during repeated injection cycles. Results indicate that structural reinforcement and surface metallization play significant roles in delaying thermal softening and reducing mould distortion, even in the absence of active cooling. The findings provide insights into the viability of low-cost, rapidly manufactured moulds for small-batch production and guide designers in selecting appropriate reinforcement strategies for elevated-temperature injection moulding processes.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{188475,
        author = {Apoorv Jamdade and Hema Mahajan and omraj jagtap and Shriram Haridas and sankalp gouraj and Dr. Rajkumar Bhagat and Prof. sampada dravid},
        title = {Feasibility Study of Additively Manufactured PETG Injection Moulds: Comparative Evaluation of Non-Plated, Plated, and Metal-Cased Variants Without Cooling Assistance},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {7},
        pages = {6076-6084},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=188475},
        abstract = {This paper presents a feasibility study on the use of PETG-based 3D-printed moulds for low-volume injection moulding applications under no-cooling conditions. Additively manufactured polymer moulds offer rapid fabrication and cost advantages, but their thermal limitations restrict their use with polymer melts in the 220–250 °C range. To understand the prac- tical operating limits, four mould configurations were evaluated:
(A) a standalone PETG mould, (B) a PETG mould enclosed in a metal casing, (C) a PETG mould electroplated with a thin metallic layer, and (D) a hybrid configuration combining both metal casing and electroplating. The study examines the thermal stability, deformation behaviour, surface integrity, and mould longevity across all variants during repeated injection cycles. Results indicate that structural reinforcement and surface metallization play significant roles in delaying thermal softening and reducing mould distortion, even in the absence of active cooling. The findings provide insights into the viability of low-cost, rapidly manufactured moulds for small-batch production and guide designers in selecting appropriate reinforcement strategies for elevated-temperature injection moulding processes.},
        keywords = {PTEG, 3D mould,moulding,injection moulding},
        month = {December},
        }

Cite This Article

Jamdade, A., & Mahajan, H., & jagtap, O., & Haridas, S., & gouraj, S., & Bhagat, D. R., & dravid, P. S. (2025). Feasibility Study of Additively Manufactured PETG Injection Moulds: Comparative Evaluation of Non-Plated, Plated, and Metal-Cased Variants Without Cooling Assistance. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(7), 6076–6084.

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