Improving the injection molding of small optical elements by integrating reverse engineering and mold flow analysis

Small optical lenses are usually manufactured by injection molding. The high quality requirement on injection lenses, however, requires a precise control of the mold accuracy as well as the injection process. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive error study of the injection molding for optical elements by combining the techniques of reverse engineering and mold flow analysis. Reverse engineering is employed to identify the source of errors, and hence provide guidelines for the modification of the mold; Mold flow analysis is employed to construct a parametric study of the injection process, and hence improve the quality of injection parts. Real molds are designed and manufactured, and injection molding is implemented to verify the feasibility of the simulation. The advantages of the proposed method by integrating reverse engineering and mold flow analysis for improving the injection process are discussed too.