Review on micro molding of thermoplastic polymers

Molding of micro components from thermoplastic polymers has become a routinely used industrial production process. This paper describes both the more than 30-year-old history and the present state of development and applications. Hot embossing, injection molding, reaction injection molding, injection compression molding, thermoforming, and various types of tool fabrication are introduced and their advantages and drawbacks are discussed. In addition, design considerations, process limitations, and commercially available micro molding machines are presented.