Mold design and simulation of polymer miniplate and screw implant in the micro injection molding

The usage of bone plates has been used in the medical field since 1945. Maxillofacial bone implants have long utilized titanium and stainless steel. However, several studies showed that the removal of metal-based implants might cause stress shielding to the local bone. Moreover, in the case of pediatric use, it has been found that biodegradable polymers are more appropriate. This research is the start of the process to produce a maxillofacial miniplate and screw from a biodegradable polymer material. It will investigate the development of an injection mold cavity to produce a maxillofacial plate and screw from a biodegradable polymer. in this report, the polymer that is used is polylactic acid. The model of the product was achieved using the existing model in the market. Here, a design methodology produced a mold cavity was introduced to realize a mold capable of delivering molten material into the product cavity for injection molding purposes. This is shown by the consistent fill rate under the proposed mold cavity configurations. The mold needs to be carefully designed to make the most efficient use of the material. Therefore, it is important to explain the flow simulation of the polymer as injected into the mold cavity. The flow simulation will be conducted utilizing the Moldex3D CAE software. Ultimately, the result will be used as a consideration for the mold cavity fabrication.