Phase structure development as preheating UHMWPE powder temperature changes in the micro-UPM process.

In this study, using high-speed mechanical drilling on printed circuit boards (PCBs) with two micro carbide drill bits with diameters of 0.15 mm and 0.20 mm, two different PCB micro-cylinder array inserts are fabricated using the micro-ultrasonic powder moulding (micro-UPM) process. According to the temperature curves recorded by a measurement module, when viscoelastic heating dominated, the temperature increasing rate was about three times the rate when interfacial friction heating dominated. From the differential scanning calorimetry and nanoindentation test results, if the ultra-high molecule weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) powder was not preheated, then the micro-cylinder array polymer parts generally consisted of nascent and melt-recrystallised phases as a whole. However, when the micro-cavity and compressed UHMWPE powder grew from room temperature of 28 °C to 85 °C, the two-phase structure gradually developed into a single melt-recrystallised phase. According to single-crystal x-ray diffraction test results, the crystallinity of the base region of the micro-UPM cylinder array part is higher than that of the micro-cylinder region, whereas the grain size of the (1 1 0) crystal surface is larger than that of the (2 0 0) crystal surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]