3D modelling and simulation of the filling of cavities by viscoelastic polymer in roll embossing process

The aim of this work is to use numerical simulation to describe the flow of a polymer sheet in compression deformed at a constant temperature. This paper reports on an innovative technique for rapid fabrication of polymer micro- components based on a roll embossing process. In this paper, the numerical studies have been conducted using LSDYNA® software to investigate the filling with amorphous polymer by roll embossing for improving the quality and filling rate in micro cavities of well defined shape. The amorphous polymers sheet (Cyclo Olefin Copolymer - COC) was used as the basic material for experimental tests. In this model, one considers a rigid top roller with micro-cavities and a rigid bottom roller with a smooth surface, with both rollers following an elastic and non-shrinking behaviour. Moreover, in the simulations, the amorphous polymer exhibits a viscoelastic or viscoplastic behaviour depending on the experimental conditions.