The University of Texas System

Balasubramanian Badrinarayan

Joseph Jefferson Beaman, Jr

Harris L Marcus

Richard H Crawford

Joel W Barlow

David L Bourell

Neal K Vail

James R Tobin

A mold useful for injection molding, comprising: a porous network of metal and oxidized metal and a cured epoxy resin dispersed in the porous network. The mold can be prepared by a process comprising the sequential steps of (a) forming a mixture of a metal powder and a polymer binder; (b) heating the mixture at a temperature in the range from about 100.degree. C. to about 300.degree. C. to remove a majority of the polymer binder from the mixture; (c) heating the mixture resulting from step (b) at a temperature greater than about 300.degree. C. and less than the melting point of the metal in the presence of oxygen to oxidize at least a portion of the metal to form a self-adhering porous network of metal and oxidized metal; (d) contacting the self-adhering porous network with an epoxy resin to fill at least a portion of the porous network with epoxy resin; and (e) curing the body resulting from step (d) to form the mold. The shape of the mold can be performed by selective laser sintering of the mixture.

Mold useful for injection molding of plastics, and methods of production

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Balasubramanian Badrinarayan