Study on injection molding analysis of glasses-type wearable device for facial skin care

BACKGROUND: With the improvement in the standard of living, there has been increasing interest in facial skin care. In particular, it has been observed that people pay extra attention to eye-skin when they visit skin care parlors for special treatment and care. OBJECTIVE: There is a need for skin care devices that would enable convenient skin care anywhere, including at home and on the move. In this research, we developed a prototype of a glasses-type skin care device with a LED (Light-Emitting Diode) irradiation function and performed injection molding analysis of the skin care device model for mass production. METHODS: First, the product was designed using a universal design to improve the wearability of the glasses-type skin care device. The first prototype of the skin care device was produced using an integrated LED optical module capable of irradiating at three LED wavelengths to investigate the structural function of the product. The prototype was classified into three mechanisms and injection molding analysis was performed. The fill time, temperature at flow front, injection pressure, clamp force, and deflection values were analyzed according to the appropriate number and location of gates into which the PC + PBT (Polycarbonate + Polybutylene terephthalate) resin was introduced. RESULTS: We found that all the other parts except the temple section of the device were inferior in moldability. CONCLUSION: In further studies, the 3D prototype will be modified to enhance moldability, and injection molding analysis with other materials as well as with PC + PBT resin will be performed.