Transforming the Tooling Industry with 3D Printed Injection Molds

Injection molding involves injecting a molten material into a mold cavity under high pressure and then allowing it to cool and solidify, resulting in the creation of a finished part with the desired shape and features. Additive manufacturing offers significant advantages for injection molding using conformal cooling and the FormUp 350 is built to maximize those benefits. Using this technology, molds can be created with cooling channels as close as possible to the mold cavity, designed to reduce hot spots and provide better durability. This provides longer tool life and faster cooling times when compared to traditionally manufactured molds. The payback for using additively manufactured molds is quickly realized through reduced production costs, materials saved, and increased cycle time providing maximum productivity.

An extrusion die is a specialized tool used in the process of extrusion, which is a manufacturing process that involves forcing a material through a shaped opening to create a shape. The FormUp 350 uses a roller recoater technology allowing for design complexity while requiring minimum or no supports and achieving a best-in-class surface finish. This maximizes the benefits of conformal cooling for extrusion dies, reducing cooling time to improve cycle time and minimizing stress therefore extending the life of the tool.

Die casting is a manufacturing process used to produce metal parts with intricate shapes, precise dimensions, and fine surface details. It involves injecting molten metal, typically an alloy of aluminum, zinc, or magnesium, under high pressure into a reusable mold called a “die.” The flexibility that additive manufacturing provides works well for die casting applications because it allows for fast prototyping without the time-consuming process typically required in tooling. The FormUp 350 excels at producing intricate and complex geometries often needed for die casting applications.

Pumps are used to transfer fluids from one location to another by increasing the fluid’s pressure and flow rate. Additive manufacturing offers numerous advantages for turbomachinery including design flexibility and improved performance. Some of these applications require complex assemblies which can be consolidated into a single component using AM, reducing overall production costs. AM is also used for these types of applications to optimize internal structures leading to more efficient parts requiring less energy consumption.

A manifold is a component used for industrial applications to distribute, collect, or control the flow of fluids, gases, or other substances. Additive manufacturing allows for lightweight yet strong designs to optimize performance for these applications. AM also enables the integration of functional features directly into the manifold, such as valves, sensors, connectors, and brackets. This reduces the need for additional assembly steps and potential points of failure.

Impellers are rotating components designed to increase or decrease the flow and pressure of a fluid in an engine. They are excellent applications for additive manufacturing thanks to the ability to create highly complex and customized blade designs to improve fluid dynamics, performance and efficiency. Thanks to the FormUp 350’s fine powder and recoater technology, these blades can be created without support structures and superior surface finish. This not only maximizes the performance of the part, but also saves on overall production costs.