Technology Roundup: Additive Manufacturing, Mold Materials

Powder Bed Fusion Printer Creates Molds with Increasingly Complex Geometries

Photo Credit: AddUp Inc.

AddUp Inc.’s FormUp 350 New Generation powder bed fusion (PBF) machine can reportedly create molds with increasingly complex geometries with internal passages that cannot be achieved with conventional manufacturing processes. The FormUp 350 enables the use of very fine powders (5-25 μm), which when coupled with a roller recoating system, provides users with a support-free production of cantilevered parts down to 10º, and achieves surface finishes of sub-10 μm arithmetic roughness (Ra).

According to AddUp, the FormUp 350 also offers an autonomous powder module that provides all the functions of powder management. It provides a constant supply of powder, without interrupting production, regardless of the quantities to be produced.

3D-Printed Tooling Platform Ramps Up Injection Molding Tooling Capabilities

Photo Credit: Addifab, Nexa3D

Nexa3D and Addifab have teamed up to provide faster, cheaper and greener injection mold tooling via a novel 3D-printed injection mold tooling platform. Through this collaboration, Nexa3D will supply its NXE 400 system, including the industrial 3D printer as well as wash and cure units, to users of FIM, while Addifab will supply its proprietary tooling resins and post-processing equipment.

Additive Manufacturing Powder Characterized by High Resistance, Toughness

With a limited number of commercial alloys available for additive manufacturing (AM) Edro Engineering and Specialty Steels, an exclusive U.S. distributor for Böhler, highlights the patented Böhler W360 Ampo powder, developed from W360 Isobloc tool steel. W360 Ampo is said to combine high hardness, optimized toughness and the highest wear resistance.

Photo Credit: Böhler, Edro Engineering

Böhler W360 Ampo is the powder equivalent of the W360 Isobloc. Due to its chemical composition, the material belongs to the product group of hot-work tool steels. After hardening and tempering, it can achieve a hardness of up to 57 HRC with very good toughness properties. Its high temperature wear resistance, heat resistance and toughness characterizes the material.

Mold in a Day Technology Slashes Tool Production, Eliminates Supply Chain Headache

Photo Credit: Next Chapter Manufacturing

Next Chapter Manufacturing’s transformative “Mold in a Day” (MIAD) technology accelerates the injection molding process, meeting the challenge of supply chain disruptions.

Unlike other molds, MIAD is treated with a proprietary coating that reportedly offers up to 10 times the durability and longevity of other 3D-printed molds. As a result, difficult-to-use resins like filled resins, PBT, POM, PEEK, Ultem and engineered resins can be used to produce an average of 2,000 parts off one set of inserts.

CAM Software Enables Hybrid and Additive Manufacturing in One Process

Photo Credit: Open Mind Technologies

Open Mind Technologies offers an Additive Manufacturing capability option in its hyperMILL CAM software to support 3D printing/additive processes. This feature provides efficient hybrid processing with additive and subtractive processing, including material deposition, on one machine.

For highly complex five-axis simultaneous processing, Open Mind says hyperMILL Additive Manufacturing enables an array of flexible options for any directed energy deposition (DED) process — useful for repair or rework molds or tolling — such as wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), laser powder, laser hot-wire and electro-beam hot-wire and more. 

End-to-End Conformal Cooling Design, Production for Faster Cycle Times, Boosted Part Quality

Photo Credit: Cimatron

Cooling is a critical process for plastic injection molds, affecting both cycle time and final part quality, Cimatron notes, but is especially challenging for complex parts when using traditional drilling and milling methods. To avoid longer cycle times, warpage and sink marks on the part, the company presents its intelligent conformal cooling channel design for faster cycle times, better part quality and a more efficient cooling process.

Cimatron’s end-to-end solution reportedly enables moldmakers to detect areas that would benefit from conformal cooling channels, from using its dedicated toolset to design the mold with an optimal combination of conventional and conformal cooling channels, to preparing the mold component for 3D printing and post-processing. Cimatron’s conformal cooling solution is also available as a standalone seat that can work alongside other mold design systems.

New Metal 3D Printing System Accelerates Mold Insert Production

Mantle’s new metal 3D printer can reportedly produce precision metal mold inserts from a CAD file in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional manufacturing, without requiring programming. These tool steel inserts can be used for prototype tooling, production tooling and conformal cooling applications. The technology combines additive 3D printing of metal pastes with subtractive machining to meet the requirements of the tooling industry.

Lights-Out Metal 3D Printer Minimizes EDM Needs for Moldmakers

Matsuura’s metal 3D printing LUMEX series is a lights-out manufacturing system that the company says provides significant time savings in the production of high-volume mold components, enabling conformal cooling and integrated porous venting while minimizing the need for traditional EDM processes when properly implemented.

In addition, Matsuura says its machine can lower a customer’s capital equipment investments for tooling and molding machines while reducing mold cavitation requirements and accelerating return on investment (ROI).

3D Metal Printing Adoption Enables Rapid Design Changes, Internal Feature Inclusion, Quality Components

Photo Credit: Xact Metal

Xact Metal says its 3D metal printing process offers high value to moldmaking and tooling applications, such as the design of injection mold tooling inserts. Rapid design changes are quickly incorporated by simply converting from a CAD file to the 3D metal printer build file, the company says; new inserts are often printed in less than 24 hours. In addition, the printed insert is said to only uses the metal volume required, virtually eliminating scrap metal, and the 3D metal printer can be left unattended during the printing process, ensuring cost savings.

Mold Materials

Micro-Milled Steel Plate Cuts Mold Build Times by 10-15%

Photo Credit: Steel 21

Steel 21 is an A36 and 4140 steel plate manufacturer located in Cedar Springs, Michigan offering “ground” plate steel that holds tolerances that are said to be three times flatter and five times smoother with the company’s patented “21 Micro Milling” process. Moreover, as a result, Steel 21 says customer build times by 10-15%.

Tighter tolerances, improved surface quality and speed of processing, are all features Steel 21 emphasizes at its company. Hot-roll steel, pin plates, clamp plates, ejector plates, manifolds and rails are all additional products offered.

Modified Composition Enhances Stainless Steel Capabilities

Photo Credit: Edro Engineering

Edro, an exclusive U.S. distributor for Böhler, introduces the company’s newly developed M333 Isoplast stainless steel. Manufactured via a new melting technology, M333 offers moldmakers what is said to be best-in-class polishability, enhanced thermal conductivity, optimized toughness and exceptional corrosion resistance.

According to Edro, testing has shown M333 Isoplast to exhibit up to four times the toughness levels seen in 420 stainless steel and almost matching the toughness of H13. This enables molds to have the benefits of stainless steel without the risk of cracking.

Corrosion-Resistant, High-Hardness Mold Steel for Optimal Surface Finishes

Photo Credit: Uddeholm

Uddeholm’s Tyrax ESR is a premium corrosion-resistant and high-hardness (up to 58 HRC) mold steel. It offers excellent polishability, the company says, making it the obvious choice for applications where surface finish is of the highest importance. Moreover, a high-gloss surface finish can be achieved in three polishing steps compared to five steps for AISI 420 ESR, reducing overall polishing time by 40-50%. Uddeholm Tyrax ESR is reported to be a suitable upgrade from AISI 420 ESR, AISI S7 and AISI 440C.

Pre-Hardened Mold Steel Material Increases Through-Hardened Ability

Photo Credit: Finkl Steel

Finkl Steel, patented pre-hardened mold steel grade, MD Xtra, is said to achieve high impact strength, enhanced thermal conductivity and is an exceptional solution for deep cavity applications.

According to Finkl Steel, MD Xtra has proven through-hardenability on molds up to 45" thick, with hardness loss from surface to the core of roughly 3 HRC points. The material has been specifically engineered to support laser hardening, chrome plating, nitriding, texturing and has excellent weldability. One of the added benefits, says the company, is that customers will not need to change the weld material from what is being used on standard MD material. According to the company, MD Extra is currently used in molds that require high wear-ability, including glass-filled parts.

Corrosion-Resistant, Highly Machinable Tool Steel

Photo Credit: Swiss Steel Group

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (DEW), a plastic mold steel producer and member of Swiss Steel Group, highlights Opticut, a tool steel that combines improved machinability with optimized corrosion resistance. DEW says these features are paramount, as corrosion-resistant stainless steel is not only required for molds, but is also essential for mold frames, which are typically produced in large machining volumes.

Opticut steels show significant improvements of the homogeneity of the microstructure and distribution of the sulfide inclusions, DEW says. Milling tests revealed an increased productivity compared to conventionally manufactured material, which means improved lifetime of milling inserts even at highest cutting speeds. At the same time, mechanical properties, in particular toughness, were improved, while corrosion resistance was not affected.