Westminster Tool, Mantle Develop Case Study for Medical Devices

Westminster Tool has partnered with Mantle Inc. and Foster Corp. to develop a case study for the medical device industry. The project set out to create medical-grade forceps while testing the design, material, manufacturing and injection molding process with metal 3D-printed cavities.

The case study is one of several that Westminster Tool is using to explore metal additive applications in the moldmaking industry. Since 2019, Westminster Tool and Mantle have worked together on exploring opportunities for additive.

Using Foster’s latest polymer from Arkema, Westminster Tool worked with Mantle to design and produce metal 3D-printed cavities for research and development. Westminster Tool and Foster got together in December of 2021 to discuss Foster’s supply of the new material, known commercially as Rilsan FKZM 65 O TD MED, a glass-filled, advanced bio-based polymer designed for medical devices.

Foster CEO Larry Acquarulo and Westminster Tool President Ray Coombs discussed running the material with Mantle printed cavities. “The idea is that we could create a production-environment prototype tool quickly, and Foster would get real-world medical device examples for potential customers,” says Eddie Graff, manufacturing engineer at Westminster Tool. Graff worked with engineers at both Mantle and Foster to see the project through to completion.

By using Mantle to print the cavities, and with minor post-processing such as grinding, milling, and EDM, Westminster Tool was able to kick off FOT molding in 3 weeks. The printing of the cavities alone – both sides being printed simultaneously – took roughly 86 hours.

Westminster Tool will reveal the results from the case study at the upcoming Plastics Technology Expo (PTXPO) in Rosemont, Illinois, on Wednesday, March 30 during a Tech Talk presentation. Attendees can visit Westminster Tool and Mantle side-by-side at Booth 1317 and 1319, where they can also see the cavities and surgical forceps up close.