3D Printed Injection Molds How Companies Are Economically Testing - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

3D Printed Injection Molds

GIL ROBINSON How Companies Are Economically Testing Functional Prototypes with 3DP-IM

THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY

WE ARE

FROM SYSTEMS TO SERVICE

Host

Kim Killoran Marketing Project Manager Stratasys

Presenter

Gil Robinson Senior Application Engineer, Manufacturing Tools Stratasys

Today’s Event

AGENDA: 3D PRINTED INJECTION MOLDS

When are 3D Printed Molds Used? Customer Stories

• Berker
• Arad Group
• Grundfos

Q&A

WHEN ARE 3D PRINTED MOLDS USED?

SECTION ONE

WHICH STAGE?

Part Design

CAD software

Prototype 1

Concept modeling Rapid prototyping Simulation

Prototype 2 Manufacturing

3D Printed Injection Molds

Functional Production grade material Full range tests Mold verification

VIDEO

01:32 Revolutionizing the Injection Molding Process Using 3D Printing http://youtu.be/weiVuCcXbzk

WHICH PLASTICS?

100 200 300 400 500 5 17 100 40 500 100 300 70 Instances of Use

The number of times survey respondents used PolyJet™ molds for this type of plastic.

Minimum Part Yield

The minimum number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool.

Maximum Part Yield

The maximum number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool.

Average Part Yield

The average number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool.

Uses Min. Max. Avg.

Soft / Elastomeric Plastics Standard Plastics

Based on 2014 customer survey (58% response rate)

• Use plastics with molding temperatures

up to 300° C (570° F). Candidates include: PE, PP, PS, ABS, TPE, PA, POM, PC-ABS and glass-filled resins

• Produce mid-sized parts up to 165 cubic

centimeters (10 cubic inches).

• Use up to 200-ton molding machines.

IDEAL CONDITIONS

CUSTOMER STORIES

SECTION TWO

3D Printer: Objet30 Pro™ Industry: Control switches (lighting, motion, HVAC) Need: Quick and inexpensive prototypes for functional testing

Berker

Berker – Part Assembly

Functional tests include:

• Electrostatic discharge test
• Used to determined whether assembly
• f electrical parts will produce a charge
• f electricity.
• Fit tests
• All components of the assembly had to

fit properly. End use materials were necessary to validate tests (PC, ASA, TPU).

Berker - Functional Testing

Berker- 3D Printed Injection Molding Process

Mold Prep and Assembly Printing and Cleaning Process

Berker- 3D Printed Injection Molding Process

Part Assembly Injection Process

3,800

Berker: Benefits

22,350 3 28

Traditional Tooling 3D Printed Tooling Traditional Tooling 3D Printed Tooling

Time (Days) Cost (USD)

“This new flexibility enables us to try out two or three different solutions at the same time to get the best

• result. The confirmed quality of our products

produced using these functional prototypes has accelerated our R&D processes.” Andreas Krause Head of Technical Department & Manufacturing at Berker

3D Printer: Objet260 Connex™ Industry: Water measurement solutions Need: Quick and inexpensive prototypes for functional testing

Arad Group

Part Assembly

Arad Group – Functional Testing

Functional Tests in end use material GRILAMID TR90 (amorphous Nylon):

• Ultrasonic welding
• Gasket assembly design
• Material physical and mechanical properties

It was necessary for the parts to be in the real end-use material and in the end-manufacturing practice for the tests to be successful. Press Holding Fixture Part Assembly Ultrasonic Stack

Arad Group – Functional Testing

Assembly Cross Section 3D Printed Injection Molds

Use of inserts for undercut feature

Arad Group - 3D Printed Injection Molding Process

Arad Group - 3D Printed Injection Molding Process

Injection Process Molded Parts

Machine – 50T Arburg

• Injection temperature – 260° C
• Injection pressure – 880 bar
• Shot size – 38 cubic cm
• Switch-over point – 8.5 cubic cm
• Packing pressure – 200 bar
• Cooling time – 140 sec
• Number of injected parts – 25 Parts

Results of Tests Passed IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) code IP54 for dust and water infiltration. Parts passed translucency test.

2,000

Arad Group: Benefits

10,000 2 42 Traditional Prototype Tooling 3D Printed Tooling Traditional Prototype Tooling 3D Printed Tooling

Time (Days) Cost (USD)

Grundfos

3D Printer: Objet500 Connex3™ Industry: Pump manufacturing Need:

• Production-ready prototypes
• Complex mold design with best

surface finish

Functional test in end-use material - 30% GF Noryl (PPE-PS-GR30):

• Assembly of molded part to pump
• Run pump at various flow rates to assess

damage to molded part

Grundfos: Pump Test

Injection molded part inside PolyJet mold. Side view of part with mold and sprue. Final part produced from the PolyJet mold.

Machine: Engel 200T

• Clamp force – 500 KN
• Injection temperature – 270° C
• Injection Pressure – 500 bar
• Shot Size – 330 cubic cm
• Switch-over point – 51.1 cubic cm
• Packing pressure – 50 bar
• Cooling time – 110 sec
• Number of injected parts – 20 Parts

Grundfos - Benefits

Cost Savings

Grundfos saved 50% over traditional aluminum prototype tooling.

50%

Time Savings

Grundfos saved 70% in lead time compared to traditional aluminum tools.

70%

Grundfos - Use of Inserts

Parts after injection process. Mold design with inserts.

Inserts were used to mold complex features that would be costly to mold using traditional molding techniques.

• Inner threads
• Outer threads
• Side holes
• Undercuts

Considerations When Molding With Inserts

Design Considerations

• Design inserts with a tolerance gap so

they fit in the mold without post- processing.

• 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) with draft
• 0.1 mm (0.004 in.) without draft

Printing Considerations

• Make sure all surfaces that come in

contact with molten plastic are printed in glossy mode. Injection Consideration

• Manual ejection of inserts from molded

part

Other Uses of Inserts

Reasons for using 3D printed inserts Venting

• Air traps may cause unfilled parts and inserts can

help release air in areas beneath the parting line.

Mold longevity

• Fragile features can be designed as inserts in the
• mold. These inserts can be replaced with minimal

costs to achieve higher yield.

Testing Multiple Designs

• Print multiple designs for a particular feature and

insert each in metal mold.

Air Air Air Air

Summary

www.stratasys.com/webinar-injectionmolds

• Download webinar and application documents
• View webinar on-demand
• Contact us

More Information and Resources

www.stratasys.com/webinar-injectionmolds

Questions?

THANK YOU

Gil Robinson Senior Application Engineer Manufacturing Tools, VBU Rehovot, Israel Gil.Robinson@stratasys.com