3D Printed Injection Molds How Companies Are Economically Testing Functional Prototypes with 3DP-IM GIL ROBINSON 1 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
WE ARE THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY 2
FROM SYSTEMS TO SERVICE 3
Today s Event Host Kim Killoran Marketing Project Manager Stratasys Presenter Gil Robinson Senior Application Engineer, Manufacturing Tools Stratasys 4 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
AGENDA: 3D PRINTED INJECTION MOLDS When are 3D Printed Molds Used? Customer Stories Berker Arad Group Grundfos Q&A
SECTION ONE WHEN ARE 3D PRINTED MOLDS USED? 6
WHICH STAGE? Part Design Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Manufacturing CAD software Concept modeling Rapid prototyping Simulation 3D Printed Injection Molds Functional Production grade material Full range tests Mold verification 7 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
VIDEO 01:32 Revolutionizing the Injection Molding Process Using 3D Printing http://youtu.be/weivuccxbzk 8 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
WHICH PLASTICS? 500 Based on 2014 customer survey (58% response rate) 500 400 300 300 200 100 100 5 17 40 100 70 0 Soft / Elastomeric Plastics Standard Plastics Uses Min. Max. Avg. Instances of Use Minimum Part Yield Maximum Part Yield Average Part Yield The number of times survey respondents used PolyJet molds for this type of plastic. The minimum number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool. The maximum number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool. The average number of parts survey respondents reported producing per tool. 9 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
IDEAL CONDITIONS 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. 10
SECTION TWO CUSTOMER STORIES 11
Berker 3D Printer: Objet30 Pro Industry: Control switches (lighting, motion, HVAC) Need: Quick and inexpensive prototypes for functional testing 12 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Berker Part Assembly 13 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Berker - Functional Testing Functional tests include: Electrostatic discharge test Used to determined whether assembly of electrical parts will produce a charge of electricity. Fit tests All components of the assembly had to fit properly. End use materials were necessary to validate tests (PC, ASA, TPU). 14 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Berker- 3D Printed Injection Molding Process Printing and Cleaning Process 15 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY Mold Prep and Assembly
Berker- 3D Printed Injection Molding Process Injection Process Part Assembly 16 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Berker: Benefits Time (Days) Traditional Tooling 28 3D Printed Tooling 3 Cost (USD) Traditional Tooling 22,350 3D Printed Tooling 3,800 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. 17 Andreas Krause Head of Technical Department & Manufacturing at Berker
Arad Group 3D Printer: Objet260 Connex Industry: Water measurement solutions Need: Quick and inexpensive prototypes for functional testing 18 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Arad Group Functional Testing Part Assembly 19 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Arad Group Functional Testing Press Ultrasonic Stack Part Assembly 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. Holding Fixture 20 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Arad Group - 3D Printed Injection Molding Process Assembly Cross Section 3D Printed Injection Molds Use of inserts for undercut feature 21 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
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. 22 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Arad Group: Benefits Time (Days) Traditional Prototype Tooling 42 3D Printed Tooling 2 Cost (USD) Traditional Prototype Tooling 10,000 3D Printed Tooling 2,000 23
Grundfos 3D Printer: Objet500 Connex3 Industry: Pump manufacturing Need: Production-ready prototypes Complex mold design with best surface finish 24 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Grundfos: Pump Test 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 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 Injection molded part inside PolyJet mold. Side view of part with mold and sprue. Final part produced from the PolyJet mold. 25 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Grundfos - Benefits 50% Cost Savings Grundfos saved 50% over traditional aluminum prototype tooling. 70% Time Savings Grundfos saved 70% in lead time compared to traditional aluminum tools. 26
Grundfos - Use of Inserts Mold design with inserts. Parts after injection process. Inserts were used to mold complex features that would be costly to mold using traditional molding techniques. Inner threads Outer threads Side holes Undercuts 27 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
Considerations When Molding With Inserts Design Considerations Design inserts with a tolerance gap so they fit in the mold without postprocessing. 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 28 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
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 29 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
30 Summary
More Information and Resources www.stratasys.com/webinar-injectionmolds Download webinar and application documents View webinar on-demand Contact us 31
www.stratasys.com/webinar-injectionmolds Questions? 32 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY
THANK YOU Gil Robinson Senior Application Engineer Manufacturing Tools, VBU Rehovot, Israel Gil.Robinson@stratasys.com 33 STRATASYS / THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY