Velo3D white paper: How metal 3D printing is transforming mold manufacturing

With additive manufacturing (AM) Moving from small batches to large-scale production, speculation is growing on the application of additive manufacturing to large-scale production. This is even more important given the potential of metal additive manufacturing to simplify the process of manufacturing complex components for heavy industry. Although the performance of some existing metal AM systems remains fragmented, making standardization difficult, recent years have seen a significant increase in the development of standards for metal materials for AM.

2023Year6moon1day,Mohou.com has learned that,A company dedicated to the commercialization of additive manufacturingVELO3DA recently published white paper explains how additive manufacturing can have a real impact on the automotive tooling industry, by indirectly entering the mass production market.

Whitepaper download link:https://velo3d.com/white_papers/how-additive-manufacturing-is-transforming-tooling/?&utm_source=3dprint.com&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=ref-2023-04-01-tooling_and_automotive-abm。

Bike3D The published white paper focuses on the die-cast insert industry, an area particularly suited to metal additive manufacturing. described in the white paper Bike3D ‘s fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution, detailing how to optimize it to meet the challenges of printing die-cast metal inserts. For example: optimizing the die casting process in mass production of automobiles by harmonizing metal additive manufacturing with traditional manufacturing methods.

△Bike3Dsapphire XC printer

This article is titledThe central theme “Supporting traditional manufacturing with additive manufacturing” is mentioned in the white paper “How additive manufacturing is changing tools”.3D Printing is increasingly being used for this purpose, particularly in sectors such as aerospace, energy and automotive. By using additive manufacturing to produce tool components, manufacturing operations can both accelerate the production of final parts and achieve design and performance characteristics not possible with traditional methods.

The die casting process involves pouring molten metal into two tightly coupled molds and waiting for the metal to cool completely before being unmolded. When the part cools and solidifies, the pin is removed and the finished product is removed. Among them, complete cooling of the metal is the key to the whole process. To achieve the speed required for mass production, die-cast inserts are widely used. The cooling channel is part of the structural design of the die-cast insert. Coolant is injected into it to accelerate the cooling and solidification of the molten metal.

Since the metal can only be removed after each part of the part has solidified, the parts that cool last delay the entire operation. according toBike3D Waiting for die-cast inserts to cool is reported to account for approximately 30% of the time required to manufacture die-cast parts. 70%. Well, this is clearly the step to target to speed up the production process, and the benefits at this step will impact the overall cost, which is why cooling channel optimization is so important .

△The dispenser has conformal cooling channels that can contact hot surfaces to accelerate cooling.

However, there is a strict limit to what traditional manufacturing methods can do in this regard. Traditional cooling channels are generally 90 Crossed straight lines are drilled into the mold. This limits the coolant flow geometry and tends to create crack initiation points at intersections.

Metal additive manufacturing solves two problems: cooling channels can be printed into the die-cast insert structure, which can then be added to larger mold repair areas, and long cooling times can cause coolant to each part of the mold. Cooling channels can be designed to perfectly fit the internal structure of the part, delivering coolant to each area of ​​the part. These are called conformal cooling channels and are one of the major success stories of additive manufacturing in end-use parts. At the same time, not all metal additive manufacturing platforms are up to the task. Depend onBike3DPowered by an integrated proprietary software platform developed by the company Sapphire XCA printing system is the ideal machine for this job.

Source: 3D Printing Network