TECHNOLOGY | PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Right: Carbon has recently been involved with Vitamix to create a micro-fluidic nozzle at mass scale that is ten times more durable, uses 30% less material and is 33% more economical
with additive manufacturing. Volumes of 100,000-plus parts a year are feasible with materials that have similar properties
Right: A new service from UK injection moulder OGM has been introduced to reduce the lead-time for producing mould tooling by up to 50%
48
to injection moulded parts. The material properties are there, we just need more engineers to spec out for these processes and materials. The OEMs are starting to take advantage of this potential, but there is still a long way to go.” The latest product that Carbon has introduced is MPU-100, a medical-grade resin that can be used in its additive manufacturing machines. The company currently has materials that mimic ABS, TPU, polypropylene and 10% glass-filled polyam- ide that are all being used for production, and others are in development. Future developments will find applications in the automotive, medical, dental and consumer markets, and will focus on the need to produce larger parts and large-scale production volumes. Carbon has recently been involved with Vitamix, in collaboration with The Technology House (TTH), a Carbon Production Partner and leading contract manufacturer, in a project where part design and production were altered to create a micro-fluidic nozzle at mass scale that is ten times more durable, uses 30% less material and is 33% more economical. “Historically, the nozzle was designed to be six different injection moulded pieces, and also needed to be made with durable materials that can withstand high pressures and temperatures, as well as regular exposure to strong cleaning agents like bleach, detergents, and sanitisers,” says Scott Kraemer. “Seeking a simpler and more economical design, Vitamix set their sights on the ambitious goal of manufacturing the six-part nozzle as a single, monolithic part. Carbon’s durable rigid polyurethane (RPU) material, Speed- Cell system (which includes M2 printers and Smart Part Washer), and Digital Light Synthesis
INJECTION WORLD | October 2018
technology enabled them to manufacture complex geometries and channels with excellent surface finish, a critical element due to the high-pressure fluidics performance requirement of the nozzle. As a result, the Carbon-produced part exceeded the quality standards previously achieved through traditional manufacturing, and Vitamix is deploying tens of thousands of these nozzles into stores all over the USA.” A new service from UK injection moulder OGM has been introduced to reduce the lead-time for producing mould tooling by up to 50%. Based on the combination of conventional subtractive machining and the latest additive manufacturing processes, to form a hybrid technology, the new Rapid Production Mould Tools (RPMT) service will help to compress lead-times and enhance still further the quality and finish of most types of mould tool inserts. Mould tool inserts have traditionally been manufactured using conventional CNC machining techniques. The company says that although these produce high quality inserts, the production time, especially for complex tooling, can be lengthy, the ability to create intricate shapes is limited and the costs are relatively high. In an effort to drive down tooling cost, many companies in recent years have outsourced production to the Far East, in the knowledge that there is then a trade-off in even longer lead-times and potential quality issues. Typically, the lead time for a new tool set can be between 12 and 14 weeks. By comparison, the hybrid RPMT technology can
reduce lead times to between four and six weeks. This has been achieved by using standard modular tool components, such as bolsters, blank inserts and ejector sets, which are then CNC machined and drilled to create a substructure with the appropriate cooling channels and fixtures to match the charac- teristics of each injection moulding machine. OGM then uses an advanced direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) system, to build custom designed mould inserts onto the standard tool base. The DMLS technology incorporates an auto-
www.injectionworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81
