Prototype and low volume thermoforming tooling
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Prototype and Low Volume Thermoforming Tooling Where 3D printing fits in
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Transcript of Prototype and low volume thermoforming tooling
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Prototype and Low Volume Thermoforming ToolingWhere 3D printing fits in
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Barbara Arnold-Feret
Manufacturing manager/GM in plastics and production facilities, product manager, AEGraduate of the University of Missouri KCPi Sigma Alpha Honor SocietySociety of Plastics Engineers2x Chair of the PD3 DivisionIntl Executive Board of Directors 2005-2009Honored Service MemberPresidents CupMold Designer of the Year 2012Various other awardsSociety of Manufacturing EngineersPast Chair of Plastics, Composites and Coatings Technical GroupPast New Technology committeeVarious other committeesOver 42 papers and articles
Barbara Arnold-Feret
Over 30 years in manufacturing in both metals and plastics
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Over 17 years in business!
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Thermoforming
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Thermoforming
SemiFlex shoulder/knee array (MRI coil) with cast urethane component (blue)
Source:http://www.creativeformplastics.com/Thermoforming.html
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Where Can Stratasys help
SemiFlex shoulder/knee array (MRI coil) with cast urethane component (blue)
Form Blocks
Plug assist
Trim Tools
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Other Thermoforming Tooling examples
Any many other tooling/molds for thermoforming.
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Processing Parts
SemiFlex shoulder/knee array (MRI coil) with cast urethane component (blue)
Create a dense toolMultiple contours
Improve surface finishSmaller rastersNegative air gap
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Processing Parts
SemiFlex shoulder/knee array (MRI coil) with cast urethane component (blue)
Create a Sparse tool
Improve surface finishSmaller rastersNegative air gap
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Cost comparisonMethodCostTimeWood$10007 daysAlum cast tools$700014 daysFiber Layup$5804 daysFDM$3802 daysSAVINGS$200 (34% on lowest cost method)50% (on shortest alternative method)
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Materials used
SemiFlex shoulder/knee array (MRI coil) with cast urethane component (blue)
ABS-M303,000 PSI
PC6,000 PSI
Ultem10,000 PSI
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PolyJet for Thermoforming Toolingrequire little to no post processing well suited for molds with organic and curvy surfaces. air channels can easily be designed into critical areas of the mold prior to printing, eliminating the labor and potential inconsistency of manual drilling.dABS material holds up well to the rigors of molding.small parts easily used with thin guage and table forming machines.Recommended for intricate parts done in thin sheet or for when optical clarity is needed.Occasional air cooling with shop air is suggested.Upper surfaces should be built with gloss surface when possible.
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Sparse style
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Design considerationsBest practice is to use a minimum draft angle of 1-3 and a draft angle of 5 or more. Undercuts can be successfully vacuum formed depending on your part geometry and material thickness. Webbing can be mimimized by use of more draft.Shrinkage rates depend on material and thickness, but usually range between 0.4% and 0.8%. You can scale for shrink in the mold design. Avoid sharp corners Radius at least the thickness of the sheet.Design vac assist lines to pull in female molds and in critical areas and recesses of male molds. Smaller diameter holes will be less noticeable on the surface of the formed parts. FDM molds may need to be sanded to smooth the surface if the surface is solid build. Start with 120 grit sand paper and use successively finer grits as sanding progresses..
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3D printed molds for ThermoformingShorter life compared to metal tooling.Faster production, easier to do different designs, digital inventory.Custom vac assist lines and porosityCustomer surfacesSize may mean segmenting tooling and then joining togetherBest suited for complex and custom shapesUse standard backing boards to save costsLower heat transfer ratios may mean that extended cooling time is needed between cycles.CAD is required prior to tool production.
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Industries
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Questions?
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