Transformative Tooling Through Additive Manufacturing

We’ve written at length about various ways that machine shops, moldmakers and OEMs use 3D printing to produce tooling such as assembly fixtures, mold cores/cavities, workholding devices and more. In fact, there are sections of our website dedicated to mold tooling and industrial tooling applications.

But are there other manufacturing sectors and industries utilizing 3D-printed tooling with success? Without a doubt, yes.

The May issue of Additive Manufacturing magazine looks at the ways 3D-printed tooling is transforming industries that might not be obvious users of the technology. For example, the precast concrete industry. The cover story of this issue explores how Gate Precast has found success in using large 3D-printed forms to pour hundreds of concrete windows to be installed on a skyscraper in New York City. The forms, made from carbon fiber-filled ABS via Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM), are proving to be more durable than the wooden forms typically used for architectural precast concrete.

Another manufacturing sector that can benefit from 3D-printed tooling is physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating. PMT Shielding Solutions is producing tools for the PVD process with its two 3D printers, tools that reduce both the assembly time and manual labor involved in masking off portions of the parts to ensure that only the correct areas receive the coating.

Yet another example comes from the metalforming sector, which typically relies on costly and time-consuming machined punches and dies for custom press-brake work. A case study from Centerline Engineered Solutions shows that it’s possible to 3D print press brake tooling in a matter of days at much lower cost.

Also in this issue, find stories about new and emerging technologies for building solid metal parts in minutes and producing polymer parts at speeds like injection molding; how gas flow affects builds in powder bed-based metal additive manufacturing processes; and one university’s answer to the additive manufacturing skills gap.