Video: Additive Manufacturing Offers a Tooling Alternative
3D printing can offer a cost-effective alternative to conventionally produced tooling for those processes that depend on it.
.jpg;width=70;height=70;mode=crop;format=webp)
Many manufacturing processes depend on tooling, but procuring molds, forms, cores and other tools is a time-consuming and costly step. Additive manufacturing offers a more direct path to tooling. Learn more in the video above and find our recent reporting on 3D printed tooling in this collection.
Transcript
So many manufacturing processes depend on tooling — injection molding, casting, thermoforming — but getting the tooling is often the most time-consuming and costly part of the process.
Additive manufacturing offers an alternative. 3D printing can allow us to make tools faster and more flexibly. You can go through multiple design iterations in the same amount of time that it would take to have one tool manufactured conventionally.
3D printing also makes it easier to add customization or to incorporate innovative features like conformal cooling channels.
3D printed tools can perform better in operation, and they can also help us make better parts.
3D Printed Tooling
3D printing makes it possible to manufacture molds, layup forms, jigs, fixtures, check gages, workholding, robot end effectors, hand tools and more. 3D printed tools can be manufactured at low cost for specific users and applications and changed as needed. Tools that are no longer needed can be discarded but stored as digital inventory for the next time that tool might be required. Stories about 3D printed tooling
Related Content
-
How Machining Makes AM Successful for Innovative 3D Manufacturing
Connections between metal 3D printing and CNC machining serve the Indiana manufacturer in many ways. One connection is customer conversations that resemble a machining job shop. Here is a look at a small company that has advanced quickly to become a thriving additive manufacturing part producer.
-
Looking to Secure the Supply Chain for Castings? Don't Overlook 3D Printed Sand Cores and Molds
Concerns about casting lead times and costs have many OEMs looking to 3D print parts directly in metal. But don’t overlook the advantages of 3D printed sand cores and molds applied for conventional metal casting, says Humtown leader.
-
Foundry Lab: How Casting in a Day Will Improve the Design of Metal Parts (Includes Video)
The company’s digital casting process uses 3D printing, but the result is a cast part. By providing a casting faster than a foundry, the company says effective prototyping is now possible for cast parts, as well as bridge production.
