The Role of 3D Printed Molds in the Injection Molding Industry.

[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”reg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]SLA (Stereo lithography) and Material Jetting (an example being Polyjet from Strategy’s) gives companies the ability tobuild injection molds in-house, quickly and easily. A typical Molding process with Material Jetting 3D printers would be as follows: The printer creates 3D objects by positioningsuccessive layers of liquid photopolymer intodesired configurations. The plastic is then cured(solidified) with UV light. Once fully cured, moldscan immediately be placed into Injection Molding equipment and used to create prototypes from the same materialthat is specified for use in the final product. Theseprecision prototypes give manufacturers the abilityto create realistic, finished-product examplesthat can then be used to gather true-to-life,performance data.

The injection molds created with this process are not intended to bereplacements for soft or hard tools, which are used in mid, and high volume production. Rather, they areintended to fill the gap between soft tool moldsand 3D printed prototypes.

3D Printing vs Injection Molding
3D printing and injection molding aren’t really competing technologies so much as they are complimentary. Both can theoretically be used for manufacturing and both can technically be used for rapid prototype generation. Although the trend for additive manufacturing processes (different types of 3D printing) is growing, most serious manufacturing is done with injection molding equipment while in most cases the 3D printer is a much more effective tool for rapid prototype development.

Injection Molding Machine[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Machine
If you want to read a blog specifically about 3D printing read here. If you want to read specifically about injection molding read here. Otherwise, here’s a quick comparison between the two technologies:[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]So what’s the difference between injection molding and 3D printing? The two processes are entirely different. In injection molding you are melting a molten material and injecting it into a large pre-designed cavity inside a steel tool (think of a steel box with an internal shape that matches the skeleton of your part). Injection molding machines are designed to keep the plastic melted while en route to the tool cavity and then to rapidly cool it once injected so that another round (cycle) can be accomplished.

There are different types of 3D printing that you can read about below, however, the most common type, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) also works by melting plastic. The difference between FDM and injection molding is that the molten plastic in an FDM machine is added one drop at a time in succession. The FDM machine follows inputs from a computer design file and essentially “prints” the part layer upon layer.

What about time? As you might imagine, the printing process for a single part takes significantly longer than a single injection molding cycle. A complex 3D printed part might take several hours to print where an injection molding cycle can be reduced to several seconds depending on the complexity of the part.

What about cost? The tradeoff with injection molding is that an entry level injection molded part is going to be significantly more expensive to produce than it would be in a 3D printer. When developing a product you first need to design the prototype part itself. This is the first and last step in 3D printing. After you have the prototype design you essentially just press “print” and out comes your part a several minutes to hours later depending on complexity. In injection molding that is just the first step. The next step is designing an injection mold tool (typically out of aluminum or steel). This is much more expensive. After that you need to order the actual injection molding cycle.

Ever wonder what the future holds in the world of manufacturing? Well one thing is for sure, 3D printing technology is advancing rapidly. There are a number of different types of 3D printers on the market. Amongst the most common types is the bread-and-butter tool at Creative Mechanisms, the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machine. FDM is typically used for printing plastic parts. It works by melting a plastic filament that is fed through a heated nozzle. Molten drops of plastic are added one-at-a-time to build the prototype part.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[/ihc-hide-content]