Stratasys showcases new 3D Printing solutions for composite tooling

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2016-05-27 15:47:00

Stratasys is presenting new 3D printing solutions for composite tooling at SAMPE 2016 this week in Long Beach, CA – introducing composites manufacturers to new operational efficiencies, greater design freedom and faster time to market.
3D printed sacrificial tooling, or more specifically 3D printed molds and mandrels, enable manufacturers to rapidly and cost-effectively create complex composite parts with geometries that would normally trap the tool. To further improve the process, Stratasys is introducing an innovative sacrificial tooling solution. It features Stratasys’ new ST-130 material along with alternative fill patterns (patent pending) designed for faster dissolution, rapid build speed, and greatly improved tool quality and autoclave performance.
“Stratasys 3D printed composite tools allow us to develop the same types of products much faster without compromising quality or performance of the part,” explained Rick Heise, President, Swift Engineering.
Traditional manufacturing methods for high-performance, polymer matrix composite structures require the use of hard tooling for the mold or mandrel that dictates the final part shape. Whether made from metal or specialty non-metallic materials, fabricating this tooling requires significant labor and machining resources – leading to high costs, waste, and long lead times sometimes stretching into many months for more complex tools.
In contrast, Stratasys 3D printed composite tooling using ULTEM™ 1010 enables manufacturers to produce high temperature (>350°F), autoclave cured composite structures in a fraction of the of time need for traditional tooling, while also achieving cost savings. At SAMPE 2016, Stratasys will be hosting representatives from Dassault Falcon Jet at the Stratasys booth (location I32) to showcase and display their Stratasys 3D printed tooling design solutions.
To immediately capitalize on these advantages, Stratasys is launching a comprehensive Design Guide at SAMPE that will provide essential data and guidance for 3D printed composite tooling. Tim Schniepp, Composite Tooling Director, Stratasys will present an overview of the Guide at SAMPE with a technical paper entitled “Design Guide Development for Additive Manufacturing of Composite Tooling” on Thursday, May 26 at 10am, room 102 B.
“We developed the Design Guide to provide our customers with the ability to immediately realize the time and cost-saving benefits of FDM-based 3D printed composite tooling without the effort and expense required to develop the knowledge independently. This allows Stratasys users to better leverage their time and resources in addressing their manufacturing challenges,” said Tim Schniepp, Composite Tooling Director at Stratasys.
Producing the large composite parts and associated tooling typically used in aerospace, automotive and other demanding applications can take several weeks to many months for fabrication.
To reduce production time and costs, Stratasys has developed the Fortus 900mc Acceleration Kit. This new solution allows very large tools to be produced up to three times faster in ASA and ULTEM 1010 materials.

http://blog.stratasys.com/2016/05/23/composite-tooling-3d-printing/

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