SLM technology extends to rapid tooling
A
MTT Technologies Group product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jan 22, 2007
SLM technology can now be used for the fast "direct to metal" production of injection moulding tools and inserts.
MCP's SLM technology can now be used for the fast "direct to metal" production of injection moulding tools and inserts, at the same time enabling the easy incorporation of conformal cooling channels to speed up part demoulding times.
Currently the only way of rapidly producing H13 tool steel components, the SLM process uses a laser and CAD data to produce the tools and inserts directly from H13 Tool Steel powder.
The tools are fully dense with a hardness of 56 HRC straight from the machine.
"Not only can hardened tools be produced far more quickly than using standard machining methods", says MCP's Bob Bennett, "by manufacturing them using our SLM process, conformal cooling channels can be incorporated to accurately follow the internal geometry of the mould cavity surface".
"This improves part cooling and reduces demoulding times over conventional methods".
Using SLM also means not only can the tool be produced very quickly, but crucially original Tool Steel can be used instead of simulated composite powder mixtures containing soft metal and non metal elements, which are often used with other rapid manufacturing processes.
SLM technology is now available in two versions, depending on the size of tool or part required.
Standard SLM equipment, already widely used for the manufacture of medical, electronic and aerospace parts, incorporates a build envelope of 250mm.
The new SLM 100 version has a build envelope of just 125 x 80 z-axis.
This physically smaller machine uses an IR fibre laser with a spot size of down to 25um making it ideal for the production of very small, highly detailed inserts or parts.
MCP is already talking to customers looking to manufacture micro electronic parts in shape memory alloys and components with very thin walls and highly complex geometries for novel microengineering designs.
As well as tool steel, SLM can process titanium, aluminium, shape memory alloys, stainless steel, cobalt chrome, copper, inconel and many other nonferrous metal powders.
Bennett continues: "Now SLM is successfully processing tool steel, we believe we can deliver significant benefits to manufacturers by reducing tooling costs and shortening moulding cycles due to the faster demoulding of parts".
"Tool makers are now telling us their ideal set up would be to have SLM alongside high speed milling and spark eroding equipment in their workshops".
"Our new SLM 100, which is a highly economical way of buying into this technology, will now allow them to achieve this".
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