UNIT - III

CONTENTS
1) Powder Based Rapid Prototyping Systems: Selective laser sintering (SLS):

 Models and specifications

 Process
 Working principle
 Applications , Advantages and Disadvantages
 Case studies

2) Three dimensional Printing (3DP):

 Models and specifications

 Process
 Working principle
 Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages
 Case studies

3) Rapid Tooling:
 Introduction to Rapid Tooling (RT)
 Conventional Tooling Vs RT
 Need for RT
 Rapid Tooling Classification

4) Indirect Rapid Tooling Methods:

 Spray Metal Deposition

 RTV
 Epoxy Tools
 Ceramic tools
 Investment Casting
 Spin Casting
 Die casting
 Sand Casting
 3D Keltool process

5) Direct Rapid Tooling:

 Direct AIM
 LOM Tools
 DTM Rapid Tool Process
 EOS Direct Tool Process and Direct Metal Tooling using 3DP

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1) Powder Based Rapid Prototyping Systems:

Selective laser sintering (SLS):

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that uses
a laser as the power source to sinter powdered material (typically nylon/polyamide), aiming the
laser automatically at points in space defined by a 3D model, binding the material together to create a
solid structure.

The founding company, DTM Corporation, was established in 1987 to commercialize the
SLS® technology. With the financial support from the BF Goodrich Company, and based on the
technology that was developed and patented at the University of Texas at Austin, the company
shipped its first commercial machine in 1992.

DTM had worldwide exclusive license to commercialize the SLS® technology until they were
bought over by 3D Systems in August 2001.

Models and specifications:

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Working principle of SLS:

Image Source: [Link]

Above figure shows SLS apparatus and working principle has following components
1. Laser 2. Scanner systems 3. Powder delivery system 4. Powder delivery piston 5. Rollers
6. Fabrication piston 7. Fabrication powder bed 8. Object being fabricated (see inset)
A Laser scanning direction B Sintered powder particles (brown state) C Laser beam
D Laser sintering E Pre-placed powder bed (green state) F Unsintered material in previous layers

SLS involves the use of a high power laser (for example, a carbon dioxide laser) to fuse small
particles of plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass powders into a mass that has a desired three-dimensional
shape.
The laser selectively fuses powdered material by scanning cross-sections generated from a 3-
D digital description of the part (for example from a CAD file or scan data) on the surface of a
powder bed. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness, a
new layer of material is applied on top, and the process is repeated until the part is completed.

Sintering Mechanism

Fig: Diagram showing formation of neck in two sintered powder particles.

Original shapes are shown in red

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 Sintering in SLS primarily occurs in the liquid state when the powder particles forms a
micro- melt layer at the surface, resulting in a reduction in viscosity and the formation of a concave
radial bridge between particles, known as necking, due to the material's response to lower its surface
energy. In the case of coated powders, the purpose of the laser is to melt the surface coating which
will act as a binder. Solid state sintering is also a contributing factor, albeit with a much reduced
influence, and occurs at temperatures below the melting temperature of the material. The principal
driving force behind the process is again the material's response to lower its free energy state
resulting in diffusion of molecules across particles.

Process of SLS

1) Preprocessing

Preparation of CAD model: The object is designed using CAD software (for e.g. CATIA,
Solid Works, Pro Engineer).

Conversion of CAD Model into STL file: CAD model will then be sent to a 3D printer in
a numerical format (STL file).

2) Building

Preheating: Powder hopper and the construction area are heated below the melting
temperature of the polymer powder.

Building of First Layer: The first layer of powder is deposited onto the construction
platform using roller as shown in fig.

Sintering: Then, a CO2 laser selectively sinters (i.e. fuses) the powdered polymer particles
in the shape desired. The entire cross-section of the component is scanned by the laser, so that the
part is solidly constructed

Building of Next Layer: When the layer is complete, the construction platform moves
downward to allow for the material surface to be re-coated. The process is repeated until the entire
part is complete

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3) Post Processing:

Sintered parts are completely covered by the powder. This powder container has to be cooled down
before moving on to the cleaning and post-processing stages. This can take up to 12 hours.
Subsequently, the parts are cleaned with compressed air or some other cleaning medium, and are
ready for use or further processing.

Image Source: [Link]

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Materials used for SLS:

A wide range of thermoplastics, composites, metals and ceramics can be used, thus providing an
extensive range of functional parts to be built.

Polyamide: Trade named “DuraFormTM”, this material is used to create rigid and rugged plastic
parts for functional engineering environments.

Thermoplastic elastomer: The material is impermeable to water and ideal for sports shoe
applications and engineering seals.

Polycarbonate: These are suitable for creating concept and functional models and prototypes,
investment casting patterns for metal prototypes and cast tooling (with the RapidCastingTM
process), masters for duplication processes, and sand casting patterns.

Nylon: This material is suitable for creating models and prototypes that can withstand and perform
in demanding environment. It is one of the most durable rapid prototyping materials currently
available in the industry, and it offers substantial heat and chemical resistance.

Metal. This is a material where polymer coated stainless steel powder is infiltrated with bronze.
Trade named “LaserForm ST-100”, the material is excellent for producing core inserts and
preproduction tools for injection molding prototype polymer parts.

Ceramics. Trade named “SandFormTM Zr” and “SandformTM Si”, these use zircon and silica
coated with phenolic binder to produce complex sand cores and molds for prototype sand castings of
metal parts.

Advantages of SLS:

 No need for support structures: As the print is being built, all hollow spaces are automatically
filled with unused powder, thus making SLS prints self-supporting.
 Faster Process: Multiple objects can be spaced closely together to maximize the build space.
 Excellent layer adhesion: SLS printing has been known to result in prints with very strong
layer adhesion. Because of this characteristic, SLS prints have virtually isotropic mechanical
properties. This means that the tensile strength, hardness, and elongation of an object printed
using SLS are almost equal in all directions.

Disadvantages of SLS:

 Porous and brittle

 Prone to shrinkage and warping
 Produces a lot of waste
 Expensive

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Applications of SLS

1. Rapid Manufacturing

 Aerospace Hardware
 UAS, UAV, UUV, UGV Hardware
 Medical and Healthcare
 Electronics; Packaging, Connectors
 Homeland Security
 Military Hardware
 Rapid Prototypes

2. Functional Proof of Concept Prototypes

 Design Evaluation Models (Form, Fit & Function)

 Product Performance & Testing
 Engineering Design Verification
 Wind-Tunnel Test Models

3. Tooling and Patterns

 Rapid Tooling (concept development & bridge tools)

 Injection Mold Inserts
 Tooling and Manufacturing Estimating Visual Aid
 Investment Casting Patterns
 Jigs and Fixtures
 Foundry Patterns - Sand Casting

Case Studies:

1. Boeing Uses Prototyping to Maximize Return on Investment

The Boeing Company, Air Vehicle Design Division, USA, had a mission to produce air
vehicle configuration and integration designs Faced with the challenge to avoid tooling and
production costs reduce cycle time, increase efficiency in small batch production and maximize
return on investment (ROI), Boeing used the Sinterstation® to prototyped visualization and technical
review models, reproduce existing parts, and produced scaled models for laboratory testing. Boeing
had also used DuraFormTM parts directly onto prototype aircraft, vehicles and mockups. The parts
produced often undergo tests such as fatigue, strength, heat resistance and resistance to moisture. Fig
shows such a part prototyped for the aerospace and defense industry.

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2. Reebok Uses SLS Process for Developing Sports Shoes

In the initial developmental stages of a new spikeless golf shoe sole design, Reebok’s Golf Division,
USA, needed a rapid, cost efficient way to create flexible prototypes for their design tests The
company was up against very tight deadlines. Traditional prototyping methods (standard tooling and
injection molding) would have taken 30 to 60 days and cost the company US$3500 to $4000 per
prototype. The company decided to use the SLS® system to build SOMOS® 201 parts. This took
only seven hours and about US$250 worth of materials. The
prototype soles were affixed to a pair of golf shoes (see Figure 5.4) and worn by an experienced
golfer for two rounds of golf. The company was able to save thousands of dollars and more than a
month i development time.

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3. Rover Applies SLS Process in Tooling for Injection Molding

Rover Group Ltd. at Warwick, UK, produces automotive vehicles and wanted to produce
tooling for injection molding of nylon automobile glass guides measuring 90 mm × 60 mm × 25 mm
per part. The single cavity tool insert was designed by CAD and then used to build the hollow tool
insert using the SLS system. The part was thereafter backed with epoxy resin loaded with aluminium
powder and granules before machining it to fit a standard injection molding bolster set. Using this, it
shot 33 polypropylene and 117 nylon parts and applied several of these on prototype vehicles. The
Copper PA tool withstood an injection molding temperature of 285°C. The company went on to
create Copper PA tooling for injection molding 300 speaker covers, each featuring complex shapes,
measuring a diameter of 40 mm, and which were made of polypropylene. This resulted in significant
time and cost savings, providing Rover with a chance to do more design iterations to improve the
design without adding to the planned time frame and costs [9].

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2) Three dimensional Printing (3DP):

Z Corporation was incorporated in 1994 by Hatsopoulos, Walter Bornhost, Tim Anderson

and Jim Brett. It commercialized its first 3D Printer, the ZTM402 System, based on three-
dimensional technology (3DP) in 1997. This core technology was invented and patented at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was subsequently licensed and further developed by Z
Corporation.

Models and Specifications

Process of 3D Printing

(1) The machine spreads a layer of powder from the feed box to cover the surface of the build
piston. The printer then prints binder solution onto the loose powder, forming the first cross-section.
For monochrome parts, Z406 color printer uses all four print heads to print a single-colored binder.
For multi-colored parts, each of the four print heads deposits a different color binder, mixing the four
color binders to produce a spectrum of colors that can be applied to different regions of a part.
(2) The powder is glued together at where the binder is printed. The remaining powder
remains loose and supports the layers that will be printed above.
(3) When the cross-section is completed, the build piston is lowered, a new layer of powder is
spread over its surface, and the process is repeated. The part grows layer by layer in the build piston
until the part is completed, completely surrounded and covered by loose powder. Finally the build
piston is raised and the loose powder is vacuumed, revealing the complete part.
(4) Once a build is completed, the excess powder is vacuumed and t he parts are lifted from
the bed. Once removed, parts can be finished in a variety of ways to suit your needs. For a quick
design review, parts can be left raw or “green.” To quickly produce a more robust model, parts can
be dipped in wax. For a robust model that can be sanded, finished and painted, the part can be
infiltrated with a resin or urethane.

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Advantages of 3D printing
(1) High speed. Fastest 3D printer each layer is printed in seconds, reducing the prototyping time of a
hand-held part to 1 to 2 hours.
(2) Versatile. Parts are currently used for the automotive, packaging, education, footwear, medical,
and aerospace and telecommunications industries. Parts are used in every step of the design process
for communication, design review and limited functional testing. Parts can be infiltrated if necessary,
offering the opportunity to produce parts with a variety of material properties to serve a range of
modeling requirements.
(3) Simple to operate. The office compatible Z corp system is straightforward to operate and does not
require a designated technician to build a part. The system is based on the standard, off the shelf
components developed for the ink-jet printer industry, resulting in a reliable and dependable 3D
printer.
(4) No wastage of materials. Powder that is not printed during the cycle can be reused.
(5) Enables complex color schemes in RP-ed parts from a full 24-bit palette of colors.

Disadvantages 3D printing
(1) Limited functional parts. Relative to the SLS, parts built are much weaker, thereby limiting the
functional testing capabilities.
(2) Limited materials. The materials available are only starch and plaster-based materials, with the
added option to infiltrate wax using the ZW4 Waxer.
(3) Poor surface finish. Parts built by 3D printing have a relatively poorer surface finish and post-
processing is frequently required.

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CASE STUDIES ON 3D PRINTING

1) Sports Shoe Industry

The 3D printer has been used by designers, marketers, manufacturers, and managers in the footwear
industry. Leading athletic shoe companies, such as Adidas, have used this RP system to radically
reduce prototype development time and communicate in new ways . Shoe industries these days are
faced with constantly changing consumer preferences and have to react quickly to stay ahead of the
business. With the 3D printer, lead times are drastically reduced, beating the competition to the
shelves with the latest design trends whilst avoiding an excess inventory of unwanted designs.

2) computer-sculpted models
Javelin uses the Z402 System to produce computer-sculpted models to assist artists with complex
modeling. Parts produced find applications with computer gamers, animators, pre-Hollywood mock-
ups designers, and sculpturing artists. The low cost associated with 3DP parts allows several
iterations to be used to accelerate the sculpting process. In one instance, CT scan data and Velocity2
software were used to recreate a dinosaur skull. They found that eliminating the need for support
structure in a file that exceeds 4 000 000 polygons was a great asset. The CAD file from Velocity2
was sent to the Z402 System and the “dino-head” (shown in Figure) was built within 7 hours .

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 RAPID TOOLING
Introduction to Rapid Tooling

Rapid tooling is a term that describes the use of AM equipment to produce molds . Rapid tooling
includes both direct and indirect tooling processes.

In direct tooling, the mold is directly made in one step using one of the AM equipment's.

While indirect tooling is when the mold is made through more than one intermediary steps, by using
AM model as the first step.

The difference between Rapid Tooling and Conventional Tooling

Sl Rapid Tooling Conventional Tooling

No
1 Tooling can be build in single operations Need more manufacturing operations
in order to build Tooling
2 Complex geometries of molds can be produced Difficult to manufacture complex
geometries, requires fixtures
3 Little or no human error because of CAD Model More human error can happen in
tooling
4 Has the ability to produce outputs with complex Conventional Tooling has limitations
designs because of its ability to interpret intricate in producing complex products
designs directly from CAD
5 It allows flexibility in the designs and conforming to Conventional Tooling is not flexible to
customer’s specification. design changes because of higher tool
cost

Need for Rapid Tooling

There always is a need for some intermediate tooling to produce a small quantity of prototypes
or functional tests during the product development cycle.

These small volumes are used for marketing samples, evaluation purposes, and as production process
design.

 Tooling time is much shorter than for a conventional tool

 Tooling cost is much less than for a conventional tool

However, the main challenge that generally is faced in the case of rapid tooling is the tool life. The
tool life is less than that of conventional tools and tolerances happen to be wider than that of
conventional tools.

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Advantages of Rapid Tooling

 Rapid tooling is the process of building core and cavity inserts as a product of rapid
prototyping technology. This process has got a number of merits including
 the product is brought into the market earlier than the scheduled time
 people can get the products at a lower price as compared to the price when products are
mass produced using injection tools
 it facilitates the production of various products in a wider range of materials
 it lowe rs the time and cost of the product manufacture
 Rapid tooling is mainly used for specific small quantity needs including prototyping
 It may as well be used for troubleshooting existing problems
 Rapid tooling is being used these days to create molds for commercial operations since the
time lag is so short between start to finish
 Moreover, alternate methods require precious time and resources, thus, rapid tooling serves
as a quicker way to produce the required products. This allows companies to quickly produce
commercial products with the benefits of rapid prototyping.

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Rapid Tooling Classification

Spray Metal
Deposition

RTV Epoxy Tools

Indirect Rapid
Ceramic tools
Tooling

Investment Casting,
Spin Casting, Die
casting, Sand Casting

3D Keltool process

Rapid Tooling

Direct AIM

LOM Tools

DTM Rapid Tool

Direct Rapid Tooling Process

EOS Direct Tool

Process

Direct Metal Tooling

using 3DP

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Indirect Rapid Tooling
1) Spray Metal Deposition: Arc Spray Metal Tooling

Using metal spraying on the RP model, it is possible to create very quickly an injection mold that can
be used to mold a limited number of prototype parts.

Process

The metal spraying process is operated manually, with a hand-held gun.

1. An electric arc is introduced between two wires, which melt the wires into tiny droplets.
Compressed air blows out the droplets in small layers of approximately 0.5 mm of metal.
2. The master pattern produced by any RP process is mounted onto a base and bolster, which
are then layered with a release agent.
3. A coating of metal particles using the arc spray is then applied to the master pattern to
produce the female form cavity of the desired tool.
4. Depending on the type of tooling application, a reinforcement backing is selected and applied
to the shell. Types of backing materials include filled epoxy resins, low- melting point metal
alloys and ceramics.

This method of producing soft tooling is cost and lead-time saving. A typical metal spray process for
creating an injection mold is shown in Figure

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2) RTV Epoxy Tools

Silicon Rubber Tooling

One of the most popular tooling applications for RP is the production of room temperature
vulcanizing (RTV) silicone rubber tooling.

The purpose of RTV tools is to create urethane or epoxy prototypes, often under vacuum (hence
the term vacuum casting).

Process

1. Making a master pattern, usually on an RP machine

2. Finishing the pattern to the desired appearance
3. Casting RTV silicone rubber around the pattern to form the mold
4. Injecting the mold with two-part thermoset materials to create molded plastic parts.

Benefits of RTV Silicon Rubber Molds

1. Silicone rubber tooling provides fast, inexpensive molds, excellent part cosmetics, and the
option of using multiple materials.
2. The process is suitable for small or medium-sized parts.
3. Another benefit of silicone rubber tooling is the negative draft (undercuts) that can be
achieved due to the flexibility of the mold material.

Demerits

1. The primary weakness of the process is that the properties of the urethane materials are
different from those of the thermoplastic materials used in production.
2. Tool life limitations also restrict production numbers to a relatively small quantity of
typically less than 50 parts per tool.
3. Due to material cost and labor demands, individual part prices are relatively high.

Bastech, Inc. (Dayton, Ohio) is using silicone rubber tooling to make an instrument case that has
high cosmetic requirements, including texture, but very little strength requirements. In this project,
the customer required only 100 parts per year. Measuring 350 x 300 x 20 mm (14 x 12 x 2 inches),
the case would have required a significant investment in metal tooling.

Consider silicone rubber tooling and vacuum casting when the material properties of the prototypes
can differ somewhat from thermoplastic parts, when lead times are critical, part geometry is complex
(including negative draft), and required quantities are relatively small.

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 3)

Ceramics Tools

Castable Ceramic Molds (Ceramic Tools)

Ceramic materials that are primarily sand-based can be poured over a master pattern to create the
mold.

The binder systems can vary with the preference of binding properties. For example, in colloidal
silicate binders, the water content in the system can be altered to improve shrinkage and castability
properties.

The ceramic-binder mix can be poured under vacuum conditions and vibrated to improve the packing
of the material around the master pattern.

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4) Investment Casting

Investment casting molds can be made from RP pattern masters.

1. The pattern is usually wax, foam, paper or other materials that can be easily melted or
vaporized. The pattern is dipped in slurry of ceramic compounds to form a coating, or
investment shell, over it.
2. This is repeated until the shell builds up thickness and strength. The shell is then used for
casting, with the pattern being melted away or burned out of the shell, resulting in a ceramic
cavity.
3. Molten metal can then be poured into the mold to form the object.
4. The shell is then cracked open to release the desired object in the mold.

The investment casting process is ideal for casting miniature parts with thin sections and complex
features. fig. shows the investment casting process from a RP-produced wax master pattern while
Figure shows an investment casting mold resulting from a RP pattern.

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Spin Casting

Spin casting, also known as centrifugal rubber mold casting (CRMC), is a method of
utilizing centrifugal force to produce castings from a rubber mold.

Typically, a disc-shaped mold is spun along its central axis at a set speed.

The casting material, usually molten metal or liquid thermoset plastic, is then poured in through an
opening at the top-center of the mold. The filled mold then continues to spin as the metal (or
thermoset plastic) solidifies.

Die Casting

There are many methods of prototyping die cast parts, but two of the most effective are plaster mold
casting (also known as rubber plaster mold casting - or RPM) and rapid die casting from cast H-13
steel dies (also known as the Steele process). These two techniques play different roles.

Plaster mold provides initial prototype aluminum or zinc castings in a few weeks when starting with
a Stereolithography (SLA) model. This low-cost 'soft' tooling approach usually costs about 10 per
cent of production die cost. It allows for quick and easy modifications to part geometry. That ease of
geometry modification facilitates design refinement. If required, the process is capable of
manufacturing thousands of parts through the use of reusable silicon rubber foundry tooling.

Rapid die casting provides initial sample parts in five to eight weeks, depending on part geometry.
The process starts with a SLA model and the casting of H-13 steel dies. This means prototypes are
processed as a pressure die casting instead of a gravity-poured casting. Alloys, physical, and thermal
properties will be the same as in the production run, while RPM uses slightly different alloys with
different properties. Rapid die casting is the best method for providing short runs (up to several
thousand) to enable production while final production dies are finished and qualified.

RPM and rapid die casting can be complimentary in many cases. RPM can provide initial samples in
a shortened time frame while the part design is perfected. Cast dies can offer cost savings and
increased production rates before full production tooling is completed.

PLASTER MOLD CASTING

Plaster mold casting is a quick and relatively inexpensive way of producing aluminum and zinc
castings. SLA or other rapid models can be used as master models to develop tooling. The plaster
process differs from the use of Quickcast (in which models are destroyed making each casting) in
that plaster mold casting creates foundry tooling from the SLA model. Once the rubber tooling has
been generated, it can be used to produce up to a thousand aluminum or zinc castings before tooling
maintenance is required. Rubber foundry tooling may be cost justified over Quickcast even if only a
few Quickcast models are required, depending on part complexity. For smaller quantities (less than
five pieces), plaster molds can be made directly from many types of rapid prototyping models for
geometries with or without side pulls. This approach is referred to as loose pattern molding.

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The plaster process has some invaluable properties, among them its ability to produce complex, thin-
walled castings with excellent surface finishes. That makes it the ideal choice for reproducing the
fine and complex details often found in SLA models. Casting lead times vary from a few days to
several weeks depending on part complexity. It can cast a wide range of sizes but is most applicable
to parts that fit within a 2- to 24-inch cube range. Quantities ranging from two or three pieces to
several thousand pieces can be produced as functional die cast prototypes. Therefore, plaster serves
as a bridge process while awaiting delivery of production tooling and, in many cases, as a production
process where quantity requirements do not justify the expense of hard tooling.

Ideally, the production die caster and the plaster mold source should work closely with the end user
to ensure a smooth transition between processes. Plaster mold casting can simulate any die castable
geometry and it is critical that designers do not configure the RPM casting to a geometry that will
increase die casting prices - or worse still, result in a shape that cannot be die cast.

THE PROCESS

The first step in the RPM process is to create a master model. Usually it is SLA but in many cases
traditional pattern making models are still used. The parting lines are then established and negative
molds are developed from the model. A silicon rubber positive is made from each of the negative
molds. Gating runner systems are added as required. Next, a liquid plaster slurry is poured over the
silicon rubber patterns. Once the plaster molds have set, they are removed from the rubber patterns
and baked to remove moisture.

Subsequently, molten aluminum is poured into the assembled plaster mold. Once the metal has
solidified, the plaster mold is destroyed so the part can be taken out. The reusable rubber tooling can
make hundreds of molds. After the casting has passed initial inspection, gates and flash are removed
and the part is now ready for secondary operations such as machining, assembly, chemical or paint

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finishes. Again, for time savings in creating a few pieces, plaster molds can be made directly from
the SLA pattern once parting lines have been created.

RAPID Die Casting

Rapid die casting from cast tooling is an approach to die cast prototyping and short runs that has
been around for several decades, but the advent of CAD and SLA modeling is driving a renewed
interest into its application. Starting with a SLA model, H-13 steel dies are cast to a net shape in a
fraction of the time required for cutting tool steel. Additional geometry can be added via secondary
machining. The key benefit is that prototype parts are processed as a die casting and therefore
physical and thermal transfer properties that will be identical to the production part. Additionally,
this process can provide considerable cost advantage over RPM for quantities over a thousand. Since
the components are run in a die cast press, large numbers of parts can be manufactured in a short
amount of time.

This highly accurate process is capable of casting fine detail with excellent surfaces. Complex
parting lines can be accommodated, as well as side actions via hand loads. This approach is not
recommended for use with thin, tall standing part detail or with cast- in water lines. Typical lead
times range from five to eight weeks dependent on part size and complexity.

In the cast H-13 steel die process, an initial pattern is generated via SLA or CNC with shrinkage
factors scaled in. Parting lines are developed and a soft durometer negative is created in the shape of
the tool. A ceramic tool is made and the steel is poured. Cavity detail can be finished if required via
CNC or EDM. The inserts are squared and fitted into a standard mold base where ejection pins are
added. Gates and overflows are machined in and the cast die is ready to run in a standard die cast
press. Parts can be run in any die cast alloy and finishing requires only a trim and any secondary
machining that may be necessary.

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Sand Casting

Sand casting molds are similarly created using RP master patterns. RP patterns are first created and
placed appropriately in the sand box. Casting sand is then poured and packed very compactly over
the pattern. The box (cope and drag) is then separated and the pattern carefully removed leaving
behind the cavity. The box is assembled together again and molten metal is cast into the sand mold.
Sand casting is the cheapest and most practical method for the casting of large parts. Figure shows a
cast metal mold resulting from a RP pattern.

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5) 3D Keltool

3D Keltool is a powder metal process used to make injection-mold inserts and other durable
tooling from master patterns. Keltool was originally developed by 3M in 1976 and was sold and
further developed by Keltool Inc. In 1996, 3D Systems

3D Keltool Process

1. Process starts with a CAD design of the core and cavity inserts, followed by the creation
of the core and cavity patterns with stereo lithography or some other RP process .
2. Once these core and cavity patterns have been finished to the desired surface, silicone rubber
is cast against them to create molds into which a mixture of metal powder and binder is
poured, packed, and cured. The metal mixture consists of finely powdered A6 tool steel
and even finer particles of tungsten carbide.
3. At this point, the cast core and cavity inserts exist in a green state. These green inserts are
fired in a hydrogen-reduction furnace to burn away the binder, sinter the metal particles, and
infiltrate copper into the inserts.
4. This produces solid metal inserts that are approximately 70% steel and 30% copper, with
physical properties similar to that of P20 tool steel.
5. The inserts are finish machined, drilled for ejector pins, and fitted into mold bases.

Direct Rapid Tooling

1) Direct AIM

3D Systems (Valencia, CA) has named this process Direct AIM. (AIM stands for ACES Injection
Molding. ACES stands for “Accurate Clear Epoxy Solid,” which is a stereolithography build
style.) Although not nearly as strong or hard as conventional tooling, it is possible to inject a range of
thermoplastics into these cavities and produce useable parts. At present, only less abrasive and lower
melting point polymers are being molded, although research is underway to improve this application.

Stereolithography tools are generally produced with the standard commercially-available

stereolithography resin. Up to 500 parts have been molded from a single tool, although 10 to 50
parts is more typical. Research into the development of high temperature and filled resins also is
being undertaken by several organizations.
The process is quick and it produces parts using production thermoplastics. Low tool strength and the
risk of failure are disadvantages.

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ImageSource:[Link]

2) LOM Tools

Laminated tooling is an alternative to building cavities directly on an RP machine. Using the similar
principles to the Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) process,

layers of sheet metal are cut to replicate slices through a CAD model. Laser cutting or water jet
technologies generally produce the profiles.

To produce a mold tool, the CAD model must take the form of the required cavity. By cutting all of
the slices of the cavity in sheet metal, a stack of laminates can be made to replicate the original CAD
model. Using either clamping or diffusion bonding, it is possible to create a pseudo-solid cavity in
hardened tool steel without the need for complex post process cutter path planning. Due to the use of
relatively thick laminates – typically 0.040 inch (1 mm) – the surface finish of the tools is
generally poor; therefore, some form of finish machining is generally required.

Laminated tools have been used successfully for a variety of techniques including press tools,
blow molding, injection molding and thermal forming. Research also is being performed into the
use of laminate tools in pressure die-casting. Tool life is a function of the initial sheet material,
which can be hardened after cutting and lamination. However, part complexity is bounded by layer
thickness.

One significant advantage of laminated tooling is the ability to change the design of parts quickly by
the replacement of laminates (if un-bonded). Conformal cooling channels also are easily
incorporated within the tool design and laminated tooling is good for large tools as well. The need
for finish machining to remove the stair steps is the main disadvantage of this process.

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3) DTM Rapid Tool Process

Rapid Tool

RapidToolTM is a technology invented by DTM Corporation to produce metal molds for plastic
injection molding directly from the SLS Sinter station.

The molds are capable of being used in conventional injection molding machines to mold the final
product with the functional material.

Process

1. The CAD data is fed into the SinterstationTM which bonds polymeric binder coated metal
beads together using the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process.
2. Next, debinding takes place and the green part is cured and infiltrated with copper to make it
solid.

3. The furnace cycle is about 40 hours with the finished part having similar properties
equivalent to aluminum.
4. The finished mold can be easily machined. Shrinkage is reported to be no more than 2%,
which is compensated for in the software.
5. Typical time frames allow relatively complex molds to be produced in two weeks as
compared to 6 to 12 weeks using conventional techniques.
6. The finished mold is capable of producing up to tens of thousands injection-molded parts
before breaking down.

4) EOS Direct Tool Process: Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) Tooling

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) was developed jointly by Rapid Product Innovations (RPI)
and EOS GmbH, starting in 1994, as the first commercial rapid prototyping method to produce
metal parts in a single process.

With DMLS, metal powder (20 micron diameter), free of binder or fluxing agent, is completely
melted by the scanning of a high power laser beam to build the part with properties of the original
material. Eliminating the polymer binder avoids the burn-off and infiltration steps, and produces
a 95% dense steel part compared to roughly 70% density with Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). An
additional benefit of the DMLS process compared to SLS is higher detail resolution due to the use of
thinner layers, enabled by a smaller powder diameter. This capability allows for more intricate part
shapes. Material options that are currently offered include alloy steel, stainless steel, tool steel,
aluminum, bronze, cobalt-chrome, and titanium. In addition to functional prototypes, DMLS is
often used to produce rapid tooling, medical implants, and aerospace parts for high heat
applications.

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The DMLS process can be performed by two different methods, powder deposition and powder bed,
which differ in the way each layer of powder is applied.
In the powder deposition method, the metal powder is contained in a hopper that melts the powder
and deposits a thin layer onto the build platform.
In the powder bed method (shown below), the powder dispenser piston raises the powder supply and
then a recoater arm distributes a layer of powder onto the powder bed. A laser then sinters the layer
of powder metal. In both methods, after a layer is built the build piston lowers the build platform and
the next layer of powder is applied.
The powder deposition method offers the advantage of using more than one material, each in its own
hopper.

The powder bed method is limited to only one material but offers faster build speeds.

[Link]

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5) Direct Metal Tooling using 3DP

Pro Metal TM Rapid Tooling

Prometal three-dimensional printing process was developed by Extrude Hone Corporation in

cooperation with Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT which has licensed the original 3DP
technology.

The process is based on a layered printing technique of work pieces using multiple inkjet printer
electrostatic head for applying of liquid binder in the form of drops on building materials in the form
of metal powders (figure.).

The manufactured parts are made at high speed (4000 cm3 / h) with the approximate thickness of the
layers between 120-70 [μm], and possess about 60% density with 10% share of organic binder.
Due to the poor mechanical properties of manufactured parts and thus achieving the full demands of
the density of the parts, the densification of the parts trough processes of removal of thermal binder,
sintering and infiltrating of other metal which has a slightly lower melting point (e.g. bronze) is
required.

With Prometal 3DP process extremely complex metal tools and finished metal products can be
produced with high level of accuracy, flexibility and reliability which is why this procedure is
represented in almost every industry. Great accuracy of this procedure positioned it close to the
unconventional processing systems at approximately the final shape (Near Net Shape Forming) and
in many cases Prometal 3DP process can produce components of complex internal geometries that
would be impossible to make any other method

[Link]

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