What is Rapid Tooling Technology?

What is Rapid Tooling Technology?

From CNC machining to 3D printing, there are different prototyping processes within the manufacturing process. Unlike other molding processes, this process is used in small-volume injection molding, helping manufacturers produce molds and project parts in a cost-effective and fast manner. Creating prototypes using this method can help demonstrate how different parts of the product work.

Rapid prototyping technology has been successfully used in product design to provide direct visual and tactile experience, design confirmation, assembly verification and other applications, and is now further used in rapid tooling. Combining rapid prototyping technology with rapid tooling technology can quickly manufacture products in large quantities, and extend the advantages of rapid prototyping technology in the product design stage to the production stage to achieve the purpose of rapid manufacturing.

Rapid mold prototyping technology is a mold manufacturing technology that is characterized by short molding cycle, simple process, easy promotion, low molding cost, high precision, long life, can meet certain functional requirements, and has good overall economic benefits. Therefore, using rapid tooling is a good way to develop small batch orders in process design, marketing and product evaluation.

As market competition becomes increasingly fierce and product upgrading speeds up, multiple varieties and small batches will become an important production method in the manufacturing industry. Require. Therefore, rapid prototyping technology shows a booming trend.

Rapid tools vs rapid prototyping techniques

Rapid machining refers to any method or technology that can quickly produce parts that will be used as tools. In manufacturing, injection molding, one of the most common rapid tooling methods, is used as a rapid tooling lane to produce injection molded parts quickly and cheaply.

Rapid prototyping refers to the production of a tool or mold that allows manufacturers to quickly produce product parts that function as tools. Additionally, here are two methods of prototyping. Direct method and indirect method. But the commonly used technology is injection molding.

Rapid prototyping is a technique or method that helps quickly produce physical parts for end use or use as prototypes. In addition, common technologies for rapid prototyping include additive manufacturing (3D printing) and subtractive manufacturing (CNC machining).

What types of rapid prototyping technologies are there?

Molding method based on rapid prototyping technology:

The approach is based on a new discrete/stacked molding concept using different methods such as stereolithography, laminated solid manufacturing, laser selective sintering, 3D printing, fused deposition modeling, etc. Obtain long life metal molds or low life non-metallic molds. This method has the characteristics of advanced technology, low cost, and short design and manufacturing cycle.

Using high-speed cutting to process molds:

The speed of high-speed cutting machine tools widely used in production is about 15,000 ~ 25,000 revolutions per minute. The use of high-speed cutting can increase processing efficiency by more than 10 times and shorten molding time. The mold surface after high-speed cutting and finishing only requires a small amount of polishing before use, saving a lot of grinding and polishing time.

Using aluminum alloy materials to make plastic molds:

Aluminum alloy materials are increasingly used in plastic mold manufacturing due to their light weight, good cutting performance and high thermal conductivity. Using aluminum alloy materials to make molds can achieve good results in shortening the molding cycle and reducing costs. There are manufacturers abroad that specialize in the production of aluminum alloy materials for plastic molds. The service life of aluminum alloy plastic mold is 100,000 times. If the cavity surface is chemically treated, the service life can reach 200,000 to 300,000 times.

Making molds from zinc-based low melting point gold:

Using low melting point alloys to make molds has the advantages of low cost and short molding cycle. In particular, the combination of this molding method with rapid prototyping technology is effective. The rapid prototyping method using low melting point alloy is particularly suitable for the rapid manufacturing of large cover molds and large blow molding and blister molds. When used in cover molds, samples can be produced quickly. On the other hand, when used as a formal hard mold making experiment, irreparable defects can be avoided. Blister molds and blow molds made of low melting point alloys have a service life of 50,000 pieces. Another advantage of this molding method is that the material can be melted down and reused after the mold is scrapped.

Other rapid prototyping technologies:

Such as epoxy resin molds, injection molding molds, nitrogen bottles, etc. Epoxy resin embedded steel molds are used for automotive panel molds. Thermal spraying method is used to manufacture mold cavities, which is mainly used for the production of polyurethane foam and has been widely used in the polyurethane industry. The application of nitrogen bottles on stamping molds can effectively simplify the mold structure and improve the performance of the stamping process.

What are the methods of mold forming?

Liquid method:

This method uses liquid polymer as the base material and is cured by laser or ultraviolet irradiation. Usually photocurable resin is cured by ultraviolet laser or above irradiation, forming a process on the liquid surface, so it needs support. Or use a downward-irradiating red visible light semiconductor laser to harden the photocurable resin, thereby reducing the price and maintenance costs of the system.

Semi-liquid method:

It works very similarly to squeezing out toothpaste. The processing method is to melt the linear thermoplastic material with the heating head, and then melt and extrude the thermoplastic solid filament material from the heating head, forming it layer by layer until it is formed. The entire workpiece is completed.

Powder method:

This method is to irradiate the powder with a laser, and the powder will combine with the powder where the laser irradiates. After one layer is completed, the next layer is irradiated until the workpiece is complete. Powder types include thermoplastic powders, ceramic powders and mineral powders.

Solid state method:

This forming method uses a laser or cutting knife to cut the outer contour of the workpiece from a sheet of material covered with a heat-activated adhesive. After the outer contour is cut, it is hot-pressed and bonded to the previous layer of cut sheet, and so on until the workpiece is completed.

What are the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of rapid machining?

Advantages of rapid processing

Faster time to market:

In traditional processing methods, the product development cycle may involve multiple manufacturing processes and technologies. This can increase the time spent on each step and extend the time from design to actual product. Quick tools involve fewer steps than traditional tooling methods. Quick tools can speed up the entire process. The faster you go through the prototyping and prototyping process, the sooner you can finalize your designs and get them into the hands of your customers.

cut costs:

The longer you spend on the product development cycle, the higher the cost. The speed advantage of fast tools can save businesses money over time.

No resources consumed:

Very few resources are required for prototyping or production using this method. For example, you can use one tool or mold to make multiple prototypes.

Results for various materials:

Rapid tooling allows you to use actual production-grade materials. You can quickly create custom tools and quick tools. You can then use this mold to produce as many prototypes as you like, creating parts in different material grades and testing their performance. This will give you a clearer idea which material grade will perform best in real-world applications and allow you to make the right material choices before bringing a new product to market.

Design and functional testing:

Rapid processing allows processing to be completed in a short time. It provides more freedom to test new ideas and make design adjustments. Parts can be mechanically tested before production, such as impact and stress testing, to identify design flaws. This will prevent many problems that may arise in future high-volume production phases.

Process parameter testing:

Rapid tooling can also be used to test process parameters during the production phase. For example, different injection speeds and mold temperatures during injection molding can affect part quality, allowing engineers and designers to have more measurement control over the final part.

Disadvantages of rapid processing-

Not durable or sturdy:

Prototypes made this way are generally not durable, and molds made this way are prone to breakage because the materials used are often not of high quality. If molds are replaced repeatedly, production costs will be higher. Another way to increase the cost of a product is to continually change the design, which means changing the mold as well. This approach is not appropriate if details are an important quality of your product or prototype.

Error:

Creating multiple templates using this method often results in errors. This error is usually caused by differences in mold dimensions. This is especially true if you use different materials.

time consuming:

Making a master mold takes longer than making a mold directly. Additionally, the process involves multiple steps that increase production costs. If your design is likely to change during the prototyping phase, you should avoid this approach.

Not suitable for simple design:

This method works best for complex designs that require a lot of detail. If your design is simple, this method is probably not suitable for you.

Limitations of rapid processing

Injection molding costs and labor costs are higher:

Prototyping with rapid tools is an iterative process, which means spending more on injection molding, especially if you want to perfect your design. Higher injection costs translate into higher labor costs, which may increase your production costs.

Short mold life cycle:

Rapid molds don't last long because of the pressure exerted during the injection process. The materials used to produce the molds, such as aluminum and steel, are not of high quality. This may result in you creating a new mold every now and then to replace a worn one.