DSM and MGS prove 3D printed prototype tools can handle high-performance engineering ... · 3D printed prototype tools can handle high-performance engineering resins Customer MGS

DSM and MGS prove 3D printed prototype tools can handle high-performance engineering resins

CustomerMGS Mfg. Group Challenges• Fear that 3D printed tools

cannot handle engineering- grade molding resins

• Customer opts for longer lead time & more costly metal prototype tooling

Solution• Metal vs. 3D printed tool test • Somos® PerFORMBenefits• 3D printed tool produces 50

GF Nylon parts; 200+ using ABS material

• Delivers savings of $23k vs metal tools

• Reduces prototype tool production time by up to 3 weeks

• Customer switches from metal to 3D printed prototype tools

When an MGS customer rejected 3D printed rapid prototyping in favor of a standard, more costly metal prototype tool, it was viewed as a unique opportunity. MGS was determined to show how tools made of additive manufacturing materials can perform satisfactorily and produce parts molded of high-performance engineering resins.

Challenges

3D printing functional tooling prototypes are a fast and low-cost alternative to traditional tool manufacturing. But because 3D printed tools tended to fail quickly when molding high-performance resins, these alternative prototype tooling options are limited. Choosing additive manufacturing materials verses metals for rapid tooling can mean a trade-off between factors like flexural strength, workability, wear resistance and resistance to heat fatigue.

Kevin Klotz is the Engineering Manager at MGS Mfg. Group, a leading provider of optimized manufacturing solutions for high precision plastic products. Klotz says, “Our customers make products expected to perform well in demanding applications. They need prototypes molded from materials that match the final product so they can conduct realistic and thorough product testing. Many medical prototypes must also be able to withstand aggressive cleaning processes and high-temperature sterilization environments.”

One MGS customer wanted a tool for a new product. The customer considered additive manufacturing, but in the end opted for traditional metal tooling despite the cost and time savings with 3D printing. The customer was concerned a 3D printed tool would not mold the high-performance material needed to test prototypes in life-like situations.

MGS saw this as a challenge and decided to run its own test to see if additive manufacturing could compete. “This gave us the opportunity to show customers an example of a complex part with intricate geometry that is difficult to mold,” Klotz says. “This product was ideally suited for comparing two different and competing prototype tool build processes.”

Solution

Familiar with DSM materials, and impressed with their capabilities, MGS decided to use Somos® PerFORM for the test. The material has a high heat tolerance, good detail resolution, good stiffness modulus and is designed for applications such as tooling, high-temperature testing, electrical casings and automotive housings.

MGS made a 3D printed tool using Somos® PerFORM and then used the tool to test how it performed when molding prototype parts using four different materials. These included high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, PC/ABS and 30 percent glass-filled nylon. To make the test process more robust and eliminate other variables, MGS made the tool twice in Somos® PerFORM using two different 3D printers. Then they tested each set.

Benefits

The results were striking. The tool made using Somos® PerFORM cost $12,000 compared to the metal tool which cost nearly $35,000. The process was also much quicker, saving up to three weeks.

Klotz says, “We’re confident in the accuracy of the cost and time savings achieved using 3D printing DSM tools because we were able to use the same product for both processes.”

MGS knew that 3D printing is often faster and more cost effective. What impressed and surprised MGS was the scope of materials that the Somos® PerFORM tool was able to handle.

“This was especially impressive because we processed through the first three materials before processing nylon. The Somos® PerFORM inserts failed on the 48th glass-filled nylon part,” says Klotz. “You’ll never get thousands of parts from a 3D printed tool; those quantities require a different approach. For true prototyping, most customers seek quantities between five and 500. Often the target is near 50. After putting the Somos® PerFORM tool through this extreme test, we believe 50 parts - even with a high-glass content nylon - is achievable.

In fact, the test product used PC/ABS material for prototyping and with that material the Somos® PerFORM tool produced over 200 parts without failure. Klotz says, “What the comparison test gave us was the confidence to move forward with high-performance materials molded in 3D printed tools.”

Another MGS customer that has always used metal tools and glass-filled nylon for prototype testing has taken notice. Now that MGS has proven that 3D printed tools can handle high-performance molding resins, the customer has begun testing tools made from additive manufacturing materials such as Somos® PerFORM.

“For rapid prototype tooling the principle factors are speed, cost, complexity and printed material strength. We’ve been successful at creating printed tooling faster and at lower cost but have always been limited to easy-flow molding materials. That’s a serious limitation. Having now tested metal verses 3D printed tooling using DSM Somos® PerFORM, we believe resin material strength no longer limits molding material options.” Kevin Klotz, Engineering Manager, MGS Mfg. Group

NOTICE: Somos® is a registered trademark of Royal DSM N.V. The information presented herein is believed to be accurate. However, DSM expressly disclaims any product warranties which may be implied including warranties or merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Purchasers are responsible for determining the suitability of the product for its intended use and the appropriate manner of utilizing the product in purchaser’s production processes and applications so as to ensure safety, quality and effectiveness. DSM reserves the right to change specifications of their products without notice. © 2019 DSM All rights reserved.

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