3D-MeKa – Development of metal-coated cavity molds made of FFF-printed fiber-reinforced plastic for the injection molding process for cost- and time-efficient pre-series production
Development of additively manufactured and metal-coated injection molding tools for pre-series development.
Project Partners
JÜRGEN KLEINE GmbH, WIOTEC® Ense GmbH & Co. KG
Duration
01.01.2023 – 30.04.2025
Funding authority
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Motivation
Nowadays, injection-molded parts are irreplaceable in both the private and commercial sectors. Thanks to the fast and cost-effective production process, plastic parts can be reproduced in quantities of thousands. The tools used in the process are usually made from steel and aluminum. The costs for the raw material and production are enormous. At the start of a production series, the tool needs to be "run-in", which begins with filling studies and determining the quantity of polymer required. Mold modifications are very expensive and time-consuming at this stage of production. This gap is to be closed by the 3DMeka research project with fast and cost-effective prototype tools.
Method
The aim of the project is to develop a process for the production of innovative injection molding tools based on additively manufactured fiber-reinforced plastics with a micrometer-thick metal coating. The solution approach for the cavity tool lies in the combination of two technologies in the form of 3D filament printing or stereolithography and a metallic coating of the printed tools to provide increased thermal stability. Two additive manufacturing processes are combined, whereby a filament printing process of a fiber-reinforced material achieves the necessary mechanical and thermal stability for pressures in the injection molding process. As the spatial resolution of the filament printing process is limited to orders of magnitude of 10 um, fine cavity structures in particular are applied using precise stereolithography (SL).
Acknowledgement
The chair would like to thank the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for funding the project (3DMeKa) under the "ZIM:Produktionsforschung" program. (Funding reference:KK5135817HD2).
Contact Persons
Maximilian Konstantin Strobel, M.Sc.; Dr.-Ing. Swen Zaremba