Page 43 - MetalForming August 2017

bureaus also can build fixtures and tools that you design if you have that capability (Stratasys Direct Manufac- turing offers this service).
Whichever route you choose, Wild offers some questions to serve as guidelines:
• Where and how is the tool/fixture used?
• What are the critical tool/fixture features and functions?
• Are there temperature require- ments?
• Will the tool/fixture be in the pres- ence of chemicals and solvents?
Answers to these questions provide guidance on the proper materials and build processes to employ.
Theoretically, AM fixtures and tool- ing are not limited by size. Even though printers may have build chambers measuring 3 by 2 by 3 ft., by sectioning and then bonding the sections together, much larger fixtures and tools can be constructed. Wild notes that, through sectioning and bonding, Stratasys has produced forming tools surpassing 8 ft. in length. But, she cautions, the limiting factor is accuracy.
“Very large tools that require high accuracy will need post-process machining,” she says. “Critical surfaces must be machined to meet the tighter tolerances that AM can’t meet right out of the machine. There are ways to mitigate accuracy concerns using design and build operations as well as machining.”
AM Can Be Your Friend
The goal of this article was to pro- vide insight into AM, and how it can be a friend to metalformers, fabricators, and tool designers and builders. With a discerning eye and some knowledge of the process, my bet is that you read- ily can find AM applications in your operations. You’ll be surprised by how
A check tool for stamped automotive seat brackets required a lifetime of 42,000 inspections. The previous tool, constructed via traditional subtractive- manufacturing processes, weighed more than 40 lb. The redesigned thermoplastic 3D-printed tool weighs only 4 lb., with delivery time cut from six to two weeks. Its user reports that the smaller-profile tool enables improved part alignment.
much AM can help...and in unexpect- ed ways, as this last example illustrates. At a recent aerospace conference, a speaker from a major defense con- tractor relayed how his company began using AM to produce jigs and fixtures to test large aircraft parts. The company had bought a new resin 3D-printing system with a huge build envelope such as one used to print automobiles. The machine was installed in an otherwise empty room and the engineers got right to work deciding what to make. One of them noticed that everyone was standing, as the room had no furniture. The first product they designed and built? A chair. MF
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