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Rapid Tooling & Metal Parts by Additive Fabrication (C) Copyright Castle Island Co., All Rights Reserved.
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| Commercially-available INDIRECT Tooling and Rapid Manufacturing Processes | ||||||||||||
| Process | Suppliers | Lead Time | Inj Mold Applicable Quantities | Inj Mold Relative Cost | Inj Moldable Materials | Mold Parameters | Tolerance (in/in) or as designated | Hardness | Surface Finish | Part Size Limitations | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| RTV Silicone Rubber Mold | Many | 3 days to 2 wks | 10 to 50 | $1K to $5K | urethanes, epoxies, acrylics | 0.005 w/ 0.020 walls | n/a |
 least expensive mold, but fairly expensive piece parts
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tool life;
 accuracy, better for simple parts;
limited materials
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| Aluminum-Filled Epoxy | Many | 1 to 4 wks | 100's complex, 1000's simple | typ $3000; range: $2.5 to $10K and up to $35K | thermoplastics | 0.002 in/in | n/a |
least expensive for true thermoplastics
|
long cycle times;
tool life;
accuracy, better for simple parts
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| Sprayed-Metal | Many | 2 to 4 wks | 50 to 1000's | $2 to $15K | thermoplastics | 0.002 in/in |
large parts,
conformal cooling possible
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tool life;
accuracy, better for simple parts;
poor for narrow slots |
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| Kirksite | Many | 3 to 6 wks | 50 to 1000's | $4 to $15K | thermoplastics | 0.003 in/in |
complex shapes
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accuracy
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| Rapid Solidification Process (RSP) | RSP Tooling LLC | 1 wk | 10 to millions | thermoplastics, metals | Same as typ inj molds | 0.003 CAD to tool | Rc 56 heat treat and temper possible | 40 micro-in; Excellent: "even picks up finger prints from the pattern" | 7 x 7 x 4 in |
99.5 to 99.8% dense,
500 lbs/hr deposition rate,
props better than intrinsic mat'l;
allows use of steel molds early in design
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Deep slots are difficult
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| SprayformTM | Ford Global Technologies [Process licensed to > 12 companies.] |
2 to 4 wks | thousands to millions | About 10 -> 15% less than conventional CNC tools. | No limitations, thermoplastics, die casting, stamping tools, etc. | Same as typ inj molds | mainly depends on the tolerance of the pattern; typically quoted as 0.003 to 0.006 over 12 in | Hardness levels equal to or greater than conventional tools up to Rc 60 | Excellent, little or no additional finishing required for non-Class A applications. Tools may be machined or plated for fine surface finish as required. | 3 x 3 ft, but multiple tools may be welded or joined together. |
Large sizes;
Surface finish;
cooling lines, actuators, slides;
can be welded or repaired;
flexible applications;
multiple materials
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Deep slots may be difficult
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| RePliFormTM | RePliForm | 10 to 30 days | 10K to 50K typical w/ nickel; 1000's typical w/ copper | $6500 for both sides of a 1.5 sq ft mold. Additional costs incurred for pattern, mounting, ejector pins, etc. | thermoplastics | Up to 400 deg F, 15 Kpsi | mainly depends on the tolerance of the pattern | Up to Rc 20 | Same as master, but if too smooth RP master may be difficult to remove | Up to 3 x 4 ft for Cu |
Ability to scale to large sizes;
Surface finish same as master;
complex parting lines possible
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Might not be competitive for small parts;
Difficult to repair or modify a mold;
RP patterns are not as Accurate as CNC;
Slow cycle times for ceramic backed versions of tools
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| Process | Suppliers | Lead Time | Inj Mold Applicable Quantities | Inj Mold Relative Cost | Inj Moldable Materials | Mold Parameters | Tolerance (in/in) or as designated | Hardness | Surface Finish | Part Size Limitations | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Commercially-available INDIRECT Tooling and Rapid Manufacturing Processes | ||||||||||||
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