The technology of tool manufacturing is as important as it's designing, analyzing, testing and optimizing. Thanks to our know how we can offer the most optimized solutions for product manufacturing - in terms of quality, time and production costs.
The CAD design services 3D Mold employs technologists, who conduct consultations with the client and offer their extent support. In order to choose the technology, that meets the expectations of the client, our technologists consider, among others, the following product properties:
- foreseen production counts
- certificates and standards
- accuracy and tolerances
- material type
- surface quality
- esthetics
- weight
- working environment of the product
The CAD design services 3D Mold realizes production, using, among others, the following technologies:
1
Injection molding
This is the most widely used way of manufacturing elements from plastics. The broad variety of products is manufactured by means of injection molding. Plastics are melt down in the forming device and is injected into a form, where it's being cooled down and then solidified at the end stage. The injection form is a complex device, which needs to fulfill many different demand within the materials injection process. The forms, which are usually made up of steel and aluminum, consist of many elements, such as matrixes, props, pushers, slides or cooling systems. Injection forming is a profitable way of manufacturing of high quantities of plastic elements. It's advantages are: high accuracy, repeatability and a big choice of materials.2
Blanking die
This tool is used to cut the defined shape from the sheet metal or another thin material. The blanking die, apart from the main cutting function, can be also used to pin down, bend or perforate.3
Composite material
A composite - occurs after joining two or more different materials in order to create a better and unique material. Compared to typical materials used currently, such as metal or wood, a composite can be of great advantage. It is durability, inflexibility and lightness. Apart from above-mentioned advantages, composite materials have such properties as:- long viability
- designing flexibility
- lack of corrosion
- no conduction
- flexibility
- low maintenance costs
Typical applications of plastics composites include, among others: airplanes, boats or automotive parts.
4
Resin forming - RTM
It's a multistage process of a closed form for mass production - from 100 up to 500 + units per year - made of high quality composites, made of fiberglass or plastics strengthened with fiberglass. The RTM consists of putting the fibrous pre-form into the half-form, injecting the thermosetting resin into the closed recess of the form at low pressure. After solidifying, the forms are opened and the part is removed.
Advantages of RTM:
- Designing flexibility and possibility to create complex shapes and forms
- Excellent, homogenous dimensional tolerance: + / - 1,0 mm
- High fiber content - 25 % to 50 % of volumetric fiber content - creates strong and light masses of the ready product.
- Low equipment costs mean lower start-up costs and faster placing the product on the market.
- Highly efficient material recycling enhances working efficiency and lowers the production costs
- The product preserves its aesthetics as well as high quality of inner and outer surfaces
- Lower material and injection losses
5
Thermoforming
Thermal shaping is a process of heating the sheet metal up to its' plastifying temperature, which is maintained under and over one-sided form, while it gets cold and solidify in the desired shape.The thermoplastic sheet is fastened to the holding device and is warmed up in the furnace by means of convection or thermal radiation until it's softened. Afterwards this sheet is held horizontally on the matrix and is compacted or stretched on the form by means of subpressure, pressure or mechanical force. The softened sheet is compatible with the shape of the form and is held down at the position, until it gets cold.
Preparing the tool to thermoforming doesn't need to be expensive and time-consuming. These tools are mainly made of aluminum (by high production range). In case of small production series the wooden forms are sometimes used.