Ten years ago, there was a broadly accepted and well-defined route that a product developer might travel to take a product from concept to actual part. Generally, that path would include 2D and 3D drawings of the components and their assembly, which would go through various prototyping stages in low-cost, low-volume manufacturing methods such as [...]
“Additive manufacturing” (AM) describes the use of 3D printing to make functional components, including tools and end-use production parts. Unlike “subtractive manufacturing” processes such as machining, where parts are created by removing material, additive manufacturing builds geometries by “adding” feedstock such as filament, wire or powder. Depending on the 3D printing process and application, additive [...]
Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming a growing priority for many mold companies. This is happening because of decreasing cycle times made available by new tool design capabilities made possible by AM, like conformal cooling. As recently as three years ago, moldmakers might have felt that customers were unwilling to pay the extra cost associated with [...]