Can 3D printing replace molds? Yes, with a 60% cost drop.

• Automated Dynamics波音彩票: Automated Dynamics used Stratasys' FDM technology to fabricate helicopter blade prototypes. By using soluble cores made with FDM technology to replace traditional ceramic or metal sacrificial templates, it is estimated that the cost savings in molds can reach at least 60% - 70%.

• RBP METALLURGY in Mexico: RBP METALLURGY in Mexico replaced traditional handmade wooden molds with 3D printing technology, greatly optimizing the die-casting process and reducing material costs by 60% - 70%.

• Farsoon Technologies' Automatic Grafting Printing: Compared with overall mold printing, Farsoon Technologies' automatic grafting printing technology, taking a certain application mold as an example, reduces powder material costs by 69% and increases production efficiency by 70%.

1. Reduced Material Costs

• On-demand Material Usage: Traditional mold manufacturing is a subtractive process, which requires removing a large amount of material from the raw material block to form the mold shape, resulting in significant material waste. In contrast, 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology. According to the 3D model of the mold, materials are added layer by layer as needed, using only the amount of material required for mold manufacturing, reducing material waste and thus cutting costs.

• Use of Low-cost Materials波音彩票: Some 3D printing materials are relatively inexpensive. For example, thermoplastic pellets are considered to be raw materials with lower additive manufacturing costs, which are 10 times lower than other printing materials (such as thermoplastic filaments). With the development of technology, more 3D printing materials with excellent performance and low prices are emerging, providing more options for reducing mold costs.

  
  

  

2. Shortened Time Costs

• Rapid Prototyping: The traditional mold manufacturing process is complex, and it goes through multiple processes from design to the final product, with a long cycle. 3D printing technology can directly and quickly form prototypes according to the design model, eliminating intermediate steps such as making molds for molds, greatly shortening the mold production cycle. For example, RBP METALLURGY in Mexico reduced the mold core production time from 3 weeks to 3 days by replacing traditional handmade wooden molds with 3D printing technology.

• Reduced Waiting Time: In traditional manufacturing, purchasing molds or waiting for mold production may cause project delays due to supply chain issues or production scheduling. 3D printing allows for on-demand and immediate printing within the enterprise, reducing the waiting time for procurement and external processing, improving production efficiency and indirectly reducing costs.

3. Optimized Design and Production Processes

• High Design Freedom: Traditional mold manufacturing is limited by the process. For molds with complex shapes and structures, design and manufacturing are difficult and costly. 3D printing technology can achieve shapes that cannot be manufactured by traditional methods, and it can easily fabricate molds with complex internal structures and conformal cooling channels, optimizing mold performance, improving production efficiency and reducing overall costs.

• Reduced Design Change Costs波音彩票: During product development, if mold design changes are needed, traditional mold manufacturing may require remaking the mold, resulting in huge waste of upfront costs. 3D printing can quickly modify and reprint according to the new design model, reducing the cost increase caused by design changes.

  
  

  

• Advantages in Small Batch Customization: For small batch and customized mold requirements, the cost allocation of traditional manufacturing molds is high. 3D printing can produce on demand without having to invest a large amount of mold development costs for small batch orders, and it has obvious cost advantages in small batch customized mold production. For example, after toivalanmetalli adopted 3D printed molds, it achieved small batch production, and the cost per piece was significantly reduced to 300 to 400 euros.

4. Reduced Labor and Equipment Costs

• Reduced Labor Input: 3D printing operation is relatively simple, and there is no need for a large number of professional technical workers to carry out complex processing operations, reducing labor costs.

• Reduced Equipment Investment波音彩票: Traditional mold manufacturing requires a variety of expensive processing equipment, such as milling machines, lathes, and electrical discharge machining equipment. 3D printing only requires a 3D printer and related auxiliary equipment, reducing equipment purchase and maintenance costs. For example, some enterprises that adopt 3D printed molds have reduced the overall investment in molds and injection molding equipment by about 28%.