San Francisco-based Mantle, a leader in metal 3D printing for tool making, has announced the launch of its High-Precision Shaping package. The package, which includes 0.006″ and 0.010″ ball mill cutting tools and automated tool path software, enables tool shops to automate their tool making process by producing sharp corners and edges without the need for EDM operations. This can reduce the time required to produce mold tools by up to 75%.
Mantle’s TrueShape technology (which we covered earlier here) is at the heart of this innovation. By combining 3D printing of tool steel pastes with traditional CNC machining, it refines the shape of printed tools, delivering precision, surface finish, and tool steel properties unmatched in the metal 3D printing industry.
The high precision shaping package enables a 70% improvement in tool radii from 0.010″ to less than 0.003″, eliminating further costly and time consuming EDM operations associated with traditional tool making.
This revolutionary technology has far-reaching implications for the industry. Eric Derner, Nicolet Plastics technical sales applications engineer, says Mantle allows them to deliver production-grade tooling at prototype time, reducing reliance on offshore tooling and mitigating scheduling and supply chain risks. .
Mantle showcased its software and tools printed with new high-precision modeling capabilities at Plastics Technology Expo 2023 in Rosemont, Illinois, March 28-30. With these capabilities, Mantle is poised to transform the toolmaking industry, delivering complex molded parts to customers faster than ever before.
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