IACMI, in conjunction with ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, is leading a precompetitive project to use ORNL’s large scale 3-D metal additive process to develop steel tools for molding of composite materials that can survive the rigors of full-scale production, yet cut tool production time by up to 80%, and costs by over 50% versus traditional methods. All IACMI members are invited to become project participants and access the IP developed by this project to gain early mover advantage.
Join us for a webinar on Thursday, August 24th from noon-1:00PM EDT to learn more. REGISTER
When it’s time, join the meeting
Join by phone: +1-510-338-9438 USA Toll; Access Code: 295 231 705
Background:
Steel production tooling used in compression and injection molding of fiber reinforced materials is costly and involves long lead times for fabrication. In too many situations, the cost of steel prototype or short run tooling is a major impediment to justifying the business case to convert from a metallic structure to a lighter weight composite one.
Dept. of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Lab has developed novel technology for production of large metallic structures, offering potential for substantial time and cost savings. For example, early demonstrations in printing an excavator arm and a small compression mold are shown below:
The goal of this multi-year project is to progressively produce tooling that is larger and more durable, reaching tool sizes of approximately 50 sq.ft. and able to mold hundreds of thousands of parts.
Please join us for a 60-minute webinar on Thursday, August 24, at Noon (EDT), to learn more about this opportunity, including the technology, the anticipated project steps and roles of both IACMI R&D partners and industry participants.