Abstract
This paper is focused on automotive stamping tools and dies as well as the impact of 3D metal printing and metals related 3D-printing on design and production of such tools and dies. The purpose has been to find out the current industrial potential of 3D-printing as far as lead time, costs, shapes, material usage, metal piece size, surface roughness, hardness, strength, and machinability are concerned. The business transformational impact of 3D-printing is also addressed in this paper. The obtained results show that the lead time can be halved, the costs are somewhat higher, and the strength, hardness, surface roughness, and machinability of the 3D-printed metallic tools and dies are as good as those of the conventionally made. The maximum size of a metal piece that can be 3D-printed today by Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) is, in the best case, 500 mm × 500 mm × 500 mm. 3D-printing can also be used for the pattern to make the mold box in iron and steel casting. It is also possible to eliminate the casting pattern, since the mold box can be 3D-printed directly. All this has started to have a large business impact, and it is therefore of great significance to outline and execute an action plan almost immediately.
Highlights
Tool and die design and manufacturing are an important phase in the development of new components/products that are to be mass-produced
The targets for the present investigation were to study and evaluate how 3D-printing can be used in tool and die design and manufacture and how it affects the costs and lead time
The following questions needed to be responded to: Up to which size can large metal pieces currently be 3Dprinted? Which are the metallic materials that can be printed to industrial tools/dies today? Which are the lead time and costs for 3D-printed tools/ dies? How do these tools/dies compare with those conventionally made? The tool/die weight/design? What can be accomplished? The strength, surface roughness, and hardness of the printed metal piece? Can the printed metal piece be machined, polished, hardened, and surface-coated? Is it possible to 3D-print the casting pattern?
Summary
Tool and die design and manufacturing are an important phase in the development of new components/products that are to be mass-produced. This phase determines both the lead time (Time-To-Production/Market) and the amount of investments required to start the production. This lead time is highly dependent upon the lead time for tools and dies required to make the new car body components. The targets for the present investigation were to study and evaluate how 3D-printing can be used in tool and die design and manufacture and how it affects the costs and lead time. Which are the metallic materials that can be printed to industrial tools/dies today? The present paper is an account of the responses found so far to the questions above
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
