Abstract
Tooling, especially for prototyping or small series, may prove to be very costly. Further, prototyping of fiber reinforced thermoplastic shell structures may rely on time-consuming manual efforts. This perspective paper discusses the idea of fabricating tools at reduced time and cost compared to conventional machining-based methods. The targeted tools are manufactured out of sand using the Binder Jetting process. These molds should fulfill the demands regarding flexural and compressive behavior while allowing for vacuum thermoforming of fiber reinforced thermoplastic sheets. The paper discusses the requirements and the challenges and presents a perspective study addressing this innovative idea. The authors present the idea for discussion in the additive manufacturing and FRP producing communities.
Highlights
Applications of Carbon FiberA main industrial focus today lies in energy-efficient and resource-saving manufacturing
Respect to conventionally usedamount) binder in order to investigate the feasible limits and their on theon mechanical properties amount) in order to investigate the feasible limits andeffects their effects the mechanical propconsidered relevant for sand fabrication for vacuum forming of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP).of
A conflict of targets exists regarding strength, penetrability and final permeability. This conflict can only be solved by considering the process, i.e., including printing and infiltration
Summary
A main industrial focus today lies in energy-efficient and resource-saving manufacturing. This is one way to meet relevant ecological and economic targets as well as to ensure the competitiveness of products in the long term. Lightweight components of high mechanical performance are increasingly attracting attention. Equipment and tools must be adapted to the new material and functionality requirements. A significant amount of time in the optimization process of a component lies in the creation of initial prototypes. The production of small series often proves to be cost-intensive. These are primarily manufactured in manual processes. Costly and time-consuming tool manufacturing might be necessary
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