Abhishek Kalra
Manager – Application Consultancy
Additive Manufacturing or more commonly known as 3D Printing in the past few years has been evolving to be more than just a method of design validation and concept prototyping. With the expansion of materials, system capabilities and acceptance levels of the technology, many customers have started to explore into the possibility and benefits of using 3D printing machines in other avenues.
One such 3D Printing applications is in the realm of Jigs and Fixtures. This technology has proven itself to be valuable in various types of fixtures, including those used for checking, assembly, and alignment. It takes full advantage of FDM 3D printing technology’s capability to create complex geometries using lightweight 3D Printing materials
The 3D Printing applications team faced a challenge: to test whether 3D printer models (parts) could be used as masking jigs for the Vacuum Metallization of automotive parts. Vacuum Metallization is a process that creates a reflective surface by depositing aluminium onto the part’s surface, achieved by reducing the melting point of aluminium through the creation of a vacuum environment. This lowers the operating temperature to approximately 70°C
In this case the customer wanted to prevent the edges of the part from Deposition. The first task was to select a 3D Printing materials suitable enough to sustain the process. We chose Stratasys ABS 3D Printing filament as the heat deflection temperature of ABSplus in 82C which would sustain the temperature conditions inside the chamber.
Next step was to prove the process. In order to do so, we created a dummy part and its jig, both printed with 0.254 microns layer in solid configuration using the Stratasys 3D Printers based on FDM technology ( Fused Deposition modelling ). The part was then send to a test lab for Metallization. Surface preparation was performed to ensure there is no spilling of material, however we left a section of the surface to be rough to observe the effects. The test was successful. Below is the image of the assembly CAD model during the process.
3D printing applications, with their versatility and precision, are increasingly becoming pivotal tools for optimizing diverse manufacturing processes. They offer the capability to streamline production, reduce waste, and accelerate prototyping while ensuring a high degree of customization. Moreover, in certain scenarios, the deployment of 3D printing machines has evolved into a viable method for crafting limited quantities of final, functional parts directly, bypassing the need for expensive molds or tooling, making it a cost-effective solution for small-batch and specialized production needs
This project was published on March, 2017
