3D printers Mantle’s hybrid metal 3D printers can be used to produce tools to meet the needs of prototyping and production applications. The company’s machines deposit a metal paste onto the build plate, and each layer is dried to make it firm enough for machining. High-speed cutting tools machine the dried metal paste — which is much quicker than machining solid metal — to improve accuracy and surface finish. The part is then sintered in a Mantle furnace to achieve final hardness.
What’s new? The High-Precision Shaping package, which includes updated TrueShape software for designing toolpaths, as well as 0.006-inch and 0.01-inch ball mill cutting tools.
Benefits Faster, easier production of steel tools. Mantle can now produce tools with radii under 0.003 inch, compared to the previous limit of 0.01-inch — a 70 percent improvement. This allows it to match the performance of sinker electrical discharge machining, but at a lower cost and more quickly — cutting production time for mold tools by up to 75 percent. Mantle’s software also simplifies programming, as users upload part models and the software automatically calculates all toolpaths.
Mantle, San Francisco, 415-655-3555, www.mantle3d.com
David Tillett | Associate Editor
Associate Editor David Tillett writes and edits for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He covers new products, industry news, patents and consumer and business equipment. He has more than 20 years of experience in daily newspaper, online and magazine journalism.
