Advertising in MoldMaking Technology offers
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moldmakingtechnology.com 27 the required precision to support printing molds using his composite filament, which range in size, features and price from $4,000 to $25,000. These printers have improved bed leveling and print-head calibration capabilities, offer enclosed chambers for improved control over temperatures, exhibit precision control of the extruder assemblies, offer even heating of their print beds and some feature beltless robotic control for the most precise control over extruder movement. "A lack of any of these capabilities makes it difficult to print a quality injection mold," Zollo says. He says that he continues to test new third-party, industrial-grade printers as they become available. He strongly believes that the industry needs to have options and the power to select the appropriate printing system for its application. His focus is on two key markets: manufacturers seeking pilot production and low-cost, quick- turn, short-run molded plastic part production. "We quickly learned that this is a conservative industry, as manufac- turing engineers asked for technical validation before investing, even at our extremely low pricing. It was a logi- cal next step to offer full-service from design to mold delivery to reduce the technical risk and speed up the assess- ment process for the client manufac- turer," Zollo says. His company can take the customer's CAD file and STL files for the part or mold and redesign it, or start from the customer's part design and implement the entire design and build process. Once customers are confident in his approach, they have the option of buy- ing the high-performance composite filament and printing their own molds if they have a printer with adequate pre- cision. If they need to upgrade their 3D printer, Zollo can offer the customers a FOR MORE INFORMATION Bob Zollo, Founder and CEO Avante Technology, LLC 425-273-4740 avante-technology.com range of printers from his own high-precision desktop printer for small jobs, or the range of German RepRap printers for larger printing projects. For the highest precision, Zollo rec- ommends the Roboze line of industrial-grade FDM printers. This integrated solution, which provides a service sup- ported with the right technical background and technology, builds a bridge to AM for those looking for economical mold solutions.