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Rapid Prototyping, Tooling & Manufacturing Embracing Both Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing By Christina M. Fuges Jig and Fixtures Every day, a jig or fixture is used to locate, insert or support something. Traditionally, these items were machined, but it was too expensive and time consuming to program, buy the material and machine the part . Today, Mishek explains, FDM and Objet parts are built overnight for next-day uses and successes. According to Mishek, with commonly used FDM materials such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate, the fixtures are strong and durable. Using Objet fixtures has made heat staking on cosmetic surfaces easy. A rigid material is used as the substrate, then a soft durometer is used as the overmold to be sure that it does not scratch the cosmetic surface. Mold Inserts For hand pick-out or inserts, using additive manufacturing has been successful for VistaTek. "The durability of the materials is holding up to injection molding applications, which work well for 25 to 50 parts," Mishek says. "Additional experience in the applications yields 200+ parts. The cycles are slower per part, but the speed-to-market is a plus. With the support of the aluminum, the additive materials are stronger and can be used more frequently." VistaTek has seen rapid tooling (rapid molding) become a new standard in the industry for prototype, bridge and lowvolume production tooling. When asked why one should use aluminum for mold inserts, Mishek answers, "Aluminum can be machined faster than tool steel, it polishes quicker, it transfers heat better at the press, and it's easier to move around the shop, which all help deliver quality molds, faster." One of the biggest changes Mishek has seen is getting the mold designer and the tool shop manager on board and educated about making the use of additive manufacturing a standard practice in the toolroom. VistaTek's mold designers are trained to design fixtures, jigs and inserts early and upfront in the design stages. This enables these manufacturing processes to run in parallel through the shop. 18 MoldMaking Technology July 2013 Photo courtesy of VistaTek. Vista Technologies LLC (VistaTek; Vadnais Heights, MN) has discovered many avenues for using additive manufacturing to complement its mold building and injection molding divisions. "With faster speeds, better accuracy and more durability in the technologies and the materials, blending additive manufacturing with subtractive manufacturing has been at an all-time high," says Dan Mishek, managing director/co-owner of Vista. An aluminum mold with PolyJet inserts that was injection molded on a 2012 Arburg 60 ton Electric Press. Another great advantage for the designers is building an actual part using additive technology and sending it out to get sonic welding fixtures and horns built. "Typically, an injection molded part is shot, then the horns are built," Mishek says. "This could add weeks or months of delays." Summary At the end of the day, a traditional mold manufacturer or injection molder can and should embrace additive manufacturing, because it is truly complementary to its existing processes and adds value. For MorE InForMatIon: VistaTek / (651) 653-0400 danny@vistatek.com/ vistatek.com