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March 19th, 2008

Nanotechnology Breakthrough for Rapid Tooling

Abstract:
NanoTool from DSM Somos® gives the high precision physical properties and surface qualities required for a wide range of Rapid Tooling and Rapid Prototyping applications generating significant savings in both lead times and costs.

Working together with the molding company, Pichot, leading French Service Bureau, Axis, has used NanoTool to make production tools for the injection molding of pill dispensers for the medical industry. Conventional metal tools would have taken 4-6 weeks to produce but by using stereolithography (SL), the complete process from CAD drawing to fitted injection molds took just eight working days.

As a result, costs and time to market were substantially reduced. Axis also believes that tooling produced on SL systems offers a number of key technical advantages, as Technical Manager Ludovic Martin explains: "SL offers more opportunities than conventional routes to build complex geometries and tight tolerances. In the case of rapid tooling, this is significant for the design of the part as well as for the technical aspects of the mold. For example, with SL we can really optimise the design of the cooling channels allowing them, if necessary, to follow the contours of the part. This helps to optimise quality and productivity."

Source:
tctmagazine.com

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