2. Relevant steps for implementing metal 3D printing for tooling

2.1 Estimate target cooling time

The first objective is to estimate the minimum cooling time required to cool the injected polymer part under good conditions with good thermal homogeneity to limit mechanical deformation and appearance defects. LPBF metal additive manufacturing will be of technical and economic interest when, during the tooling development phase, conventional control design methods and tools reach their limits: reduced accessibility, cantilevered mold shape not achievable by conventional drilling, low material thickness, etc.

Generally speaking, the design of an injection molding tool calls on the expertise of plastics engineers and plastic injection process simulation software. Conventional numerical tools such as SOLIDWORKS Plastics, Moldex3D...