Product category:
Fast prototyping equipment, pattern-making and services
News Release from: DSM Somos | Subject: NanoTool at Axis
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 10 April 2008
DSM Somos has nanotechnology
breakthrough for RP
By using stereolithography rapid prototyping from DSM Somos, a complete process from CAD drawing to fitted injection molds took just eight working days to make moulding tools.
DSM Somos has announced that its NanoTool gives the high precision physical properties and surface qualities required for a wide range of rapid tooling and rapid prototyping (RP) applications Significant savings in lead times and costs have been reported
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 13 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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New moulding and rapid prototyping shown
DSM Somos' WaterClear and injection moulding materials - recently presented during the Technology Focus in the United States - were shown for the first time in Europe.
Working with molding company, Pichot, a French Service Bureau, Axis, used NanoTool to make production tools for the injection molding of medical pill dispensers.
DSM Somos told manufacturingtalk that making conventional metal tooling would have taken four to six weeks.
It only took eight working days to carry out the complete process from CAD drawing to fitted injection molds using stereolithography (SL).
Further reading
Stereolithography resin is optically clear
DSM Somosannounces the availability of Somos 10120 WaterClear: a new stereolithography resin providing the optical clarity of many polycarbonates.
Stereolithography resin is optically clear
DSM Somos, leading technology innovators in the rapid prototyping (RP) materials industry, will be launching a new family of ProtoFunctional stereolithography resins at EuroMold in Frankfurt.
Fast prototyping product testing time cut by weeks
According to MTI, Somos 10120 WaterClear provided optical clarity that allowed a client to test its product design earlier and realise time savings
* Costs and time to market reduced - consequently, said DSM Somos, using SL substantially reduced costs and time to market.
Axis said it believed that SL tooling offered a number of key technical advantages.
Technical manager at Axis, Ludovic Martin said that SL offered more opportunities than conventional routes to build complex geometries and tight tolerances.
He added: "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".
Axis said that the SL-produced mould tooling has made over 1000 parts in ABS and POM (Polyoxymethylene) and the mold was still working perfectly.
Martin thought that SL rapid tooling with NanoTool to be the ideal system approach.
He said it was: "Especially for applications where low series, small parts and precise tolerances are required." For Axis, the pill dispenser project with Pichot represented a milestone in their development of rapid tooling.
* Metal coating of lighting systems - Axis also uses NanoTool for RP applications.
Martin said: "NanoTool is the best material for higher temperature prototypes such as automotive lamp assemblies including a base for metal coating - a process developed together with Thierry Fleurence, Prototype Manager at Valeo Lighting Systems, Signal Lamp Europe Division in Sens".
Martin said that the surface quality of the NanoTool parts produce on a SLA 250 was so good that there were no visible build lines.
He added: "For any one who knows RP processes, this is truly amazing.
We also have SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) processes in-house but prefer NanoTool for complex shapes, particularly where accuracy, detail and surface quality are critical".
Axis keeps a wide range of Somos materials in-house.
As well as NanoTool it uses high impact material DMX-SLT100.
With these new materials Axis is able to offer a full service from design concept to finished part, selecting from a range of the most advanced SL polymers.
* About NanoTool - NanoTool produces strong, stiff, high temperature resistant composite parts on conventional stereolithography machines.
This 'third generation' of Somos ProtoComposite materials is heavily filled with noncrystalline nanoparticles allowing for faster processing.
It exhibits superior sidewall quality, along with excellent detail resolution when compared to other composite stereolithography materials.
The smooth surface quality and high initial modulus of NanoTool make it an excellent resin for metal plating, a growing application which saves time and money as an alternative to fully metal prototypes.
It's also ideal for creating strong, stiff parts that need to resist high temperatures, including wind tunnel models for aerospace and automotive applications.
A third major application area is rapid tooling for injection molding.
* About Axis - based in Limoges, France, Axis is a young, family owned service bureau offering rapid prototyping, rapid tooling and rapid manufacturing services.
The company was formed in 1997 and, two years later, moved into a custom built development and production facility with a workforce now totaling 18 people.
Axis can turn around parts in period of two to five working days.
As well as stereolithography, other services include selective laser sintering, vacuum casting, FDM deposit modelling, resin injection moulding, milling and painting.
Visit: :http://www.axishello.com>.
* About DSM Somos - DSM Somos is one of the world's leading material suppliers to the rapid prototyping industry, providing stereolithography liquids used for the creation of three-dimensional models and prototypes directly from digital data.
Somos' patented ProtoFunctional materials are used by a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical and telecommunications. Request a free brochure from DSM Somos ...
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