3D Printed Tooling & Injection Molding

Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) is not only creating a new way to manufacture for
designers and engineers, it is enhancing the traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printed tool
inserts are a huge development in advanced applications, as this provides an efficient way for 3D
printing to be integrated into large volume manufacturing. The FATHOM team offers 3D
printing tooling services for short production runs at affordable rates. We have the capability to
help you every step of the way—from 3D CAD to 3D printing to injection molding.

3D Printed Tooling Capabilities

 Very short lead-times, first article inside of a week

 Many molds 3D printed in less than a day
 Quick iterations during development
 Injection production-grade thermoplastics
 Build a tool overnight
(post-production is minimal compared to machining)

3D Printed Tooling Considerations

 PolyJet is best for less than 100 parts needed

 DMLS ideal for more than 100 parts (capable of 1,000+)
 Tool action “slides and lifters” are possible with PolyJet and DMLS
 Tool texture not possible with PolyJet (DMLS is best for texture)
 Thin walls, tiny holes, and undercut limitations

HOW IT WORKS
3D printed tooling makes sense when speed is critical. These functional models can be used for
testing impact resistance, chemical resistance, water intrusion, and flexural modulus.
FATHOM’s accelerated injection molding service is a fast and versatile manufacturing process
because tools can be 3D printed in less than a day. An account manager based in our Oakland or
Seattle office can help you decide what technology and process is ideal for your project.

BENEFITS
The advantage of 3D printing molds versus steel/aluminum molds is the apparent differences in
lead-time and cost. It takes numerous weeks to build steel/aluminum tooling molds and the rush
order fees can add up. Frequently, mistakes in the mold design become apparent after machining
which leads to more time consumed to accommodate mold iterations. Multiple design edits may
go from the designer to the tool engineer until the final mold design and quality are achieved,
resulting in higher costs and product time to market.

FEATURED CASE STUDY:

CONCEPT TO 3D PRINT TO INJECTION
MOLD

These safe toys by Green Toys are made in USA out of 100% recycled plastic — from
submarines and tugboats to airplanes and rocket ships, these toys are just as earth-friendly as
they are fun. How did FATHOM have a hand in these great toys made from curbside collected
plastics?
Green Toys needed a couple of astronauts to accompany their rocket ship toy set. From a rough
clay model and form sketches to 3D CAD modeling, FATHOM created a 3D printed injection
mold tool to create realistic prototypes in HDPE.

By leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing, the Green Toys team
was able to bring their idea to life for lower costs and faster lead-time compared to traditional
methods.

3D printing moulds for investment casting

Having a 3D Printer that can create plastic prototypes is one thing, but having the ability to have
printed plastic moulds that are cast into metal, is a huge leap forward for low volume runs.

The process involves the following:

 3D Printing your part using a material based from Corn Starch called Poly(lactic acid) PLA. (You
can’t use ABS as it is toxic when burnt out)
 Contact your local foundry and ask if they can do investment casting and show them this blog
post.
 Send the part to the foundry
 They attach the part to a pattern tree with other parts.
 The 3D printed part is dipped into a tank of ceramic slurry and left to dry.
 It is put into a furnace to 150 degrees, so the PLA becomes a liquid is then poured out of the
ceramic mould. What is left is a hollow mould of your printed part.
 Molten metal is poured into the mould and left to cool.
 The ceramic mould is cracked away and the casting is removed.
 The part is then ground or sand blasted to finish it.

Using 3D printers offers a great alternative to the traditional methods of casting as it offers a
faster, more affordable, and less labour intensive casting processes.

3D printed moulds are ideal for the production of small product runs where the cost of traditional
tooling would be prohibitive.
By printing your mould, it is a great replacement for wax pattern making – saving weeks off the
traditional process for prototyping metal parts.

Picture: From Left to right – Stainless steel, PLA and ABS parts.