[3D Printed] Tool Steel Injection Molds

 

As additive manufacturing matures, it promises to offer several compelling advantages to injection mold production. By combining near-net printing with machined finishing passes, CNC time is greatly reduced. Complex conformal cooling channel geometries unattainable through milling can be printed. Iteration of mold design becomes much easier – and given that they are tool steel, their performance can be evaluated alongside end-use molds.

Not having any previous injection molding experience, I read through the relevant parts of Kazmer’s Injection Mold Design Engineering in order to designed the molds below. They’re printed in H13 tool steel.

 
With the “machinability” feature turned on in the Markforged slicing software Eiger, I had up to 1.5mm of solid material (not infill) to machine away to meet dimensional tolerances.

With the “machinability” feature turned on in the Markforged slicing software Eiger, I had up to 1.5mm of solid material (not infill) to machine away to meet dimensional tolerances.

Parts shrink during the sintering stage, so they are automatically upsized by the slicer.

Parts shrink during the sintering stage, so they are automatically upsized by the slicer.