Alternative materials for rapid tooling

Rapid tooling is an extension of rapid prototyping technology. Rapid prototyping techniques are capable of producing prototypes of very complex part geometry directly from three-dimensional CAD software in a wide variety of materials such as polymer, wax, and paper without the benefit of specially designed tooling or fixturing. Rapid tooling is enabling art to production of quality parts and accelerating time to market by concentrating on the tool rather than the part. The selective laser sintering (SLS) rapid prototyping process has been adapted to produce metal-based prototypes that can be used in rapid tooling applications. The SLS process fuses, or sinters, the powder to form the mould geometry, which is then filled with bronze to form a metal matrix. This is a very recent development so there is some uncertainty associated with it. Modular injection mould tool inserts will be constructed with the view to greatly reduce the time to market allowing the use of alternative tool materials (i.e., RapidSteel®, copper polyamide and CNC machined Ureol and Araldite). An investigation will be conducted to establish the process from the CAD data to the final product. These tools will also undergo numerous tests to confirm design accuracy for form, fit and function testing, turnaround times, and for marketing evaluation. This paper will discuss the outcome of my research for the selection of the most appropriate mould material where time to market is of critical importance.