Breaking the mould with additive manufacturing

How can this new rapid moulding technology speed up production? Jake Holmes finds out…

Many companies are turning their attention to the growing benefits of additive manufacturing, especially for custom solutions or just-in-time manufacturing. Through additive manufacturing, companies can reduce costs and material waste by producing only what is needed, and also save on storage costs. Many train manufacturers have been utilising another great benefit: the ability to produce products instantaneously, cutting lead times from potentially months to just a few hours. This reduces downtime and increases productivity.

Meanwhile, manufacturers within the aerospace and automotive industries often rely on large, complex, and unique equipment for machining. Having the technological ability to quickly produce specific tools reduces the need for stockpiling single-purpose tools in the warehouse.

Traditional machinery can be space-consuming and require multiple fixtures, vices, and jigs. Having a range of single-purpose machinery can also be expensive and inefficient. This is where additive manufacturing has its benefits, as the same machinery can be repurposed for different applications. Fyous, a British innovative moulding systems developer, is poised to further disrupt this area with its recently launched Polymorphic rapid tooling technology.

Designed to reduce the amount of machinery and tools required in the factory, Fyous’ system can create moulds 14 times faster than traditional additive manufacturing, allowing much faster production. Moulds can be produced almost instantly using this new technology, reducing lead times and allowing factories to have access to custom tools almost instantly.

POLYMORPHIC MOULDING

Fyous’ PolyMorphic 28k forming machine is composed of the machine itself, the pin tool and the firm’s 3D CAD software. The moulding process itself takes approximately 20 minutes, roughly 14 times faster than 3D printing processes for similar-sized pieces. Workholding increases productivity and efficiency by reducing the time it takes for time set up between moulds.

The machine then vacuums the material around the pin to create the final mould. The tightly packed pins raise or lower to the correct level to create the mould, shaping the material with each pin. The pin tool in the forming machine is infinitely reusable, with the 3D CAD model forming the 28,000 densely packed pins into a tooling shape. The strength of the pin tools makes them well-suited to holding metal for machining.

The pins boast an accuracy rate of up to 0.1mm, being able to withstand up to six tonnes of pressure once locked into place. These capabilities make the pins well-suited to vacuum forming, composite layup, composite bonding, and moulding polyurethane products. Each pin part is roughly the same size as a shoe box and can be used together to create large moulds for multiple applications.

Joshua Shires, co-founder at Fyous, says: “The only input is a 3D CAD model of the part to be held, from which we can produce tooling that holds the part perfectly.”

With a pin tool, manufacturers can reinsert it into the forming machine to create a new mould, resulting in no waste for pin production. The mould does not need to be kept, but only the 3D CAD model must be retained.

“Failure to use optimal work holding is not only inefficient, expensive and time-consuming, it can result in slippage, safety risks, and increased chance of damaging parts,” Shires adds.

COST-EFFECTIVE CUSTOMISATION

The ability to make cost-effective tooling at a rapid pace could be a large step forward for industries such as aerospace and automotive, however these sectors are not the sole beneficiaries as the technology can be applied across a wide range of industries.

For example, Fyous’s technology could be used to produce diabetes care products for the NHS and the broader medical industry. The NHS currently spends almost £1 billion per year on diabetic foot care across 4.9 million diabetics in the UK. Doctors can use the Fyous app to scan the feet of diabetes patients, generating millions of data points that are then used to create custom moulds for trainers.

One industry that may have not expected to use this technology is confectionery. Using the moulding process, users can create customised chocolate. Using the 3D CAD app, companies can leverage the Polymorphic process to form moulds for pouring liquid chocolate into. This allows companies to create bespoke chocolates for customers, providing personalised products.

Moulding processes are faster than additive manufacturing for creating custom chocolate moulds. Previous methods would allow corporations to create custom chocolate moulds in factories, whereas the increase in moulding speed now offers the potential for customers to purchase customised chocolates on the shop floor using scans they took on the Fyous app.

MADE-ON-DEMAND

More than ever complex pieces of machinery are required, and with today’s global economy, there is no capacity for downtime. Both companies and government infrastructure are increasingly seeing the benefits of paying higher initial costs to ensure high productivity, reduced lead times, and quicker repair times. The rail industry is starting to fully embrace this technology change as the impact it has on service is sizeable.

Shires says: “We can now see for the first time a way to realise the ‘made-on-demand’ model of consumer product manufacturing. The possibilities are limitless, and we are very excited to be right at the heart of this revolution.”

Fyous’ Polymorphic moulding technology now takes the advantages of additive manufacturing to new heights. Previously, the benefits of additive manufacturing’s timescales were largely confined to warehouses and manufacturing centres. Now, the ability to scan and produce a mould in under an hour opens this technology up to more applications closer to the end-user.