Mar 7, 2017 | By Tess
Prodways' 3D printing technology has been adopted in the plastic injection sector by German microsystems engineering company Hahn-Schickard. According to a press release by Prodways parent company Groupe Gorgé, Hahn-Schickard has integrated a ProMaker L5000 3D printer and Prodways’ new PLASTCure Rigid 10500 resin for new applications in plastic injection molding.
Based in south-west Germany, Hahn-Schickard specializes in the research and development of microsystems, micro and computer assembly technologies, and microanalysis systems. The company, which is known for staying up to date with contemporary technologies and processes, has helped to advance R&D for influential technologies, such as 3D printing, and helps companies to apply said innovations for their own business.
Recently, the German company adopted Prodways’ ProMaker L5000 industrial 3D printer along with its PLASTCure Rigid 10500 resin to rapidly manufacture customized injection molds for prototyping and tooling small series parts.
Injection molding, a process which manufactures objects by injecting materials such as plastic into a mold, traditionally requires molds made from machined metals, such as stainless steel (for large-series production) or aluminum (for small-series production). Of course, this means that the process of manufacturing the injection molds is not only expensive, but very slow.
ProMaker L5000 industrial 3D printer
Using Prodways' new PLASTCure Rigid 10500 ultra-high strength resin, its MOVINGLight technology, and the ProMaker L5000 3D printer, Hahn-Shickard has managed to produce high-performance injection molds for prototyping or tooling small series parts in a much more time- and cost-efficient way. 3D printing has also offered a greater level of flexibility for the design of the molds.
In terms of time, the ProMaker L5000 (with a build volume of 400 x 330 x 400 mm) has turned out molds in half the time standard machining processes take. Additionally, the 3D printer’s pressure and temperature resistance, as well as its high printing resolution of 40 μm, contributed to making the molds top quality. According to Groupe Gorgé, Hahn-Schickard is able to inject more than 100 parts per mold using high-performance thermoplastics (like Liquid Crystal Polymer).
Perhaps most importantly, the German microsystems company is able to produce multiple iterations of a single injection mold in a timely manner, which in turn allows it to test and optimize its designs for its clients.
Parts made from PLASTCure Rigid 10500 resin
In the same release, Groupe Gorgé announced that another of its subsidiaries, ECA Group, has obtained €3 million worth of contracts to equip a total of 680 planes with Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs). ELTs, which are essentially distress signal devices, are used by search and rescue organizations to locate an aircraft that may be in distress.
All in all, not a bad day for France-based Groupe Gorgé.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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