3d Printed Sheet Metal Dies

Creating the die molds is a critical part to the process and traditionally takes days or weeks to be cnc milled to specifications.

3d printed sheet metal dies. The print was paused at strategic times to install steel inserts for added support. The punch and die set were strong enough to form 14 gauge sheet steel in a press brake which is pretty impressive. These two materials have a very similar chemical composition high in silicon and magnesium. When this is the case the metal printed part can be postmachined to the appropriate tolerances.

When printing with pla o. 3d printing with the projet 3500 and visijet materials allows for robust die molds to be created within hours and are usable. Using a 3d printed die to bend sheet metal parts here s an interesting little experiment. We ve seen several people create custom dies for their brakes and the results have shown the concept has merit for.

Hydroforming up to 10 000 psi 69mpa rubber pad press 1 000 ton press up to 3. Follow the design guidelines below to take full advantage of fdm for sheet metal tooling. For example take a look at the mechanical properties of the alsi10mg eos metal 3d printing alloy and the a360 die cast alloy. Shane needed a blade guard for his cheap reciprocating saw.

Design guidelines for fdm sheet metal tools. Hydroforming is a metal forming process that uses a die molding over which sheet metal including steel stainless steel copper aluminum and more to be rapidly shaped using highly pressurized fluid to create precisely formed shapes. Round beads serve to stabilize metal sheets. In other situations the die must adhere very tightly to the original design.

The creation of such circular beads can be made very easy with a 3d printed dimple die. Rather than invest machining time and resources into making the punch and die from metal centerline engineered solutions 3d printed the tooling with a markforged mark two in onyx a carbon fiber reinforced polymer. He wanted to know if he could fabricate one himself by pressing some sheet metal into the somewhat involved profile of the part using 3d printed dies. Metal 3d printing is typically accurate to several thousandths of an inch which in many cases is accurate enough for the working surface of a stamping die.

See how 3d printed dimple dies stand up against solid steel. The printed parts have superior mechanical properties and higher hardness compared to the wrought material. The blanks were precut with a laser before.