Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference - MAMC 2022

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a manufacturing process capable of additively fabricating injection mould inserts with conformal cooling channels (CCC) in various steels. This article reports the results of a case study in which an injection mould insert is produced using a newly developed hybrid-build hybrid-metal LPBF technique combined with conventional manufacturing methods. A broken insert from an existing high-volume injection mould, made of wrought beryllium copper, is replaced by a hybrid-built hybrid-alloy steel alternative. The new insert, designed with CCC, made of hybrid maraging 300 steel powder and wrought pre-hardened tool steel, is fabricated using the LPBF process and finished with conventional mould-making methods. Compared with standard AM-build practices, a 55% saving in time is attained. Results from the moulding trial reveal a 62% reduction in cooling time and 27% reduction in overall cycle time, respectively. When considering the running cost of the moulding machine, the additional costs in using AM technology and the cost-saving per part moulding achieved, the cost break-even quantity is 20,000 moulded parts, an equivalent of 67 hours running time. The overall result demonstrates how metal AM technology, with the right approach, can be adopted in the plastic moulding industry to increase profitability.