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1. RapidTooling
Presented by:
Prakash Agrawal
13ME07IND020
Submitted to:
Prof. Dr. Y.M. Puri
Mech Engg Dept
VNIT Nagpur

2. • Rapid Prototyping (RP) techniques are methods that
allow designers to produce physical prototypes
quickly.
• It consists of various manufacturing processes by
which a solid physical model of part is made directly
from 3D CAD model data without any special tooling.
RAPID PROTOTYPING

3. Why is Prototyping Important?
Product designers want to have a physical model of a
new part or product design rather than just a computer
model or line drawing
Creating a prototype is an integral step in design
A virtual prototype (a CAD model of the part) may
not be sufficient for the designer to visualize the part
adequately
Using RP to make the prototype, the designer can
see and feel the part and assess its merits and
shortcomings

4. RP Applications
 Applications of rapid prototyping can be classified
into three categories:
1. Design
2. Engineering analysis and planning
3. Tooling and manufacturing

5. Why RAPID TOOLING?
Unfortunately with RP techniques, there is only a
limited range of materials from which prototypes can
be made. Consequently although visualization and
dimensional verification are possible, functional
testing of prototypes often is not possible due to
different mechanical and thermal properties of
prototype compared to production part.

6. RAPID TOOLING
Rapid Tooling refers to mould cavities that are either
directly or indirectly fabricated using Rapid
Prototyping techniques.
These are primarily used to create multiple prototypes.
Rapid prototyping techniques are not economical when
more than one prototype needs to built for the same
component.

7. Rapid Tooling Methods
 Two approaches for tool-making:
1. Indirect RTM method
2. Direct RTM method

8. Indirect RTM Method
Pattern is created by RP and the pattern is used to
fabricate the tool
 Examples:
 Patterns for sand casting and investment casting
 Electrodes for EDM
Direct RTM Method
RP is used to make the tool itself

9. Importance of Rapid Tooling
Tooling time is much shorter than for a conventional
tool.
Tooling cost is much less than for a conventional tool.
Tool life is considerably more than for a conventional
tool.
Tolerances are wider than for a conventional tool.

10. Soft Tooling:
Soft Tooling is made out of Silicon Rubber Resin and due
to its flexibility it is called Soft Tooling (also called Silicon
Rubber Mould). Silicon Rubber Mould is used to produce
plastic prototype components (out of Polyurethane Resin)
and in some cases wax patterns also for further Investment
Casting

11. Hard Tooling:
Patterns are fabricated by machining either tool steel or
aluminum into the negative shape of the desired
component.

12. Comparison of Soft & Hard Tooling
Soft Tooling
 Low Cost Tooling
 Excellent For Medium-Low Volumes High Mix
 Higher Piece Part Cost
 Faster Lead Time And Response
 More Flexibility To Change Design
 Increased Product Variance
 Hard Tooling
 Higher Cost Tooling
 Lower Piece Part Cost
 NO Design Flexibility
 Repeatability
 Longer Lead Time Due To Tooling Lead Time
 Process For High Volumes

13. Rapid Tooling Techniques

14. In this process moulds are made of silicon rubber
material.
Steps
The process involves making of the master pattern
using any available rapid prototyping techniques.
This pattern is then finished to the quality in which
final parts are required.
It is then suspended in an enclosed box and liquid
silicone rubber is poured all around it.
This sets with time and becomes a solid rubbery mass
with the pattern inside.
Silicon Rubber Tooling:

15. Now the mould is cut along its parting line and the
pattern is removed from within.
This results in formation of the core and cavity.
Because the material is flexible, undercut release is not
a problem.
These moulds are good enough for 25-30 pieces in
materials replicating properties of thermoplastics.

16. EPOXY TOOLING
This process is similar to that of vaccum casting. The
only difference being that instead if silicone rubber,
the material used is aluminium filled epoxy.
Once the mould is made from this material, it can be
put on a moulding machine and components can be
moulded in actual material of choice. The mould life
normally is upto 200 pieces.

17. HYBRID TOOLING
Tooling is also made of different materials such as
ZAMAG which is an aluminum and zinc alloy. Using
this material in the above process we can get
components moulded in actual material. The mould
life is close to 1200 pieces.

18. Depending on the complexity, size and requirement of
the component, the right process has to be chosen to
arrive at a solution. Many times, one particular process
may not be the solution, and several processes together
with conventional tooling methods are used to arrive at
a workable solution. This is called Hybrid Tooling. We
also make tools by conventional tooling methods using
aluminum material for short run production.

19. DIRECT METAL LASER SINTERING
In this process, the material used is an alloy of Nickel
and Bronze.
A Laser beam is used to sinter the material selectively
to manufacture the core and cavity inserts directly
from CAD data. This technique is a layer additive
technique for making the inserts.
These inserts after they have been made on the
machine can be directly put on the moulding machine
after desired level of polishing.

20. The basic principle is that initially the CAD data is
sliced by the RP software and then each slice layer is
sintered by the laser beam being deflected in X-Y
direction.
After one layer is complete, the build platform moves
up by a pre determined layer thickness (usually
0.1mm) and then the second layer is cured over it. This
way the entire prototype is built up by subsequent
joining of layers.
The tool life obtained from this technique is
comfortably 50000 pieces.

21. Wire Arc Spray:
These are the thermal metal deposition techniques. These
are been developed to coat low temperature substrates
with metallic materials. This results in a range of low
cost tools that can provide varying degrees of durability.
The concept is to first deploy a high temperature, high
hardness shell material to an RP pattern and then
backfill the remainder of the two shell with inexpensive
low strength, low temperature materials on tooling
channels.
This provides a hard durable face that will endure the
forces on temperature of injection moulding and a soft
banking that can be worked for optimal thermal
conductivity and heat transfer from the body.