Additive Manufacturing with Plastics

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing in the plastics industry involves the creation of components without dies or tooling—or the fabrication of tooling itself—for use in prototyping, bridge production, or short-run production. Common types include stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), and digital light process (DLP). Learn more at What Is Additive Manufacturing?

Molds & Tooling

How 3D Printing Supports Toolmaking Workforce at This Multiscale Molder

At more than a century old, General Pattern has seen multiple evolutions in its ��ý — the latest of which is the embrace of additive manufacturing technologies for mold tooling and beyond.

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Additive Manufacturing 21 Jul 2023

5 Big Themes in Additive Manufacturing at Formnext Forum: Austin

As manufacturing advances with additive, the advance increasingly emphasizes these five themes.

screws 28 May 2020

What You Should Know About Miniature Extrusion Screws

Very small screws have become more common with the growth of additive manufacturing. Designing such screws requires balancing their output requirements with their torque strength.

Latest Additive Manufacturing News And Updates

Additive Manufacturing 3 Dec 2024

Juggerbot P3-44 Astra Enables Large Format Printing With PVC

Process controls and safety systems specifically tailored for industrial printing with PVC.

Additive Manufacturing 18 Nov 2024

3Devo Filament Maker Two Enhances Extrusion Control

The machine includes an upgraded screw drive, monitoring and user interface for enhanced filament production.

Additive Manufacturing 25 Oct 2024

Formlabs Form 4L and Form 4BL Print Expand 3D Print Volumes

Formlabs 4L and 4BL offer high sprint speeds and nearly 5 times the volume.

Extrusion 17 Oct 2024

Insight Polymers & Compounding Unveils New Conductive Products Line

The new conductive products line will also be produced for injection molding and extrusion.

Additive Manufacturing 16 Sep 2024

Xact Metal Partners with PanOptimization to Incorporate Simulation and Optimization in Additive Manufacturing

Thermomechanical simulations will enable identification and correction of build issues prior to 3D printing.

Additive Manufacturing 19 Jul 2024

Patents Granted for AIM3D Additive Manufacturing Solutions

AIM3D announced four patents protecting extrusion topology and a solution for pellet processing.

Featured Posts

Injection Molding 25 Nov 2024

The Connector Conundrum: 3D Printed Mold Tooling’s Role in Innovation

ReelView Fishing faced an electronics obstacle in the development of its new technology for underwater video. Additive manufacturing for moldmaking allowed for the speed necessary to iterate to a solution. How inventors and invention will benefit from new ways of obtaining production-ready tooling.

Additive Manufacturing 19 Nov 2024

7 Takeaways on 3D Printing As a Pathway to Polymer’s Future

The Cleveland section of SPE hosted “Additive Manufacturing: Printing the Path for the Future” on October 17, 2024. Speakers signaled where AM is and where it is headed with session topics ranging from pellet-based 3D printing to qualification and commercialization of additively manufactured products.

Additive Manufacturing 27 Sep 2024

Additive Technologies for Injection Mold Tooling Ride Tailwinds

NPE2024: Lowering barriers to additive manufacturing adoption in toolmaking.

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close up on technology 26 Jul 2024

NPE 2024: Additive Manufacturing Assisting, Advancing Plastics Processing

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

Additive Manufacturing 20 Mar 2024

3D Printing Workshop Returns for NPE2024: The Plastics Show

The speaker lineup has been announced for this event highlighting the use of 3D printing in the plastics industry.

processor's edge 15 Feb 2024

Make Every Shot Count: Mold Simulation Maximizes Functional Parts From Printed Tooling

If a printed tool only has a finite number of shots in it, why waste any of them on process development?

FAQ: Additive Manufacturing

Do I Need Additive Manufacturing Skills in My Business?

Essentium announced the third in a series of findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. The survey found an increasing need for more education, skills, and training across manufacturers’ organizations. Even as the industry moves towards large-scale AM, 28% of manufacturers reported their personnel lacked AM skills.

How is Additive Manufacturing Applied in Tooling?

In recent years, it has become apparent that additive manufacturing—aka 3D printing—is destined to have a role in plastics mold making, owing to cost and lead-time advantages over conventional subtractive manufacturing—CNC machining—and unique abilities to produce complex internal tooling geometries such as conformal cooling channels.