Rapid tooling is basically the result of the unison of Rapid prototyping methods with standard tooling practices so as to produce a mold quickly. This process is used to create parts of a functional model from CAD data in a very quick time and also at a very lower cost as compared to other traditional machining methods. In brief, rapid tooling can serve as a medium to various production injections molded parts.
There are several types of rapid tooling available for the production, each having varying benefits depending on your required technology, materials, consistency, size, and accuracy. Furthermore, if you are considering rapid tooling and rapid injection molding for your machinery prototype then it’s important for you to keep these limitations in mind.
1. The Mold You Use Should Be Strong Enough To Handle the Injection Molding Process
The injection molding machines are generally measured by pounds per square inch, so if the mold material is not hard enough, it might not survive the entire process. In addition to this, also make sure that the mold is strong enough to withstand injections of hot plastic material.
2. The Mold Should Be Smooth Enough So That the Plastic Part Ejects Cleanly -
Mostly the traditional steel machined molds are smoothed in order to make ejection easy, but during a few rapid tooling methods, the material is created in layers which aren’t smooth as required. This means that the mold could need some other additional work after it is built to make it smooth enough for the prototyping process.
Advantages of Rapid Tooling
Rapid tooling has become all the more beneficial to manufacturing industries only because of the advantages that it offers.
Below listed are some of the major advantages of rapid tooling that manufacturing industries gain from it.
1. It Creates an Opportunity for More Creativity and Innovation -
Rapid prototyping opens up new and unique opportunities for innovation by reducing the restrictions and limitations of traditional prototyping, which requires the creation of physical components and prototype tooling to exacting tolerances.
2. Rapid Prototyping Saves Time -
By removing the time needed to produce patterns, molds, and other specialized tools required for traditional modeling, rapid prototyping eliminates the time between analysis and initial designs. An appropriate model is quickly available for testing features, forms, usability, and performance.
3. This Method Helps In Reducing the Costs -
Rapid prototyping helps in reducing the costs of product development, thus making the entire process economical and cost-effective. There is no need to make special tools for each new product when possessing rapid prototyping method because it uses the same CAD as well as printing equipment each time. Additionally, the costs of waste are also lower because the rapid prototyping method only adds modeling material where it is required the most.
As compared to other alternate prototyping methods that require specialized resources and extra time, rapid tooling works as a quicker way to produce the required products. All these allow manufacturing and other companies to quickly produce their commercial products with the advantages of rapid prototyping.