3D Printed Injection Molding Tool: An unique Approach for New product development

Automotive industry frequently uses 3D printed plastic proto parts during new product development phases as it bypasses the high tooling investment & development time at early part development stage. However for some application, 3D printing technique & its limited material options are not fulfilling the required material properties in the part, resulting poor performance during product testing which may mislead the design engineer during validation process. To overcome this, we introduce a novel approach in constructing injection molding tool by 3D printing the core and cavity using Stereolithography (SLA). This enables production of parts with application-recommended material grades, facilitating traditional validation and increasing stakeholder confidence. This paper compares part quality from 3D printed molds against conventional metallic molds for a gear housing cover, demonstrating a 45% reduction in tooling costs and a 75% decrease in tooling development time. Mold life analysis using PP Glass Filled 30% (PPGF30) and Nylon 66 Glass Filled 30% (Nylon 66GF30) yielded approximately 100 and 25 parts, respectively. We also discuss the challenges encountered during mold 3D printing and injection molding process. This innovative technique offers broad applicability across plastic part manufacturing industries.