Moldex, the unexpected advantages of the 3D printer

Here is the summary of Francesco Guerrini’s report: “In approximately 25 days we managed to complete the entire project for a simple product characterized by a hinge and two gates, thanks to the use of Moldex3D software for flow analysis and the Stratasys Objet30 Prime 3D printer for the development of prototypes”.

“We compared the traditional metal mold with the 3D printed resin one to get a detailed understanding of the potential offered by PolyJet 3D printing in an application we had never explored before”.

“Using Moldex3D we carried out an analysis to identify the most suitable plastic material for the injection, in order to obtain the best functional performance of the hinge. We developed the project according to the mold test from the very beginning, considering all the aspects of the various phases, from the final product to molding: drafts, gates, mold weld lines and temperature control. Thanks to this approach we could almost completely eliminate the need for changes and drastically reduce timing”.

Compared to metal tests, the 3D printed inserts with PolyJet material also offer advantages in terms of cooling, thus reducing the need to take measures to control the temperature of the mold.