ExOne
ExOne has announced the launch of a new series of industrial-grade 3D printing tooling products for plastic, composite and metal production.
The X1 Tooling portfolio has been developed off the back of ExOne’s acquisition of Freshmade 3D earlier this year, as well as the successful testing of new 3D printed metal tooling options with some of its global manufacturing customers.
ExOne’s X1 Tooling Portfolio is comprised of the X1 ThermoForm for plastic production; the X1 Layup and X1 Washout for composite production; the X1 SandCast and X1 DieMold for metal production; and the X1 MetalTool which can serve both metal and plastic production. New X1 Tooling products will be showcased at RAPID + TCT next week, with broad commercial readiness expected in the first half of 2022.
The X1 Tooling portfolio
X1 MetalTool is available in 420i, a highly durable and affordable steel-bronze matrix, as well as 316L stainless steel, M2 tool steel; and more. This tooling can be finished machines, acid etched and polished to a diamond finish and is ideal for complex inserts. It has passed preliminary tests to replace standard steel or aluminium for plastic injection moulding, blow moulding, and other plastic and foam forming applications. The X1 MetalTool can also be used to directly 3D print end-of-arm tooling and rugged, perishable or consumable cutting tools in a variety of metals, including tool steels. Celwise AB is among the first users of the X1 MetalTool 316L, with more detail provided below.
The X1 ThermoForm product, meanwhile, is a 3D printed sand form that is infiltrated with a durable resin and coated to create small-to-large format moulds for a range of thermoforming applications. X1 Layup is also a 3D printed sand form infiltrated with a durable resin and is coated for high-precision, high-temperature composite layup applications. It offers dimensional tolerances of +/- 0.025” and tooling can be precision machined to +/- 0.005” if needed. The X1 Washout product is a 3D printed sacrificial tooling product which washed out with tap water after traditional layup and autoclaving of composite materials and is suitable for ducting, mandrels and other designs with trapped geometries. In addition to the X1 MetalTool, ExOne is also offering the X1 SandCast and X1 DieMold, with the latter still in development.
“Today’s launch of the X1 Tooling portfolio is the direct result of strong customer demand for tooling options that speed up delivery times and bring tooling closer to the point of final production, wherever that is for them,” commented John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO. “As the COVID pandemic has continued disrupting supply chains, we’ve had more and more manufacturers ask us: ‘Can you 3D print tooling?’ Today, we’d like the market to know that the answer is yes — we can help de-risk your supply chains and make them more sustainable, with less shipping and other forms of waste. Our new tooling portfolio is a grand slam of fast and affordable new tooling options for manufacturers.”
Celwise AB adopts X1 MetalTool
Moulded fibre technology supplier Celwise AB is among the first to deploy the X1 MetalTool in 316L stainless steel for its patented method of transforming wood and other cellulose fibres into a wide range of eco-friendly packaging and products.
Celwise’s technology is said to be able to produce water-resistant moulded fibre products that look and feel like a luxurious blend of wood and plastic. Common cellulose fiber-based (paper) product manufacturing slowly removes water from cellulose fiber for molded products that must be coated for water resistance.
Celwise, however, rapidly removes water in a new process that enables cellulose fibers to re-bond with each other quickly, creating a new type of paper product that is strong, wood-like, and water-resistant.
The company is enjoying greater design freedom with ExOne’s 3D printed tools. ExOne is now providing prototype and production tools to Celwise specifications, with time savings of 20% and cost savings of between 30-40% being achieved.
“Our planet needs this technology now,” said David Pierce, Inventor and Co-Owner of Celwise. “Our patented technology delivers a recyclable, renewable, and biodegradable product that can be manufactured faster and more affordably than traditional technologies. Advanced manufacturing approaches, which rely on 3D printed tooling from ExOne, are an important part of our process.”
“Celwise is demonstrating how new technologies such as binder jet 3D printing can help solve some of the world’s toughest problems,” added Hartner. “We’re proud to collaborate with Celwise on delivering this important innovation.”
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