POM Announces Advanced Techniques for Rapid Repair and Reconfiguration of Molds and Dies
19 June 2000
POM Announces Advanced Techniques for Rapid Repair and Reconfiguration of Molds and Dies
CHICAGO - Precision Optical Manufacturing Company, Inc. has introduced two
new techniques for the repair and reconfiguration of molds and dies. These
techniques, ToolRx and NuTool, use POM's revolutionary DMD(TM) (Direct Metal
Deposition) technology to quickly return cracked or damaged molds and dies to
service and significantly reduce lead times that would be required if new
tooling were needed to accommodate product modifications.
"ToolRx and NuTool represent a departure from traditional thinking and
traditional processes," said Dwight Morgan, POM's president and COO. "At risk
of sounding cliche, these new techniques, along the DMD technology that makes
them possible, will mold the future of the tooling industry."
ToolRx(TM)
The ToolRx technique represents a far superior alternative to conventional
die repair welding processes. Using ToolRx, a controlled amount of metal
(usually tool steel) is deposited onto the room temperature surface of the
mold or die. Because DMD, the enabling technology of ToolRx, is capable of
depositing pure metals, the resulting 'microweld' forms a high-strength
metallurgical bond with the identical composition of the parent material.
And, since DMD creates such a small heat affected zone (HAZ), the need for
pre- and post-heat treatment of the mold or die is eliminated.
"Replacement of cracked or damaged molds and dies is almost never an
option due to significant capital costs and production delays," said Tim
Skszek, POM's vice president of operations. "But conventional repair
processes do little to alleviate downtime because they require pre- and post-
heating to prevent further damage during the repairs."
Skszek added that ToolRx minimizes the amount of deposition required,
which reduces final finishing time.
"This technique can save manufacturers hours and hours of production time
that would be lost using conventional methods," he said. "And, for the first
time, we're offering a technology that's more than a repair; it's a complete
restoration of the tool to as new conditions."
NuTool(TM)
By providing the ability to deposit tool steel onto existing mold and die
surfaces, the NuTool technique allows obsolete molds and dies to be
reconfigured to new product designs. This means that tools that may otherwise
be scrapped when new models are introduced or products are modified, can be
put back into active service.
"This opens up doors that have never been opened before in the tooling
industry," said Skszek. "Tools that historically would be gathering dust on a
back room shelf can be easily reconfigured, in a lot less time."
In fact, by eliminating the need to build an entirely new tool when a
product design changes, NuTool can reduce lead-time by as much as 70 percent.
A typical 30-40 week lead-time can be slashed to 9-12 weeks.
DMD - The Enabling Technology
The DMD(TM) technology itself is the result of blending five common
technologies: lasers (in this case, a Trumpf 2.4 kW CO2 laser), CAD, CAM,
sensors and powder metallurgy. The DMD process creates or reconfigures a part
by focusing an industrial laser beam onto a metallic workpiece or preformed
part, creating a molten pool of metal. A stream of metallic powder is then
injected into the melt pool, increasing the size of the molten pool. By
moving the laser back and forth under CNC control, tracing out a pattern
defined by the CAD geometry, the new or modified part is built ... line by
line, one layer at a time.
With this process and its translating laser energy source, the molten pool
solidifies at a rapid rate, resulting in a fully dense, refined
microstructure. The DMD(TM) technique results in parts with physical
properties that exceed those of conventional wrought of cast materials,
providing superior quality and increased strength.
POM, based in Plymouth, Mich., is one of the world's first companies to
introduce a reliable, laser-based direct metal fabrication process capable of
producing functional metal prototype parts, as well as prototype and
production tooling associated with the plastic injection molding and die
casting markets. A minority owned and operated service bureau and original
equipment manufacturer, POM provides DMD process equipment as well as finite
element analysis (FEA), CAD/CAM, fabrication and repair services associated
with the production of prototype parts and tooling using the DMD process.
