Composite Parts in days not months
Creating complex composite parts with hollow interiors presents a unique manufacturing challenge.
With the aid of Stratasys 3D printers TriMech can create hollow composite parts by applying a sacrificial tooling production technique with a thermoplastic material that dissolves in a basic (> 7 pH) solution.
Complex tools can be 3D printed after curing, eliminating secondary processes like mold making and accelerating the development and production of composite structures.
We print your Composite Parts
- Using 3D Printing TriMech can produce cost-effective, high-temperature, custom tools in days — instead of the weeks or months required for traditional tooling processes.
- 3D printing can address market demand for large tooling applications (e.g. airplane wings) by joining or bonding segmented tooling.
Improved fabrication of composite parts
3D printing sacrificial tooling improves the fabrication process for your composite parts
Low Volume High Product Mix
3D printing sacrificial tooling is suitable for the low volumes and high product mix typical in the composites industry.
Sacrificial composite tooling withstands autoclave operations and simplifies hollow composite construction by dissolving after cure, leaving only the finished part.
Optimized Build Speed
3D printed sacrificial tooling, similar to composite manufacturing using eutectic salt tooling, ensures that we can produce trapped-tooling shapes without the need for multi-piece tools.
Parts are 3D printed with a permeable triangle fill pattern designed to optimize build speed, conserve material and dissolve quickly.
Cost Effective Product Customization
The ability to quickly make multiple design iterations allows TriMech to meet your product customization and testing requirements without the need to produce conventional lay-up tooling. This allows us to pass on the time savings with cost for composite part production.
Client Benefits
A cost-effective alternative method for producing complex composite parts with hollow interiors
Complex tooling simplified
Our 3D printing services simplifies the process where traditional tooling is used to fabricate complex composite parts, examples are:
- Collapsible tooling
- Inflatable and shape-memory bladders
- Wash-out tooling
- Multi-piece bonded assemblies
- Closed clamshell molds
- Clamshell molds combined with removable tooling
3D printer sacrificial tooling is best used for composite fabrication applications where the lay-up process would fully enclose the tool, making removal especially difficult using multi-piece, collapsible tooling or where the tooling is impossible to retrieve.
Using 3D printing services provides a good business case for replacing existing methods by offering the following benefits:
- Eliminates the need for additional tooling or molds for sacrificial tool production
- Provides a robust process that can be transported and handled without damage
- Withstands the mechanical stresses of conventional lay-up procedures
- Offers significant design freedom and the ability to quickly iterate designs
