2023-12-18 09:31:57
By allowing the KraussMaffei branches in Parsdorf and Harderberg/Georgsmarienhütte to work together, KraussMaffei offers a complete solution for customers who have large format 3D printing work. The plastic parts are printed in Parsdorf and milled to a smooth surface in the KraussMaffei tool shop. The combination is already used in the casting industry, among others: casting cores are printed.
The tool shop of the manufacturer of injection molding machines and 3D printers, among other things, usually produces tooling for PUR processing. Production manager Stefan Springrose explains: “Our products include prototypes and artificial leather models for the automotive industry.” That is why we initially collaborated with external suppliers. Due to efficiency and keeping knowledge in-house, projects are now completed within the group.
Diamond-coated cutters ensure less wear 3D printed casting cores during milling
Other milling solutions required
KraussMaffei works in the powerPrint, the large format 3D printer, with recycled PETG with 30% glass fiber reinforcement. Milling plastics requires different machines than metal because the cutting process is simpler and more material needs to be removed. Therefore, less powerful but highly dynamic machines are used to achieve the highest possible cutting speeds and fast production times. The tools used must be extremely sharp and require optimal chip removal. In fact, during tests with milling glass fiber reinforced PET, Thorsten Richter, team leader of the milling workshop in Harderberg, discovered “that diamond-coated milling cutters are necessary to withstand the abrasive material. This significantly reduces wear and tear.”
Printing cores for casting molds
One of the applications that the two branches have jointly realized for a customer is a sand casting mold for pressure pads in a metal press. For this process, a negative mold is first created, which is used to produce the actual sand mold, which in turn holds the liquid metal (iron, aluminum, etc.). The sand mold is destroyed during forming and the milled 3D core can be used again and again. Until now, ureol block plates were usually used for this purpose. Despite the higher costs per kilo of raw material, Additive Manufacturing offers two decisive advantages: Firstly, the models are significantly more resistant to breakage and secondly, you are independent of the standard dimensions of the ureol blocks and plates. These usually do not correspond to the dimensions required and multiple plates must then be glued. With 3D printing, the core can be printed in one go. The KraussMaffei powerPrint prints a maximum of 2 by 2.5 by 2 meters. Despite the higher material price of recycled PETG GF 30 filled, the total costs are lower.
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