The potential applications for Flovv and Flovv-e are vast and promising. The Kickstarter project, which has already raised over $150,000 the initial goal, bears witness to the strong interest in this technology. It’s important to bear in mind, however, that this is a project under development, and its promises have yet to be independently validated.

Recent customers – Actco Tool & Mfg and Spectrum Plastics Group, a DuPont Business – have invested in Xact Metal technology to grow their capabilities for tooling and molding applications. They join existing Xact Metal customers such as JST, a global connectors manufacturer, and The Plastek Group, a global plastics packaging company specializing in mold building. Both of these customers utilize Xact Metal technology to create complex tool inserts for injection molds.

Given the attractive price of the machines (announced at $900 for the Flovv and $4,000 for the Flovv-e after the crowdfunding campaign), Neckog Industries is aware that some of its public lack the experience needed to design complex injection molds. That’s why the manufacturer also offers a mold design service (DaaS) to make its products easier to use. With DaaS, Neckog Industries takes charge of mold design, enabling users to concentrate on innovation and the creation of their end products. This service aims to simplify the manufacturing experience and make it accessible to a wider audience.

Neckog Industries, the company behind this project, is working to combine the strengths of 3D printing and reaction injection molding (RIM). Flovv and Flovv-e are the first products to be marketed by the American manufacturer. They promise to push back the boundaries of both additive manufacturing and injection molding by producing durable, precise and versatile parts at greater speed and cost-efficiency.

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Xact Metal’s partnership with Uddeholm enables the use of Corrax powder for its printers. Corrax is a cobalt-free and corrosion-resistant material that can be polished to an A1 surface finish. This partnership empowers molders and mold makers with the ability to produce optimized mold inserts and tooling components, save time, and ensure high-quality results.

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The Flovv-e features a print volume of 320 x 320 x 400 mm, a fully enclosed design, a heated chamber and a claimed maximum speed of 300 mm/s. With this machine, it should be possible to print molds with ABS filament, apply a release agent, then inject the mold with various materials (rigid, flexible, foam).

Xact Metal, a leader in affordable metal additive printing technology, has launched its new initiative – ‘Breaking the Mold: The Xact Solution to Better Tooling’. This initiative aims to change the approach to metal 3D printing in the tooling industry by reframing the technology as a valuable option for rapid and cost-effective parts deployment in a mold maker’s toolbox.

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Flovv and Flovv-e bridge this gap by combining the advantages of both technologies. Using RIM, they inject liquid polyurethanes into 3D-printed molds, creating dense, strong parts in just a few minutes. This approach makes it possible to produce hihgly-precise, complex parts with a high surface quality finish.

We will keep an eye out on the progress of this project to assess its real impact on the 3D printing industry. In the meantime, if you would like more information, feel free to visit the Neckog Industries website HERE.

“Actco has nearly six decades in close tolerance tool and die work, and we’re actively looking to the future by adding more close tolerance equipment to our toolbox,” said Dana Gruber, President of Actco. “The Xact Metal XM200G fits that bill. The 20-micron build layer and compact machine design allows us to meet our customers’ needs.”

The Flovv, on the other hand, is an injection-only machine, designed for those who already own a 3D printer. Both machines automatically mix polyurethane and hardener, avoiding the challenges of rapid solution curing, and run a self-cleaning program after use.

Xact Metal’s systems complement traditional manufacturing processes by offering cost-effective solutions for producing small inserts and complex geometries that are otherwise challenging or costly to manufacture. They break down barriers for powder-bed fusion technology by providing high performance at a low cost.

The Flovv-e integrates a 3D printer and a reaction injection molding (RIM) machine into a single module, while the Flovv serves as a stand-alone RIM unit. Rather than plastic pellets, both devices exploit reaction injection molding, with the machines mixing two liquid materials (polyurethane and a hardener) before injecting them into a mold.

Flovv and Flovv-e aim to combine the complementary advantages of 3D printing and injection molding. 3D printing offers unrivalled design flexibility, but is ill-suited to mass production. Injection molding, on the other hand, excels in the rapid production of high-quality parts, but its high cost and lack of design flexibility make it inaccessible to many users.

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“We are excited about the new possibilities direct metal 3D printing brings to our rapid prototyping capabilities and engineering labs,” said Tyler Stark, Innovation Hub leader at Spectrum. “Adding stainless steel printing to our current lineup of 3D thermoplastic printers not only bridges the gap for fixtures and tooling but also speeds up significantly the prototyping process, enabling us to meet our customers’ most complex device development needs and in rapid fashion.”

Xact Metal’s relatively inexpensive printers can generate profit for molding and tooling businesses alike, demonstrated by a growing portfolio of customer successes. Over 140 machines have been installed globally, and Xact Metal is confidently expanding into the tooling space through strategic material partnerships, fine-tuned printing parameters, and collaboration with software and polishing companies.

“Our mission is to make additive manufacturing more accessible and affordable for all,” said Juan Mario Gomez. “With our focus on cost-effective design and high-performing components, Xact Metal 3D printers offer a compelling solution for businesses looking to enhance their tooling and molding capabilities.”

3D printing has seen a lot of success on Kickstarter, with notable examples including the likes of Formlabs and Bambu Lab. These projects have demonstrated the platform’s potential to fund innovations, propel them forward and bring them to fruition. Now, Flovv and Flovv-e, new projects combining desktop injection molding and 3D printing, are following in these footsteps, having already raised over $165,181 from an initial target of $10,000, and with 28 campaign days remaining.

1,346 polymer and metal AM companies and 143 end-users. Consumer products AM generated $2.6 billion in 2023. Segment expected to grow to $28 billion by 2033 at 26.8% CAGR. This new market study fro...

In addition, a recent collaboration with Oqton offers advanced software solutions, including conformal cooling channel automation – enabling seamless integration of AM into the tooling and molding workflow. Xact Metal has also recently partnered with Dlyte Polishing Solutions from GPAINNOVA to complete the entire workflow and offer a comprehensive solution for achieving superior tooling surface finish with AM.