[110] “AK Steel- 420 stainless steel – MIM properties.” [Online]. Available: www.aksteel.com/pdf/markets_products/stainless/martensitic/420_data_sheet.pdf.

[38] S. A.B, W. K, and L. G, “Designing Material Properties Locally with Additive Manufacturing Technology SLM,” Dec. 2014.

For Additive Manufacturing to mature as an industrial production process, believe Tommaso Tamarozzi (Oqton) and Juan Carlos Flores (Baker Hughes), ...»

[112] M. Soodi, S. H. Masood, and M. Brandt, “A study of laser cladding with 420 stainless steel powder on the integrity of the substrate metal,” in 2011 International Conference on Frontiers of Manufacturing Science and Measuring Technology, ICFMM 2011, June 23, 2011 – June 24, 2011, 2011, vol. 230–232, pp. 949–952.

Table 6 summarises the average and standard deviation of yield strength values for SLM, MIM and wrought parts. The yield strength of SLM fabricated 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steel samples were 350 ± 20 MPa and 700 ± 30 MPa respectively and were comparable to the wrought and MIM yield strength values. Among stainless steels, 420 stainless steels had the highest yield strength value of 800 ± 150 MPa when processed in SLM. Among tool steels, H13 had the highest yield strength value of 1450 ± 25 MPa when processed by SLM.

[91] “Kinetics MIM 17-4PH Stainless Steel (H900 Condition).” [Online]. Available: www.matweb.com/search/datasheettext.aspx?matguid=346e4ed0aeae4a7ab69a81e62491c3f1.

[2] “About Injection Moulding | Xcentric Mould & Engineering.” [Online]. Available: www.xcentricmould.com/about-injection-moulding.php.

The extent of influence of powder production techniques, namely gas versus water atomisation, on the sintered density obtained from the SLM process showed conflicting results. For instance, parts produced from 17-4PH stainless steel using gas and water atomised powders had a similar density of around 98.5%, but parts manufactured from M2 tool steels showed that the use of gas-atomised powders resulted in parts with higher density (99 ± 0.8%) when compared with water-atomised parts (95 ± 4%). Therefore, it can be noted that the composition of steel and powder characteristics could largely affect the densification and consequently material properties of SLM parts. It was evident from the survey that an important knowledge gap exists in the SLM literature regarding the influence of particle size distribution, alloy composition, surface chemistry and packing density on process conditions, microstructures and mechanical properties.

This may require more frequent equipment inspection and maintenance to ensure consistent and predictable uptime. PLA can cause damage to not just the hot runner and the mold but the screw and barrel as well. Basically, anything that touches the melt needs to be stainless steel or have a nonreactive coating.

PE can be replaced with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which are relatively newer resins on the market. These bioresins have more processing options and can offer compostability. PHA and PHB can be produced from corn; tapioca or potato starch; and vegetable oil. Many of the polypropylene (PP) parts molded today can be replaced with a cellulose resin made from wood pulp.

When planning to use bioresins, it’s important to note a few distinctions in related terminology and features. Biobased refers to the fact that biomaterials are used to create the resin. Biodegradable means the item will eventually breakdown in the natural environment. Not all biobased resins are biodegradable. Compostable means the material is biodegradable and breaks down within three to six months in an industrial composting facility, releasing nutrients and leaving no toxicity in the soil. Not all biobased and biodegradable materials are compostable.

The final driver is legislation. New legislation and regulations are placing pressure on manufacturers to reduce postconsumer waste and plastic pollution. In July 2021, for example, the European Commission implemented new laws that ban or restrict single-use products made from fossil-fuel-based polymers.

[45] J.-Y. Chen, L. Xue, and S.-H. Wang, “Microstructure characterization of laser-consolidated AISI 420 stainless steel,” in Materials Science and Technology Conference and Exhibition, MS and T’08, October 5, 2008 – October 9, 2008, 2008, vol. 3, pp. 1388–1396.

Ensuring the manifold design is optimized for bioresin includes applying geometrically balanced channels so the melt traveling from the sprue bushing to every cavity, whether there are two or 96, experiences the same, if not similar, rheology profiles.

Weepage and leakage are also an issue. This is partly due to the material’s corrosive nature, but also its molecular structure tends to weep or leak. In the case of a valve-gate system where there are moving parts, weepage is possible. When there are moving parts like valves, stems and bushings, their design needs to take into consideration the possibility of weepage.

[8] “Mould Design,Mould & Die Knowlege,Tool Materials,Machining,Cost,Injection moulding cycle,Injection process,Moulding trial,Moulding defects.” [Online]. Available: www.dswmould.com/injection-mould-die-tooling.html.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

Injection moulding is a $170 billion global industry for the manufacture of a multitude of consumer products [1]. In 2010 alone the US plastics industry produced an estimated 7 billion kg of injection-moulded products for applications in packaging, electronics, household goods and biomedical areas [1]. Common materials that are injection moulded include thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and filled polymers. More recently, Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) and Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) technologies have further expanded the materials design window for the process.

If a color change will be required, the channels must be sized so the shear rates are on the high side, which results in proper scrubbing of the melt channels, expediting color switchovers. With these inputs and using the output from several software packages, the optimum geometry for the melt channel, including its layout and channel diameter, can be determined.

[35] A. Simchi, “Direct laser sintering of metal powders: Mechanism, kinetics and microstructural features,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 428, no. 1–2, pp. 148–158, Jul. 2006.

[93] R. Schroeder, G. Hammes, C. Binder, and A. N. Klein, “Plasma debinding and sintering of metal injection moulded 17-4PH stainless steel,” Mater. Res., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 564–568, Dec. 2011.

A sit-down with bioplastic producer Danimer Scientific showed me there are more possible answers to that question than I had previously thought.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

[19] S.S. Dimov, D.T. Pham, F. Lacan, and K.D. Dotchev, “Rapid tooling applications of the selective laser sintering process,” Assem. Autom., vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 296–302, Dec. 2001.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

[52] M. Agarwala., D. Bourell., J. Beaman., H. Marcus, and J. Barlow., 1995. Direct selective laser sintering of metals. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 1(1), pp.26-36.

[123] M. Ramezani, T. Pasang, Z. Chen, T. Neitzert, and D. Au, “Evaluation of carbon diffusion in heat treatment of H13 tool steel under different atmospheric conditions,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 114–125, Apr. 2015.

[29] L. Sun, Y.-H. Kim, D. Kim, and P. Kwon, “Densification and properties of 420 stainless steel produced by three-dimensional printing with addition of Si3N4 powder,” J. Manuf. Sci. Eng. Trans. ASME, vol. 131, no. 6, pp. 0610011–0610017, 2009.

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

Also, remember that the corrosiveness of the resin goes up almost exponentially as it degrades, making the ability to flush any degraded resin out important. Degraded bioresins will attack the steel components in the hot runner and can also damage the mold if injected.

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

In most applications, high- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE), polystyrene (PS) and PET can be replaced by polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is one of the first bioresins to be commercialized, and its feedstock options include corn or maize, tapioca and sugar cane.

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

[47] A. Angelastro, S. Campanelli, G. Casalino, and A. Ludovico, “Analysis of a tool steel sample obtained by direct laser deposition,” in Annals of DAAAM for 2007 and 18th International DAAAM Symposium on Intelligent Manufacturing and Automation: Focus on Creativity, Responsibility, and Ethics of Engineers, October 24, 2007 – October 27, 2007, 2007, pp. 23–24.

[89] “AK Steels-17-4 PH stainless steel-MIM properties.” [Online]. Available: www.aksteel.com/pdf/markets_products/stainless/precipitation/17-4_ph_data_sheet.pdf.

[12] D. V. Rosato, Injection Moulding Handbook: The Complete Moulding Operation: Technology, Performance, Economics, 2nd edition. New York: Springer, 1994.

The new space race is powered by metal Additive Manufacturing. In turn, the Additive Manufacturing of rocket engines is powered by advanced alloys....»

In order to manufacture injection moulding tools using SLM, it is critical for the design engineer to have an awareness of the various material options and the corresponding process conditions to obtain useful mechanical properties from the process. Variations in powder characteristics and process parameters will affect the mechanical properties of tools [15, 18, 25, 26]. Many independent research studies have shown the successful fabrication of fully dense components using the SLM process for various steel powders by changing process parameters [28–32]. This report reviews over a hundred sources from the literature that cover different types of steel powder and SLM process conditions to successfully manufacture parts. Further, material properties typically obtained from the SLM process such as density, hardness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation are compared to properties obtained from Metal Injection Moulded and wrought components. Additionally, SLM process conditions such as laser power and scan speed that are typically used for various types of steel powders in order to obtain competitive mechanical properties of fabricated components are summarised. It is hoped that this report will provide a convenient starting point for a tooling design engineer to select material and process options for fabricating injection mould tooling using the SLM process.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Table 9 summarises the typical mechanical properties that can be obtained for four types of steel powders for laser power of 50, 100, 105, 195, 200 W and scan speed values between 50 mm/s and 1200 mm/s. In order to understand the evolution of mechanical properties of printed parts with process conditions, the majority of the studies focused primarily on laser power and scan speed. To standardise comparisons for process parameters used to print a part with the SLM process, beam diameter values of 30 ± 5 µm, scan spacing values of 100 ± 15 µm and layer thickness of 50 ± 20 µm were taken as a basis. It was noted that the majority of the studies failed to report powder characteristics of the steels and, hence, the influence of particle attributes on process conditions and mechanical properties could not be considered in this analysis.

[22] R. Folgado, P. Peças, and E. Henriques, “Life cycle cost for technology selection: A Case study in the manufacturing of injection moulds,” Int. J. Prod. Econ., vol. 128, no. 1, pp. 368–378, 2010.

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

[33] S. A.B and L. G, “Comparison of density of stainless steel 316L parts produced with selective laser melting using different powder grades.”

The performance characteristics to be expected, including in areas such as pressure drop; shear rate in the hot runner; shear rate at the gate; and the temperature increase as a result of that shear rate can be derived. For thermal uniformity,  a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a good predictor of manifold temperature variation due to the design of the hot runner. By adjusting the design — including the number of heater zones, thermocouple placement, melt channel layout sinks and manifold profile — the designer can optimize the thermal uniformity of the manifold prior to manufacturing.

[11] “Advanced Alloys Alloy Selection for the Injection Molding Industry.” July 12, 2009. [Online]. Available: http://www.ibcadvancedalloys.com/clientuploads/Technical Resources/MoldWhitepaper.pdf.

[102] L. E. Murr, E. Martinez, K. N. Amato, S. M. Gaytan, J. Hernandez, D. A. Ramirez, P. W. Shindo, F. Medina, and R. B. Wicker, “Fabrication of Metal and Alloy Components by Additive Manufacturing: Examples of 3D Materials Science,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 42–54, Apr. 2012.

Table 3 summarises powder characteristics (shape and size distribution) for five types of steels from 25 sources and presents typical sintered densities (represented as % theoretical) obtained from the SLM process when different types of powder production routes and particle size distributions are used.

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

[37] L. Bochuan, W. Ricky, T. Christopher, and A. Ian, “Investigation of the effect of particle size distribution on processing parameters.”

Fig. 6 shows the elongation (%) data of various steels compiled from nearly 50 studies obtained using the SLM process. The data were compared with elongation values obtained from wrought and MIM processes. The majority of elongation data from the literature were obtained for 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels. Stainless steel components fabricated with the SLM process exhibited comparable elongation values to those of MIM and wrought parts with the exception of 420 stainless steel. Fig. 6 shows that 316L stainless steel had the highest elongation values and H13 tool steel had the lowest elongation values. Additionally, 420 stainless steel and H-13 tool steel that are typically used in the manufacturing of injection moulding tools also showed low elongation values for SLM comparable to MIM and wrought parts.

[75] S. El-Hadad, W. Khalifa, and A. Nofal, “Surface modification of investment cast-316L implants: Microstructure effects,” Mater. Sci. Eng. C, vol. 48, pp. 320–327, Mar. 2015.

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

[30] C. Hauser, S. Akhtar, J. Xie, T. H. C. Childs, C. M. Taylor, M. Baddrossamay, C. S. Wright, M. Youseffi, P. Fox, and W. O’Neill, “Direct selective laser sintering of tool steel powders to high density. Part A: Effects of laser beam width and scan strategy,” Proc. 2003 Solid Free. Fabr. Symp., 2003.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

[131] C. Kim, A. R. Johnson, and W. F. Hosford, “Fracture toughness of aisi M2 high-speed steel and corresponding matrix tool steel,” Metall. Trans. A, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 1595–1605, Sep. 1982.

[58] L. E. Murr, E. Martinez, J. Hernandez, S. Collins, K. N. Amato, S. M. Gaytan, and P. W. Shindo, “Microstructures and Properties of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 167–177, Oct. 2012.

[48] A. Simchi, “Direct laser sintering of metal powders: Mechanism, kinetics and microstructural features,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 428, no. 1–2, pp. 148–158, 2006.

[28] J.-H. Lee, J.-H. Jang, B.-D. Joo, H.-S. Yim, and Y.-H. Moon, “Application of direct laser metal tooling for AISI H13 tool steel,” Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China Engl. Ed., vol. 19, no. SUPPL. 1, pp. s284–s287, 2009.

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

Individual tip control is highly recommended for bioresins, as it would be for all temperature-sensitive resins. Improved heat distribution is required to control any overshoot, and the controller should be designed specifically for low-variation, high-temperature control to eliminate overshoots, if possible.

You need to pay attention to the inherent characteristics of biopolymers PHA/PLA materials when setting process parameters to realize better and more consistent outcomes.

Here are processing guidelines aimed at both getting the PHA resin into the process without degrading it, and reducing residence time at melt temperatures.

[118] “P20 Tool Steel – Low-Carbon Mould Steel UNS T51620.” [Online]. Available: www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6239. [Accessed: 13-Mar-2016].

[71] R. M and M.Actis Grande, “High density sintered stainless steels with improved properties.” [Online]. Available: www.journalamme.org/papers_vol21_2/1542S.pdf.

Materials for manufacturing tools for injection moulding are selected depending on the type of polymer, production volume, mould cavity complexity and the type of tool component. Table 1 summarises several types of steels used for manufacturing tools, including carbon steels (1020, 1030, and 1040), tool steels (S-7, O-1, A-2, D-2, H13, and P-20) and stainless steels (420 and 17-4 PH). Additionally, the type of steel selected depends on mechanical properties requirements for the tooling components, such as ejector pins, clamp plates, inserts, cores, spruce bushings, gate inserts, support pillars, mould base plates, lifters, sliders and interlocks [2–10].

Studies that examined the microstructures of SLM fabricated steel parts are summarised in Table 8. The purpose of the table is to show the typical microstructures observed in SLM fabricated steel parts to achieve the desired mechanical properties mentioned in Table 8.

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

[143] L. Xue and M. U. Islam, “Free-form laser consolidation for producing metallurgically sound and functional components,” J. Laser Appl., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 160–165, 2000.

[135] A.B. Spierings, N. Herres, and G. Levy, “Influence of the particle size distribution on surface quality and mechanical properties in AM steel parts,” Rapid Prototyp. J., vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 195–202, Apr. 2011.

[14] D. King and T. Tansey, “Alternative materials for rapid tooling,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 121, no. 2–3, pp. 313–317, Feb. 2002.

The second driver is environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Brands and molders are under increasing pressure to adopt an ESG strategy. Using bioresins for injection molded products and packaging can help organizations meet their ESG objectives and signal to consumers that they’re doing their part for the environment.

One of the most frequent mistakes we see is people thinking because bioresins replace PP and PE, they process similarly to those resins. Bioresins are more thermally sensitive, and their process window is smaller, so running them requires equipment that’s designed to deal with those constraints.

The most common mechanical property reported in the literature for various steels was hardness. Fig. 3 shows the hardness of various steels obtained using the SLM process. Data collected from nearly 70 studies were compared to the corresponding data obtained from wrought and MIM products. It was found that the hardness values of 316L stainless steel and M2 tool steel were the most reported data in the literature. Components fabricated using the SLM process exhibited comparable hardness values to those of MIM and wrought parts for all alloys with the exception of A6 tool steel. Fig. 3 also shows that 316L stainless steels components have the lowest hardness values and M2 tool steels have the highest hardness values. Additionally, P20 and H-13 tool steels, that are typically used in manufacturing injection moulding tools, also showed comparable hardness values for SLM, MIM and wrought parts.

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

What’s driving the growth in bioresin adoption? First are consumers who want to know that the product they purchased, as well as its packaging, is sustainable. Because bioresins are derived from relatively sustainable materials and can be engineered to biodegrade, many consumers feel bioresins are a more sustainable choice.

[103] A. Yadollahi, J. Simsiriwong, S. M. Thompson, and N. Shamsaei, “Data demonstrating the effects of build orientation and heat treatment on fatigue behavior of selective laser melted 17–4 PH stainless steel,” Data Brief, vol. 7, pp. 89–92, Feb. 2016.

[49] J. Chen and L. Xue, “Comparison study of H13 tool steel microstructures produced by laser cladding and laser consolidation,” in Materials Science and Technology 2005 Conference, September 25, 2005 – September 28, 2005, 2005, vol. 3, pp. 23–31.

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

[77 R. M. German and A. Bose, Injection Moulding of Metals and Ceramics. Princeton, N.J., U.S.A: Metal Powder Industry, 1997.

Bioresins — sometimes called bioplastics, biopolymers or biomaterials — refer to several categories of commercially available materials that can be used in injection molding and other processes. So, what makes these plastics “bio”? The materials are made in whole or in part from renewable biological resources. These biological resources can include corn or maize, potato starch, tapioca starch, vegetable oil, sugar cane starch and wood pulp or cellulose among other feedstocks.

[72] M. Dewidar, “Influence of processing parameters and sintering atmosphere on the mechanical properties and microstructure of porous 316L stainless steel for possible hard-tissue applications.”

[101] A. Yadollahi, J. Simsiriwong, S. M. Thompson, and N. Shamsaei, “Data demonstrating the effects of build orientation and heat treatment on fatigue behavior of selective laser melted 17–4 PH stainless steel,” Data Brief, vol. 7, pp. 89–92, Feb. 2016.

The manufacture of tooling for injection moulding is a key business sector that has a significant impact on overall costs and lead times in the product development cycle. Long production lead times, design constraints and the need to cut manufacturing costs have driven the injection moulding industry to look to new technologies for fabricating moulding tooling.

[109] John L. Johnson, Lye King Tan, Ravi Bollina, Pavan Suri, and Randall M. German, “Bi-Metal Injection Moulding of Tough/Wear-resistant Components.”

[126] A. J. Pinkerton and L. Li, “Direct additive laser manufacturing using gas- and water-atomised H13 tool steel powders,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 25, no. 5–6, pp. 471–479, 2005.

[96] M. Averyanova, E. Cicala, Ph. Bertrand, and Dominique Grevey, “Experimental design approach to optimize selective laser melting of martensitic 17/4 PH powder: part I – single laser tracks and first layer,” Rapid Prototyp. J., vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 28–37, Jan. 2012.

Reach a truly international audience that includes component manufacturers, end-users, industry suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

To optimize the application, an in-depth review of the component and the bioresin should be conducted, including a cavity-fill analysis of the part design to verify all features are compatible with the rheology of the chosen bioresin. The bioresin supplier should be able to characterize flow characteristics, and ideally, the simulation will model the actual resin and not a substitute material. The need for a resin trial can also be evaluated — a step that is usually recommended for resins with limited performance data or in particularly challenging applications.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

The corrosive properties of bioresins, particularly as they degrade, require melt-contact surfaces to use specialized coatings or be in stainless steel.

[117] H. Halfa, “Characterization of Electroslag Remelted Super Hard High Speed Tool Steel Containing Niobium,” Steel Res. Int., vol. 84, no. 5, pp. 495–510, May 2013.

[41] T. Lebrun, K. Tanigaki, K. Horikawa, and H. Kobayshi, “Strain rate sensitivity and mechanical anisotropy of selective laser melted 17-4 PH stainless steel,” Mech. Eng. J., vol. 1, no. 5, pp. SMM0049–SMM0049, 2014.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

[127] J. Choi and Y. Chang, “Characteristics of laser aided direct metal/material deposition process for tool steel,” Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf., vol. 45, no. 4–5, pp. 597–607, 2005.

Adding aPHA to PLA can boost a range of mechanical properties and expedite composting. Here are the details as well as processing guidelines for injection molding the blends.

[92] M.-W. Wu, Z.-K. Huang, C.-F. Tseng, and K.-S. Hwang, “Microstructures, mechanical properties, and fracture behaviors of metal-injection moulded 17-4PH stainless steel,” Met. Mater. Int., vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 531–537, May 2015.

The pie chart in Fig. 2 represents around a hundred SLM studies that have used steels powders of various compositions. It was observed that the most researched steel powders were 316L and17-4 PH stainless steels followed by H-13 and M-2 tool steels. In contrast, only a limited amount of SLM studies have been reported on using P20, T15 and A6 tool steels. The material compositions of steel powders used in the SLM process are listed in Table 2.

Derived from a variety of sustainable feedstocks, bioresins can be processed in various ways to meet the needs of many applications. Photo Credit: Husky

Equipment impact is another area where bioresins may not initially meet the same standards as traditional materials. Molten bioresins tend to be corrosive, especially in the case of PLA, which can compromise machinery and lead to quality issues, performance variation and even component failure.

[119] “P20 Steel Plate | P20 Mould Tool Steel | 1.2311 | 3Cr2Mo – Special Steel.” [Online]. Available: www.astmsteel.com/product/p20-steel-plate-1-2311-3cr2mo-mould-tool-steel/.

About the author: Sheldon Alexander is hot runners business manager for Husky. He has more than 20 years of global industry experience, traveling the world to help optimize injection molding applications for customers in more than 40 countries. Alexander  has experience managing highly skilled teams across many functions in the injection molding value chain and holds several technical patents in the industry with specific expertise in hot runners. Contact: 905-951-5000; salexand@husky.co; www.husky.co

[99] L. W. Tsay, T. Y. Yang, and M. C. Young, “Embrittlement of laser surface-annealed 17-4 PH stainless steel,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 311, no. 1–2, pp. 64–73, Jul. 2001.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

[60] H. Irrinki, M. Dexter, B. Barmore, R. Enneti, S. Pasebani, S. Badwe, J. Stitzel, R. Malhotra, and S. V. Atre, “Effects of Powder Attributes and Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Process Conditions on the Densification and Mechanical Properties of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel,” JOM, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 860–868, Jan. 2016.

Conduct an in-depth review of the application and the bioresin itself prior to any manufacturing. This review ensures the hot runner and controller are optimized for the specific application and bioresin. This should include optimizing the manifold design for consistent preparation of the bioresin.

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

[85] A. P. J. Dutta Majumdar, “Mechanical and electrochemical properties of multiple-layer diode laser cladding of 316L stainless steel,” Appl. Surf. Sci., pp. 373–377, 2005.

[24] J. 23 and 2014 Lindsey Frick, “The Difference Between Machined and 3D Printed Metal Injection Moulds.” [Online]. Available: machinedesign.com/3d-printing/difference-between-machined-and-3d-printed-metal-injection-moulds.

[136] A. Mertens, S. Reginster, H. Paydas, Q. Contrepois, T. Dormal, O. Lemaire, and J. Lecomte-Beckers, “Mechanical properties of alloy Ti–6Al–4V and of stainless steel 316L processed by selective laser melting: influence of out-of-equilibrium microstructures,” Powder Metall., vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 184–189, Jul. 2014.

[138] L. E. Murr, E. Martinez, K. N. Amato, S. M. Gaytan, J. Hernandez, D. A. Ramirez, P. W. Shindo, F. Medina, and R. B. Wicker, “Fabrication of Metal and Alloy Components by Additive Manufacturing: Examples of 3D Materials Science,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 42–54, Apr. 2012.

[68] M.-S. Huang and H.-C. Hsu, “Effect of backbone polymer on properties of 316L stainless steel MIM compact,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 209, no. 15–16, pp. 5527–5535, Aug. 2009.

Table 5 presents the average and standard deviation of ultimate tensile strength values for SLM, MIM and wrought parts. The ultimate tensile strength of SLM parts fabricated using 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steel samples were 550 ± 20 MPa and 1080 ± 30 MPa respectively and were comparable to the wrought and MIM ultimate tensile strength values. Among stainless steels, 420 series stainless steel had an ultimate tensile strength value of 1600 ± 50 MPa when processed using SLM. Among tool steels, H13 tool steel had the highest tensile strength value of 1850 ± 25 MPa when processed using SLM.

[97] A. Gratton, “Comparison of Mechanical, Metallurgical Properties of 17-4PH Stainless Steel between Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Traditional Manufacturing Methods,” 2012 NCUR, Aug. 2012.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

[6] D. M. Bryce, Plastic Injection Moulding: Mould Design and Construction Fundamentals. Society of Manufacturing Engineers, 1998.

[128] J. Mazumder, J. Choi, K. Nagarathnam, J. Koch, and D. Hetzner, “The direct metal deposition of H13 tool steel for 3-D components,” JOM, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 55–60, May 1997.

[144] V. E. Beal, P. Erasenthiran, N. Hopkinson, P. Dickens, and C. H. Ahrens, “Scanning strategies and spacing effect on laser fusion of H13 tool steel powder using high power Nd:YAG pulsed laser,” Int. J. Prod. Res., vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 217–232, 2008.

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

From Fig. 8, it can be seen that the reported values of typical laser power ranged from 50-200 W and scan speed values varied from 50-1200 mm/s for various types of steels. Additionally, it was observed that, for slow scan speeds (<350 mm/s), typically low laser powers (<100 W) were used and, with additional increase in laser power, a wide range of scanning speeds was used to selectively melt the steel powders. Out of all the process conditions reported for steel powders, the most broadly studied process window was observed for 17-4 PH stainless steels, while the least number of studies were for H13 tool steel. Within the dataset of reported process conditions, a relatively higher laser power was used for fabricating components from 420 stainless steel and M2 tool steel compared to 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels.

[121] J. Y. Chen., and L. Xue. “Microstructural characteristics of laser-clad AISI P20 tool steel.” In Proceedings of 1st international surface engineering congress and 13th IFHTSE congress. Materials Park (OH): ASM International, p. 198. 2002. [122]   A. Noorian, Sh. Kheirandish, and H. Saghafian, “Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of Niobium Modified CAST AISI H 13 Hot Work Tool Steel.”

[54] H. Asgharzadeh and A. Simchi, “Effect of sintering atmosphere and carbon content on the densification and microstructure of laser-sintered M2 high-speed steel powder,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 403, no. 1–2, pp. 290–298, 2005.

[1] “2015 Plastics Processing Capital Spending Report : Gardner Web.” [Online]. Available: www.gardnerweb.com/articles/2015-plastics-processing-capital-spending-report.

[113] M. Soodi, M. Brandt, and S. Masood, “A study of microstructure and surface hardness of parts fabricated by laser direct metal deposition process,” in 2010 International Conference on Material and Manufacturing Technology, ICMMT 2010, September 17, 2010 – September 19, 2010, 2010, vol. 129–131, pp. 648–651.

[107] P. Fallbo Èhmer, C.A. Rodrõ Âguez, T. O Èzel, and T. O Èzel, T. Altan, “High-speed machining of cast iron and alloy steels for die and mould manufacturing.”

[56] R. Morgan, C. J. Sutcliffe, and W. O’Neill, “Density analysis of direct metal laser re-melted 316L stainless steel cubic primitives,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 1195–1205, Feb. 2004.

[53] A. Simchi and H. Asgharzadeh, “Densification and microstructural evaluation during laser sintering of M2 high speed steel powder,” Mater. Sci. Technol., vol. 20, no. 11, pp. 1462–1468, Nov. 2004.

[59] T. Lebrun, K. Tanigaki, K. Horikawa, and H. Kobayashi, “Strain rate sensitivity and mechanical anisotropy of selective laser melted 17-4 PH stainless steel,” Mech. Eng. J., vol. 1, no. 5, pp. SMM0049–SMM0049, 2014.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

[34] C. Kamath, B. El-dasher, G. F. Gallegos, W. E. King, and A. Sisto, “Density of additively-manufactured, 316L SS parts using laser powder-bed fusion at powers up to 400 W,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 74, no. 1–4, pp. 65–78, May 2014.

In processing, the pre-sealed bag is ideally opened and loaded directly into the dryer. The bag should not be left open for an excessive amount of time, and users shouldn’t drain the resin from the dryer after it has been dried and leave it out. Errors in drying and handling can have a particular impact on mechanical performance.

[87] “Casting Mateiral: 17-4PH Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel : Sand Casting, Investment Casting and Die Casting in China.” .

The SLM of steel gas-atomised powders has received a lot of interest. However, there have been relatively few studies reported using water-atomised powders in the SLM process. The main difference between the two types of powder is their particle shape. However, the accompanying influences of particle size distribution, surface chemistry and packing density on ensuing microstructures and mechanical properties have not received much attention. Steel powders vary widely in size and shape. As a consequence, processing conditions in the SLM process would need to be adjusted in order to obtain desired properties. Choosing the optimum parameters for a desired application can reduce the production time as it reduces the number of trial experiments. However, based on this review, the selection of process parameters depending upon variation in powder characteristics is another scientific gap that needs to be addressed in the future.

[13] “3D Printed Tooling Archives • I3dmfg.” I3dmfg. [Online] Available: http://www.i3dmfg.com/category/3d-printed-tooling/.

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

One such Additive Manufacturing process used to manufacture tools for injection moulding is known as the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process, alternately known as Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) [12, 16, 20, 24]. Fig. 1 shows an example of a tool manufactured using the SLM process for the injection moulding of plastics. The tool was fabricated using a maraging steel powder and is used for making injection moulded plastic cable connectors that are complex in shape and difficult to manufacture using conventional techniques [13].

[65] A. Fedrizzi, M. Pellizzari, and M. Zadra, “Influence of particle size ratio on densification behaviour of AISI H13/AISI M3:2 powder mixture,” Powder Technol., vol. 228, pp. 435–442, 2012.

[137] D. Gu and Y. Shen, “Processing conditions and microstructural features of porous 316L stainless steel components by DMLS,” Appl. Surf. Sci., vol. 255, pp. 1880–1887, Dec. 2008.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

It can be seen that, for various types of steels, densities between 95 and 99% are achievable for parts processed with the SLM process. For parts fabricated from 316L stainless steel powders, most research groups studied gas-atomised powders with powder size distribution of 0-60 µm and obtained 99.5 ± 0.3% density. In the case of 17-4 PH stainless steel, gas and water-atomised powders were used with powder size distribution of 0-45 µm and theoretical densities of 98.5 ± 1.3% were obtained. In contrast, a coarser particle size distribution of 50-150 µm has been used to used manufacture parts from H13 tool steels with the SLM process resulting in densities of 90 ± 3% and 80 ± 3% for gas and water atomised powders, respectively. For M2 tool steel powders, densities of 99 ± 0.8% and 95 ± 4% were achieved when gas and water-atomised powders of powder size distribution 50- 150 µm were used.

[18] J. C. Ferreira, A. S. Mateus, and N. F. Alves, “Rapid tooling aided by reverse engineering to manufacture EDM electrodes,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 34, no. 11–12, pp. 1133–1143, Oct. 2007.

Across the world, a new wave of aerospace engineers are designing and building the next generation of aero engines and systems around the revolutio...»

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

[64] J. Brooks, C. V. Robino, T. Headley, S. Goods, and M. L. Griffith, “Microstructure and property optimization of LENS deposited H13 tool steel,” presented at the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Sandia National Laboratories, 1999.

While the Norwegian market for Additive Manufacturing has long revolved around prototyping and polymer materials, metal Additive Manufacturing has ...»

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

[57] P. B. M. Averyanova, “Studying the influence of initial powder characteristics on the properties of final parts manufactured by the selective laser melting technology,” Virtual Phys. Prototyp., pp. 1–9, 2011.

In addition, the resin melt temperatures are relatively low and there is a comparatively low Delta T or difference between the melt and mold temperature. The next step is optimizing the hot runner and the controller for the bioresin, including using corrosive-resistant components and high-level melt management.

[88] A. Szewczyk-Nykiel,(2015). The effect of the addition of boron on the densification, microstructure and properties of sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel. Czasopismo Techniczne.

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Bioresins come with unique and challenging physical properties that can make them difficult to incorporate into the injection molding process. For example, many bioresins are highly viscous and require high pressures to fill the mold cavities. They’re also prone to weepage and leakage. In terms of manufacturability, some bioresins are very temperature sensitive, so the manufacturing process must avoid exceeding temperatures above a certain threshold.

In addition, it is best for the hot runner controller to be tied into the injection molding machine’s control. This is recommended because if the machine goes down for a predetermined amount of time without an operator, when the molder restarts the press, it’s best to have the controller automatically put the heat in standby on the hot runner to prevent material degradation during the idle.

[50] M. Badrossamay and T. H. C. Childs, “Further studies in selective laser melting of stainless and tool steel powders,” Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf., vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 779–784, Apr. 2007.

[42] L. E. Murr, E. Martinez, J. Hernandez, S. Collins, K. N. Amato, S. M. Gaytan, and P. W. Shindo, “Microstructures and Properties of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 167–177, Oct. 2012.

The pressure requirements for processing the bioresin need to be evaluated because viscosities for these materials can be very different from standard polyolefins. Determine if the machine and hot runner being used can generate adequate pressure to process the material. In general, Husky recommends machines that can achieve pressures of at least 28,000 to 32,000 psi.

[129] “Speedy Metals Information for A6 Tool Steel.” [Online]. Available: www.speedymetals.com/information/Material18.html.

[140] W. E. Luecke and J. A. Slotwinski, “Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steel Made by Additive Manufacturing,” J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol., vol. 119, p. 398, Oct. 2014.

[142] H. J. Niu and I. T. H. Chang, “Instability of scan tracks of selective laser sintering of high speed steel powder,” Scr. Mater., vol. 41, no. 11, pp. 1229–1234, Nov. 1999.

[5] D. M. Bryce, Plastic Injection Moulding: Manufacturing Process Fundamentals, First edition. Dearborn, Mich: Society of Manufacturing, 1996.

[132] S. Dolinek, “Wear characteristics of laser sintered moulding tools,” 15th Int. Conf. Wear Mater., vol. 259, no. 7–12, pp. 1241–1247, 2005.

[63] J. W. Xie, P. Fox, W. O’Neill, and C. J. Sutcliffe, “Effect of direct laser re-melting processing parameters and scanning strategies on the densification of tool steels,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 170, no. 3, pp. 516–523, 2005.

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

[133] H. J. Niu and I. T. H. Chang, “Selective laser sintering of gas atomised M2 high speed steel powder,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 31–38, Jan. 2000.

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

[79] “Metal injection moulding: materials and properties.” [Online]. Available: www.pim-international.com/designing_for_PIM/materials.

[66] H. J. Niu and I. T. H. Chang, “Liquid phase sintering of M3/2 high speed steel by selective laser sintering,” Scr. Mater., vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 67–72, 1998.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

[84] D. Wu, X. Liang, Q. Li, and L. Jiang, “Laser Rapid Manufacturing of Stainless Steel 316L/Inconel718 Functionally Graded Materials: Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties,” Int. J. Opt., vol. 2010, p. e802385, Jan. 2011.

[82] T. E. S. Tian Fu, “Evaluation of Direct Diode Laser Deposited Stainless Steel 316L on 4340 Steel Substrate for Aircraft Landing Gear Application,” p. 9, 2010.

[83] M. B. Lekala, J. W. van der Merwe, and S. L. Pityana, “Laser Surface Alloying of 316L Stainless Steel with Ru and Ni Mixtures,” Int. J. Corros., vol. 2012, p. e162425, Aug. 2012.

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

Across multiple industries and applications, bioresins have become increasingly popular alternatives to the traditional resins used in injection molding. The global market for bioresins has risen steadily over the years and is expected to continue that growth at an impressive rate. Over the next five years, the market is expected to double in size, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% in the U.S. and 13% in Europe.

[27] H. J. Niu and I. T. H. Chang, “Selective laser sintering of gas and water atomised high speed steel powders,” Scr. Mater., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 25–30, Jun. 1999.

[15] S. Bobby and S. Singamneni, “Conformal cooling through thin shell moulds produced by 3D printing,” Aust. J. Multi-Discip. Eng., vol. 9, no. 2, 2013.

[114] X. Zhao, B. Song, Y. Zhang, X. Zhu, Q. Wei, and Y. Shi, “Decarburization of stainless steel during selective laser melting and its influence on Young’s modulus, hardness and tensile strength,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 647, pp. 58–61, Oct. 2015.

Remembering that the melt channel size and distance covered helps determine the shear rates, molders should consider and optimize these for low pressure, reduced shear and minimal residence time, bearing in mind that the smaller the channel, the higher the shear rate and the lower the residence time. The counterpoint to that setting profile is pressure drop. Molders need to ensure that for some specific bioresins, the channel is not too small and there isn’t too much pressure drop, which could prevent the parts from filling. Each manifold should be engineered specifically to the application and then balanced between pressure drop, shear rate and residence time requirements.

Only limited sets of processing parameters have been reported in the literature that provide a useful starting point for studying any steel alloy. However, a detailed understanding of the influence of process parameters on mechanical properties and microstructures of SLM steels is clearly lacking.

[55] R. Vilar, R. Sabino, and M. A. Almeida, “Laser surface melting of sintered AISI T15 high-speed steel,” in Proceedings of the Laser Materials Processing Symposium – ICALEO’91, November 3, 1991 – November 8, 1991, 1992, vol. 74, pp. 424–434.

Husky is currently working with many of the bioresin suppliers to test and validate their materials, including new formulations as they go to market. In its lab, Husky has around 45 different molds with different part configurations to test an assortment of resins and help customers determine if a particular bioresin is right for a specific application. Compostability testing with the bioresin you’ve chosen is possible and required for commercializing a product with a compostability certification.

Among the various innovative processes for the production of tooling, the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process has the potential to address many of the challenges faced by the tooling industry. The SLM process is capable of producing defect-free parts from a variety of steel materials as well as offering the unique ability to introduce conformal cooling. However, it is important for a tooling design engineer to know the material options and corresponding process parameters to examine the suitability of the SLM process in order to obtain mechanical properties that may compare well with conventional handbook data. To this end, this article reviews the published data on various steel powders and processing conditions as well as the mechanical properties that have been obtained using the SLM process.

[145] “Microstructure of SLM manufactured 316L and 420 grades stainless steel.” [Online]. Available: www.researchgate.net/publication/286022952_Microstructure_of_SLM_manufactured_316L_and_420_grades_stainless_steel.

Process parameters reported for the SLM process for various steels were examined from around nearly a hundred studies in order to associate them with the obtained mechanical properties. The most common SLM process conditions that were reported were laser power, scan speed, scan spacing, layer thickness and laser beam diameter. Fig. 8 provides a comparison of laser power and scan speed that were reported for various types of steels in order to identify starting points for specifying process condition window.

[7] “Plastic Moulding Techniques – Rotational, Injection, Compression, Blow.” [Online]. Available: www.plasticmoulding.ca/techniques.htm.

[67] P. Vallabhajosyula and D. L. Bourell, “Production of fully ferrous components using indirect selective laser sintering,” in 4th International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Physical Prototyping, VRAP 2009, October 6, 2009 – October 10, 2009, 2010, pp. 251–256.

[81] A. K. Jyotsna Dutta Majumdar, “Direct laser cladding of SiC dispersed AISI 316L stainless steel,” Tribol. Int., vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 750–753, 2009.

[111] S. Nachum and N. A. Fleck, “The microstructure and mechanical properties of ball-milled stainless steel powder: The effect of hot-pressing vs. laser sintering,” Acta Mater., vol. 59, no. 19, pp. 7300–7310, 2011.

Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.

In 316L stainless steel parts fabricated by the SLM process a duplex microstructure with austenite and ferrite was typically found. This duplex microstructure resulted in parts with improved tensile strength and ductility. In SLM fabricated 17-4 PH stainless steel parts, the microstructures typically had a presence of martensite and metastable austenite that may have contributed to the tensile strength and hardness but produced parts with lower ductility. Heterogeneous martensite, austenite and ferrite phases were typically found in 420 stainless steel parts and such microstructures resulted in improved tensile strengths. In H13 and M2 tool steels, the SLM fabricated parts generally displayed both martensite and austenite phases. Additionally, carbide phases were generally found in the microstructure and resulted in the production of parts with desired properties. However, not much research has been reported on the effects of size, morphology and packing density of the powders on the microstructures and mechanical properties of steel parts.

[32] W. Meiners, K. Wissenbach, and R. Poprawe, “Direct selective laser sintering of steel powder,” ResearchGate, pp. 615–622.

[23] C. M. Taylor, I. P. Ilyas, K. W. Dalgarno, and J. Gosden, “Manufacture of production quality injection mould tools using SLS and HSM,” in 2007 ASME International Conference on Manufacturing Science and Engineering, January 15, 2007 – October 18, 2007, 2007, pp. 9–16.

[69] X. Miao, A. J. Ruys, and B. K. Milthorpe, “Hydroxyapatite-316L fibre composites prepared by vibration assisted slip casting,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 36, no. 13, pp. 3323–3332, Jul. 2001.

[134] H. J. Niu and I. T. H. Chang, “Selective laser sintering of gas and water atomised high speed steel powders,” Scr. Mater., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 25–30, 1999.

[115] P. Krakhmalev, I. Yadroitsava, G. Fredriksson, and I. Yadroitsev, “Microstructure of SLM manufactured 316L and 420 grades stainless steel,” ResearchGate, pp. 59–66.

Fig. 4 shows the ultimate tensile strength of various steels fabricated using the SLM process. The data were collected from nearly fifty studies and the strength values were compared to data obtained from wrought and MIM processes. 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steel strength values had the most reported data in the literature. Stainless steel components fabricated with the SLM process exhibited comparable ultimate tensile strength values to those of MIM and wrought parts. Fig. 4 shows that 316L stainless steels components have the lowest ultimate tensile strength values and H13 tool steels have the highest strength values. Additionally, 420 stainless steel and H-13 tool steels that are often used for manufacturing tooling for injection moulding also showed ultimate tensile strength values using SLM that were comparable to MIM and wrought parts.

[86] M. D. Vamsi Krishna Balla, “Laser surface modification of 316 L stainless steel with bioactive hydroxyapatite,” Mater. Sci. Eng. C, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 4594–4598, 2013.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

[95] A. B. Spierings, G. Levy “Designing material properties locally with Additive Manufacturing technology SLM, “ ETH-Zürich; 2014.

This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

Demand for bioresins is growing in molded goods, particularly as a sustainability play to replace fossil-fuel based materials, but these materials are not a drop-in replacement for traditional materials. Molds and hot runners need to be optimized for these materials.

[39] P. B. M. Averyanova and V. B, “Effect of initial powder properties on final microstructure and mechanical properties of parts manufactured by selective laser melting.”

[16] A. Simchi and H. Pohl, “Direct laser sintering of iron–graphite powder mixture,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 383, no. 2, pp. 191–200, Oct. 2004.

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

[26] J. P. Kruth, L. Froyen, J. Van Vaerenbergh, P. Mercelis, M. Rombouts, and B. Lauwers, “Selective laser melting of iron-based powder,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 149, no. 1–3, pp. 616–622, Jun. 2004.

[43] X. Zhao, Q. Wei, B. Song, Y. Liu, X. Luo, S. Wen, and Y. Shi, “Fabrication and Characterization of AISI 420 Stainless Steel Using Selective Laser Melting,” Mater. Manuf. Process., vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1283–1289, Nov. 2015.

[94] P. G. E. Jerrard, L. Hao, and K. E. Evans, “Experimental investigation into selective laser melting of austenitic and martensitic stainless steel powder mixtures,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part B J. Eng. Manuf., vol. 223, no. 11, pp. 1409–1416, Nov. 2009.

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

[36] A.B. Spierings, N. Herres, and G. Levy, “Influence of the particle size distribution on surface quality and mechanical properties in AM steel parts,” Rapid Prototyp. J., vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 195–202, Apr. 2011.

[141] P. B. M. Averyanova, “Studying the influence of initial powder characteristics on the properties of final parts manufactured by the selective laser melting technology,” Virtual Phys. Prototyp., pp. 1–9, 2011.

[40] T. LeBrun, T. Nakamoto, K. Horikawa, and H. Kobayashi, “Effect of retained austenite on subsequent thermal processing and resultant mechanical properties of selective laser melted 17–4 PH stainless steel,” Mater. Des., vol. 81, pp. 44–53, Sep. 2015.

[46] J. Y. Chen and L. Xue, “The microstructural characteristics of laser clad AISI P20 tool steel,” in Proceeding of the 1st Congress, 7-10 October 2002, Columbus, Ohio USA, 2003, pp. 198–205.

[100] T. LeBrun, T. Nakamoto, K. Horikawa, and H. Kobayashi, “Effect of retained austenite on subsequent thermal processing and resultant mechanical properties of selective laser melted 17–4 PH stainless steel,” Mater. Des., vol. 81, pp. 44–53, Sep. 2015.

[90] A.R. Jeefferie, S. Nurhashima, M.Y., Yuhazri, Haeryip Sihombing, S., Mohd Shukor, N.S., Abdullah, and M.A., Omar, “Characterization of injection Moulded 17-4Ph Stainless Steel Prepared with waste rubber binder.”

Beyond Plastic and partners have created a certified biodegradable PHA compound that can be injection molded into 38-mm closures in a sub 6-second cycle from a multicavity hot runner tool.

[70] J. R. J Marcuci, E.C.D. Souza, C. C. Camilo, P. L. D Lorenzo, and J. M. D. A. Rollo, “Corrosion and microstructural characterization of martensitic stainless steels submitted to industrial thermal processes for use in surgical tools.”

Any new materials also bring unknowns, especially in performance, and many bioresins may not perform as well as traditional materials in terms of product preservation, longevity, safety and other key metrics. These unknowns need to be addressed to achieve a successful bioresin adoption. Bioresins are not a straight replacement for PP and PE. Even within petrochemical based PE and PP, there is a wide variation in performance among the numerous grades. Make sure that the bioresin you’re choosing matches the requirements of the product that you’re bringing to market.

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

Fig. 5 shows the yield strength of various steels compiled from nearly fifty studies that used the SLM process. These values were compared to yield strength values obtained from wrought and MIM processes. The majority of reported yield strength data were for 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels. Stainless steel components fabricated with the SLM process exhibited comparable yield strength values to those of MIM and wrought parts, with the exception of 420 stainless steel which showed lower values. Fig. 5 shows that 316L stainless steel has the lowest yield strength values and H13 tool steel has the highest yield strength values. Additionally, H-13 tool steel that is typically used in manufacturing injection moulding tools also showed yield strength for SLM parts that were comparable with MIM and wrought parts.

Table 4 summarises the average and standard deviation of hardness values for SLM, MIM and wrought parts based on the above data. It was observed that A6 tool steel had a rather low hardness of 260 ± 40 HB when fabricated using the SLM process [67]. The hardness values of SLM samples fabricated from 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steel were 230 ± 40 HB and 360 ± 40 HB respectively and were comparable to the wrought and MIM hardness values. Among stainless steels, 420 stainless steels had the highest hardness value of 470 ± 50 HB when processed using SLM. Among tool steels, M2 had the highest hardness (730 ± 30 HB) when processed using SLM. Moreover, M2 and H13 tool steel showed suitable compatibility with the SLM process since it was possible to achieve hardness similar to the wrought and MIM values.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

Bioresin preparation includes drying to a moisture content of less than 250 parts per million (ppm) to prevent viscosity impacts and resin degradation. Bioresins are usually supplied in foil-lined bags or bags that are dried to less than 400 ppm in moisture. These resins should not be exposed to atmospheric conditions after drying.

Stainless steel hot runner systems, like this UltraMelt system designed by Husky Technologies, can resist the corrosive nature of some degraded bioresins. Photo Credit: Husky

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

[125] “New Welding Procedures for Repairing H13 and P20 Tool Steels [Online]. Available: www.researchgate.net/publication/237428429_ New Welding Procedures for Repairing H13 and P20 Tool Steels.

[44] W.-N. Su, P. Erasenthiran, and P. M. Dickens, “Investigation of fully dense laser sintering of tool steel powder using a pulsed Nd: Yag (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) laser,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part C J. Mech. Eng. Sci., vol. 217, no. 1, pp. 127–138, Jan. 2003.

For 316L stainless steel powders, when the laser power was varied between 35-100 W and scan speed between 50-800 mm/s, the ultimate tensile strength values ranged between 500-600 MPa, the yield strength was between 300-450 MPa, and the elongation was between 10-30% . For 17-4 PH stainless steel powders, when the laser power was varied between 35-200 W and scan speed between 50 -1200 mm/s, the ultimate tensile strength values ranged between 1000-1100 MPa, the yield strength was between 550-700 MPa and the elongation was between 5-20%. For H13 tool steel powders, at a laser power of 200 W and scan speed between 500-800 mm/s, the ultimate tensile strength ranged between 1750-1900 MPa, the yield strength between 1200-1500MPa, and elongation between 4-9%. For 420 stainless steel powders, at a laser power of 200W and scan speed varied between 500-1000 mm/s, the ultimate tensile strength values ranged between 1500-1650 MPa the yield strength was between 700-900 MPa and the elongation was between 1-3%. However, for M2 tool steel powders; when the laser power was 200 W and the scan speed varied between 50-200 mm/s, the hardness was between 550-850 HB.

[98] S. Kumpaty, S. Kamara, B. Tomlin, J. Yoo, H. Kumpaty, D. Anderson, M. Govindaraju, N. Kanoongo, and K. Balasubramanian, “Effect of Heat Treatment on Mechanical/Metallurgical Properties of Direct Metal Laser Sintered 17-4 Precipitate Hardened Stainless Steel,” Adv. Mater. Res., vol. 699, pp. 795–801, May 2013.

The partnership aims to bring together both companies’ technology platforms to produce FDCA from sustainable wood residues on an industrial scale.

Injection moulding tools are most widely manufactured with conventional processes such as milling, lathe or CNC lathe. Over the years these conventional manufacturing processes have developed with the onset of computer aided technology used for designing tools, high-speed machining, improved precision and process automation. Although this has led to the faster production of tools, product development cycles are still long and expensive. Tooling costs account for 15% of injection moulded part costs [12]. However, considering global competition and the requirement for shorter manufacturing times, innovative manufacturing methods for tool production such as Additive Manufacturing have been explored to manufacture tools for injection moulding [13–21]. Moulding cycle times account for 35% of the part cost [11, 21], and innovative mould designs and materials using Additive Manufacturing appear to offer the promise for further impacting the cost-per-part produced by injection moulding [22, 23].

This report surveyed the use of SLM for the fabrication of components using tool steels (H13, M2, A6, P20, T15) and stainless steel (316L, 17-4 PH, 420) powders. It is evident that steel powders processed by SLM can attain mechanical properties comparable to wrought or MIM properties.

[120] A. Gupta., H. Singh, and A. Aggarwal., “Taguchi-fuzzy multi output optimization (MOO) in high speed CNC turning of AISI P-20 tool steel”. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(6), pp.6822-6828, 2011.

Fig. 7 shows examples of quite different microstructures obtained for parts manufactured with the SLM fabricated parts when different powder sizes and shapes were used under the same processing conditions, to illustrate the importance of the scientific gap that needs to be addressed in the future.

[108] X. Zhao, Q. Wei, B. Song, Y. Liu, X. Luo, S. Wen, and Y. Shi, “Fabrication and Characterization of AISI 420 Stainless Steel Using Selective Laser Melting,” Mater. Manuf. Process., vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1283–1289, Nov. 2015.

[62] X. Zhao, Q. Wei, B. Song, Y. Liu, X. Luo, S. Wen, and Y. Shi, “Fabrication and Characterization of AISI 420 Stainless Steel Using Selective Laser Melting,” Mater. Manuf. Process., vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1283–1289, Nov. 2015.

[31] S. Akhtar, C. S. Wright, M. Youseffi, C. Hauser, T. H. C. Childs, C. M. Taylor, M. Baddrossamay, J. Xie, P. Fox, and W. O’Neill, “Direct selective laser sintering of tool steel powders to high density: Part B – The effect on microstructural evolution,” Proc. Solid Free. Fabr. Symp., pp. 656–667, 2003.

Table 7 presents the average and standard deviation of elongation (%) values for SLM, MIM and wrought parts. The elongation values of SLM fabricated 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steel samples were 20 ± 10% and 15 ± 5% respectively and were comparable to the wrought and MIM elongation values. Among stainless steels, 420 stainless steel had lowest elongation value of 2 ± 1% when processed by SLM. Among tool steels, H13 had an elongation value of 6 ± 2% when processed by SLM. However, no conclusions can be drawn for other steel samples fabricated by SLM due to a lack of data reported in literature.

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

[61] G. Hengfeng, G. Haijin, P. Deepankar, R. Khalid, S. Thomas, and S. Brent, “Influences of Energy Density on Porosity and Microstructure of Selective Laser Melted 17-4PH Stainless Steel,” Dec. 2014.

[10] R. Ivory, “Understand Common Steels Used in Injection Mould Making.” [Online]. Available: info.crescentind.com/blog/bid/66085/Understand-Common-Steels-Used-in-Injection-Mould-Making.

[51] P. Vallabhajosyula and D. L. Bourell, “Modeling and production of fully ferrous components by indirect selective laser sintering,” Rapid Prototyp. J., vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 262–268, Jun. 2011.