The scenario of mechanical engineering has been greatly revolutionized; many new techniques are adapted in this domain for innovatory designs introduced in recent times.
This innovatory domain itself is a vast discipline that, adequately, monitors anything and everything which is a part of the moving system. Among these recent trends of mechanical engineering designs comes ‘Rapid Tooling,’ a process which is a result of simultaneous performance of the rapid prototyping technique with the traditional conventional practices used for constructing a mold quickly.
The technique of Rapid tooling brings to use a prototype model as a pattern to produce a mold or uses the prototyping services in a beeline so as to fabricated a tool for a fixed quantity of prototype as we cannot deny on the fact that expensive tooling cost is only fair during the high production quantities. The sequence follows the melting of raw plastic in the injection molding machine, where it solidifies into its final shape.
The time lag between start to finish reduces because of Rapid tooling this technique is being used in commercial sectors to get the output in minimum time. RT helps in making these manufacturing processes faster, cheaper, and useful. Positively, the most critical application of direct manufacturing is tooling fabrication. The main moto of the companies which offer mechanical design services is to make the tool more reliable and error-free.
Rapid tooling is nothing but the procedure which binds and builds the internal shape and the external shape of the component, i.e., core and cavity inserts as its product of prototyping technology. It benefits the manufacturers in bringing the product in the market before the expected launch time.
Types of Tooling
Based on the manufacturing methods, rapid tooling has two types:
• Direct Rapid tooling- Rapid tooling here, is worn for direct production of molds, and there’s no requirement for any specific pattern. The techniques used here include LENS, direct AIM, laminated tooling, quick casting method, etc.
• Indirect Rapid tooling- It is the most common and more frequently used type when compared to Direct tooling; the user has this only purpose of prototyping and not any direct production. Further classified into soft and hard tooling, depending on the material used. Rubber silicon tooling can be an excellent example of one of the techniques used in this type of tooling.
Choice of method:
The choice of method depends on the purpose, final material to be implemented & its accuracy and the volume of production.
Advantages
While keeping in mind the expenses and lead-time, especially for some small quantity manufacturing, it becomes a huge question. The time taken for the first articles can be much less than one-fourth to one-fifth that of the conventional method with manufacturing cost below five percent of the traditional methodology of tooling.
Misinterpretation in drawings are eschewed using the CAD process throughout the Rapid prototyping process, along with the rapid tooling process, which are the reasons for the imperfections in a product. Having refrained from the tedious trial, this offer customizations mandatory for personal applications. Also, it is beneficial to draw up parts of the functional model from CAD data.
During the initial designing stages, RT provides and allows functional tests, which helps in modifications at the early stages, decreasing the risks of any changes in the final stages.
Other advantages in Rapid Tooling are:
1)Increase in production.
2)Highly preferable because of reduced tool time.
3)Facilitates different kind of materials.
4)Easier to resolve existing problems.
5) The method minimizes the cost of the entire manufacturing process.
Challenges
The only issue in the case of Rapid tooling is tool life; the life of the tool is less than that of the conventional ones. These also include the tolerances which are wider to those of traditional tools.
Types of RT processes
LOW VOLUME PROCESS: Includes- Soft tooling, Reaction injection modeling, and Bridge tooling.
INTERMEDIATE PROCESS: Includes- Metal filled epoxy tooling and powdered metal tooling.
Conclusion
The automatic construction of physical elements by using solid freeform fabrication is called Rapid Prototyping, while Rapid tooling uses a rapid prototyping model like a pattern to form a mold in less time; it is an outcome to the unison of RP techniques. In the entire development cycles, there are needs for samples or some intermediate tooling that produce a small number of prototypes, or we can say functional tests. Rapid tooling forms a bridge to injection molded parts. Without even having any elaborated adjustments of machines or final assembly, the objects are created with any geometric dimensional complexity. With the help of rapid tooling, a large number of thermoplastics and some of the thermosets & silicone can be injection mold. A countless number of quick tooling methods are introduced because of the increased demand for cheaper yet faster tools.
The engineering design services provided by Tesla Mechanical designs include tooling & fixture services and molding design services which can be used for developing rapid tooling designs.