Fast, cost-effective tooling with ABS-CF10
From a 2020 survey, 22% of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing customers used 3D printing for manufacturing aids while 33% of them felt that manufacturing aids will experience the greatest amount of growth in the next 3 years.
With the right material, 3D printing can be an important solution for fast and cost-effecting tooling. The addition of ABS-CF10 to the list of available of high-performance Stratasys FDM materials gives companies the material properties they’re looking for.
An example can be seen in the case of a major auto manufacturer customer which approached Javelin Technologies, a Canadian leader in AM solutions.
The customer wanted to retool its truck production line and hope for a solution to replace heavy and cumbersome tooling used to apply badging to the truck’s tailgate.
Prior to using ABS-CF10, standard ABS was used with sparse fill to make the tool lightweight. But this resulted in insufficient strength and required redesigning using solid fill. It however wasn’t the best solution as the tool still flexed depending on the pressure applied.
Enter ABS-CF10 which was easier to print and allowed total design freedom with soluble support compatibility. The material is 50% stiffer than standard ABS thanks to the addition of 10% chopped carbon fiber, and helps to provide Fortus-level quality and performance with fast turnaround and lower costs.
Depending on the application, carbon-reinforced ABS can also replace metal for lighter, more ergonomic tooling. Instead of machining, significantly reduce tooling lead time and achieve complex geometries with ABS-CF10.
