Electroformed nickel shell tooling

Electroformed nickel shell tooling can be useful for high quality/ medium volume (such as RTM). FET Engineering, Kentucky, USA, has a die spot press allowing both halves of the tool to be placed outside the press with both cavities in the up position, allowing work on the tool while registration of both halves is maintained. Helisys rapid prototype machine and SNK digitizer have been installed. Vapor... 

Experience has shown that the finish on the part surface is a direct function of the mold finish, and that the mold finish is a direct function of the quality of the mold material. Excellent results have been obtained using high-quality, nickel-plated, tool steel molds and electroformed nickel shells. 

Tooling. Forming operates primarily under the force of gravity and low-pressnre vacnnm, so structural requirements for molds are minimal. Because the plastic is kept below its melting point, cooling requirements are also minimal or nonexistent. Wood is a commonly used material of construction for forming, while higher performance molds can be constracted from nickel-coated epoxy or from electroformed nickel shells. 

Soft tools will usually comprise a shell of reinforced epoxy tooling compound, backed or reinforced (depending on size) with concrete or other dimensionally stable material. They take about 6-8 weeks to make and have a life of about 2000 components. Costs, amortized over this number, usually amount to around 2% of product value. As an alternative, electroformed nickel tools can be used, costing about three to five times more, but giving a lifetime output of about ten times (20,000 components). 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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