Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing has reached a level of reliability and credibility that has already been integrated into specific industries producing final parts or tooling. Among Material Extrusion (ME) techniques, the Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) method has enabled the development of Large Format Addi...

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Main Authors: Daniel Moreno Nieto, Francisco Javier Puertas Morales, Julia Rivera Vera, Pedro Burgos Pintos, Daniel Moreno Sanchez, Sergio I. Molina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4572
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author Daniel Moreno Nieto
Francisco Javier Puertas Morales
Julia Rivera Vera
Pedro Burgos Pintos
Daniel Moreno Sanchez
Sergio I. Molina
author_facet Daniel Moreno Nieto
Francisco Javier Puertas Morales
Julia Rivera Vera
Pedro Burgos Pintos
Daniel Moreno Sanchez
Sergio I. Molina
author_sort Daniel Moreno Nieto
collection DOAJ
description Additive manufacturing has reached a level of reliability and credibility that has already been integrated into specific industries producing final parts or tooling. Among Material Extrusion (ME) techniques, the Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) method has enabled the development of Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) using polymeric materials, which has also established its presence in industries working with large prototypes, molds, and tools. This cost-efficient process has proven its applicability and success in manufacturing molds for composites, particularly in short and medium production runs, significantly reducing production times and costs. This paper presents two experiments designed to optimize process parameters when producing molds using the combined FGF and milling approach. These experiments identified optimal extrusion temperatures and extrusion multipliers to minimize defects at both the macro- and microscales for ASA 20 wt.% carbon fiber (CF) material; additionally, a correlation between milling speed, milling strategy, and surface roughness was established. These findings are valuable for industries adopting this innovative production method, as they provide guidance for defining process parameters to achieve the desired surface roughness of a specific part. A case study of the design of an automobile carter mold is presented, concluding that a specific range of milling speeds is required for conventional or climbing milling strategies to achieve a defined surface roughness range.
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spelling doaj-art-ff720a3bd24340689beb1c3e8ae578f02025-08-20T03:14:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01158457210.3390/app15084572Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive ManufacturingDaniel Moreno Nieto0Francisco Javier Puertas Morales1Julia Rivera Vera2Pedro Burgos Pintos3Daniel Moreno Sanchez4Sergio I. Molina5Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, IMEYMAT, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Ciencias de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, IMEYMAT, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, IMEYMAT, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainDepartamento de Ciencias de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, IMEYMAT, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, Puerto Real, 11510 Cadiz, SpainAdditive manufacturing has reached a level of reliability and credibility that has already been integrated into specific industries producing final parts or tooling. Among Material Extrusion (ME) techniques, the Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) method has enabled the development of Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) using polymeric materials, which has also established its presence in industries working with large prototypes, molds, and tools. This cost-efficient process has proven its applicability and success in manufacturing molds for composites, particularly in short and medium production runs, significantly reducing production times and costs. This paper presents two experiments designed to optimize process parameters when producing molds using the combined FGF and milling approach. These experiments identified optimal extrusion temperatures and extrusion multipliers to minimize defects at both the macro- and microscales for ASA 20 wt.% carbon fiber (CF) material; additionally, a correlation between milling speed, milling strategy, and surface roughness was established. These findings are valuable for industries adopting this innovative production method, as they provide guidance for defining process parameters to achieve the desired surface roughness of a specific part. A case study of the design of an automobile carter mold is presented, concluding that a specific range of milling speeds is required for conventional or climbing milling strategies to achieve a defined surface roughness range.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4572large format additive manufacturingfused granular fabricationmillingmoldstooling
spellingShingle Daniel Moreno Nieto
Francisco Javier Puertas Morales
Julia Rivera Vera
Pedro Burgos Pintos
Daniel Moreno Sanchez
Sergio I. Molina
Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
Applied Sciences
large format additive manufacturing
fused granular fabrication
milling
molds
tooling
title Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
title_full Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
title_fullStr Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
title_full_unstemmed Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
title_short Determining Optimal Processing Conditions for Fabricating Industrial Moulds with Additive Manufacturing
title_sort determining optimal processing conditions for fabricating industrial moulds with additive manufacturing
topic large format additive manufacturing
fused granular fabrication
milling
molds
tooling
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4572
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