Rapid Tooling Processes

Abstract

Sand casting is one of several near net shape manufacturing processes. In near net shape manufacturing, multiple copies of the product are produced by imprinting the shape of the tool or die on a suitable working material. Typically, the working material starts out as a liquid, powder, or pliable material that is eventually solidified or hardened after being formed by the tool. Net shape manufacturing processes include other casting processes such as die casting and investment casting, polymer molding processes such as injection molding, blow molding, and thermoforming, bulk deformation processes such as extrusion and forging, and sheet metal forming processes such as bending and deep drawing. Design and construction of tooling for near net shape manufacturing processes has traditionally been time consuming and costly. With the advent of modern computer-aided machining and fast freeform fabrication (FFF) technologies, many new and innovative approaches to making near net shape tooling have been developed. This has led to the rapidly expanding new field known as “rapid tooling.”