99P Labs, a digital proving ground for mobility and energy innovations, backed by Honda and The Ohio State University, used 3D printing to make a universal formability testing (UFT) tool, which is used to quantify the formability of new sheet metal materials.
Sheet metal forming operations for automotive, aerospace and general industrial applications are typically accomplished with steel forms and dies machined from tool steel. This is an effective approach for high unit volumes since the tool material is able to withstand high-cycle operations.
However, for low volume production such as automotive vehicle development, machined tools are a costly and time consuming approach. These scenarios typically require tooling changes as designs evolve, which drive additional time and cost into the project or limit the design scope.
3D printed sheet metal forming tools made with FDM® thermoplastics offer a durable yet cost- and time-efficient alternative to machined metal tools. The tool was printed with FDM® Nylon 12CF, a composite polymer filled 35% by weight with chopped carbon fiber. UFT tools and similar sheet metal stamping forms are used during vehicle development, when design changes are likely and part production quantities are low.
Ultimately, the FDM Nylon-12CF forming tool provided successful results, yielding 40 parts, easily within the desired production target. The 3D printed solution also achieved a 65% cost reduction over the traditional machined-metal form tool option.
Download the complete use case to learn how 99P Labs was able to design and produce the part and yield 40 parts and had a 65% cost reduction.
