3D printing has turned the production of injection molded prototypes into a quick, easy and inexpensive process. See how PolyJet 3D Printing technology from Stratasys helps a team at Budapest University create an injection mold for functional testing at reduced time and cost.
Commissioned to produce a fan that provides enhanced engine cooling and reduced noise, Dr. Jozsef Gabor Kovács, Department of Polymer Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (http://www.pt.bme.hu/index.php?l=a),
and his team needed to find an efficient, inexpensive method of producing injection molded prototypes to test the fan in the end-product material. The design and development process involved subjecting the fan to extreme functional tests on a tight deadline, so the team had to produce iterations extremely quickly. Conventional methods of producing molds, such as CNC manufacturing with steel, are expensive and time-consuming. So Kovács took the innovative approach of using the PolyJet-based Objet Connex 3D printer to produce the injection molds.
See the complete production process in just over 90 seconds!
