The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI, Knoxville, TN, US) and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Knoxville, TN, US) are partnering with key industry leaders to showcase significant advancements in materials and speeds for additive manufacturing at the 2018 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). Visitors can follow the journey of an additively manufactured metal die as it is 3D printed, machined and used to mold advanced composite parts, all in only a few hours on the exhibit floor.

The project, rightfully named “Die in a Day”, underscores the advantages of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to revitalize the fading US tool and die market and diminish fabrication time, which conventionally takes weeks or months, down to a matter of hours. Each day of the show will feature the molding of a different composite part, beginning with the 3D printing of an additively manufactured metal die, or mold, by a Lincoln Electric Additive System. The die will then be machined on a Mazak computer numerical control (CNC) system before finally being used by IACMI to fabricate parts on a Wabash MPI compression molding press. Throughout the week, the final parts will be scanned by Quality Vision International to ensure dimensional tolerances are met.