MacLean-Fogg Company (MFC) and Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT (Fraunhofer ILT) have created what they believe to be the world's largest 3D printed nearly solid die casting tooling insert for Toyota Europe's Yaris hybrid transmission housing.
Weighing 156kg, the tooling insert is conformally cooled and was manufactured with Fraunhofer ILT's gantry-type, multi-laser Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) machine and MacLean-Fogg's patented L-40 tool steel powder.
MacLean-Fogg's L-40 powder has been specifically designed for the laser powder bed fusion process to achieve high hardness and toughness, thereby minimising crack formation and crack propagation even when printing at moderate pre-heat temperatures. Compared to conventional tool steels, L-40 is also said to reduce the need for advanced post-build heat treatments, further decreasing time-to-market. The material also boasts twice the lifespan of conventional aluminium die-casting inserts, lower overall tooling maintenance requirements, and no cobalt with only a minimal amount of nickel. MacLean-Fogg also suggests there is reduced soldering of aluminium to the tooling surface.
"Gantry printing with L-40 tool steel powder material, a promising avenue towards scalable additive manufacturing, is opening the potential for metal 3D printing to reduce lead times and to realise more responsive manufacturing— in particular while delivering world-class insert performance, longer maintenance intervals, and cost-effective pricing structure," said Dr. Magdalena Coventry and Dr. Andrew Willett, Toyota Europe. "We are thrilled to be at the forefront of innovations in the rapidly developing universe of additive manufacturing."
"Toyota posed a thrilling challenge by requesting to expand the application of L-40 to large-format tooling inserts," said MacLean-Fogg's Director of Product Development Dr. Harald Lemke. "We had to overcome scale-up challenges such as ensuring consistent gas flow conditions as build sizes grew."
Fraunhofer ILT addressed these requirements with its gantry-type, five-laser LPBF system, which allows for the processing of parts longer than 50 cm in side length and chamber temperatures of up to 200°C.
"This was precisely our motivating factor to develop the gantry system," said Dr. Niklas Prätzsch of Fraunhofer ILT. "L-40's unique attributes make it possible to perform large-scale additive manufacturing of tooling inserts at lower temperatures without compromising quality."
Fraunhofer ILT and MacLean-Fogg now aim to expand the technology into structural die casting, inserts for giga-casting tools, and other large hot- or cold-forming tools where traditional powders have not yet been validated.
MacLean-Fogg will showcase the tooling insert at Formnext from Hall 11.0, Stand A58 between November 18–21.
