Many Mexican die casters provide 3D printing, which is used to deposit metal power on a component as per the geometrical patterns collected from the Computer Aided Software. Also known as additive printing, the process transforms digital files and drawings into components having a three dimensional structure. It aids making components quickly with a bare-minimum scrap. The process is ideal for industrial parts used in aerospace and automotive segments to name two. Besides, in order to get optimum result out of additive printing, foundries adhere to stringent engineering methods and practices ideal for the part.
Choosing Design Instead of Adapting
The most important practice in metal printing is that the component shape should be ideal for 3D printing and foundries check it right at the start. This is because adapting a design ideal for traditional manufacturing methods like high-pressure die casting, CNC machining, and so forth to 3D printing may bring less desirable results on the part.
Optimizing Design for 3D Printing Machines
Prior to designing the component structure in AutoCAD, it is important to know the 3D printing machine to be used. There are different machines used in 3D printing, but for small-scale projects, usually a flatbed printer is used by foundries. Conceived shapes can be printed on an array of metals such as aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, etc.
Using Optimal Wall Thickness
Certain 3D printers make use of metal powder in order to create close tolerances on the material of like, say, up to 50 micrometer or even higher. Choosing the optimal wall thickness is important for achieving a certain degree of stability on the component. Even higher thickness of up to 500 micrometer is chosen by foundries, but going beyond that may cause distortions on the wall due to the heat exerted by the powerful laser. On the contrary, creating wafer thin coating may be tough to post-process on the wall without damages.
Leaving Optimally Sized Gaps
If selective laser melting machine is used to deposit patterns on the component, the laser spot’s size also needs to be considered early on. For instance, from 0.1 millimeters to 0.4 millimeters resolution may cause the walls to collapse and even drop concentricity. However, 0.5 millimeters or higher is ideal for creating gaps, which are uniform and provide consistent wall thickness avoiding post-machining.