VDMA meets at Arburg on the topic of generative manufacturing

"Generative Manufacturing" was the topic that members of the VDMA Toolmaking engaged with on May 22, 2014, at Arburg. They also took the opportunity to get to know the new Freeformer and the Arburg plastic freeformers. (Photo: Arburg)

• 9th Toolmaking Information Day of the VDMA
• Topic additive manufacturing: around 25 experts visit Arburg
• Toolless to the plastic part: toolmakers and scientists get to know the Freeformer

Approximately 25 experts from industry and science gathered on May 22, 2014, at the host Arburg in Loßburg to learn about current developments and trends in additive manufacturing. The meeting took place as part of the "9th Toolmaking Information Day," organized by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).

"The market for plastics processing is changing, and so are the market demands. Rapid technological developments, short product life cycles, increasing variety, and the desire for customized products are some reasons why Arburg has been developing and establishing industrial additive manufacturing alongside injection molding from a machine builder's perspective for years," explained Heinz Gaub, Managing Director of Technology at Arburg, in his technical presentation.

Additive Manufacturing in Theory and Practice

The result is the Freeformer and the Arburg Plastic Freeformer (AKF), which can produce, in addition to display models and prototypes, fully functional individual parts or small series based on 3D CAD data from cost-effective standard granulates without tools. The experts could see live how such components are created additively from tiny plastic droplets during a presentation of the Freeformer.

Dora Maischner from the Aachen Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) demonstrated, among other things, new possibilities for wear protection using powder deposition welding, with the example of hot runner nozzles. Currently, special hot runner nozzles are being tested, with tips made from a cobalt-chromium-based hard alloy. Karl Otto Hüsken from LBC Engineering, a specialist in the design of conformal cooling, showed how the right mix of technologies can be used economically for optimal mold temperature control. Finally, Dr. Bernhard Müller from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU), Chemnitz, spoke about "the future of generative manufacturing." His research focuses on laser melting of metals.

9th Toolmaking Information Day Receives Great Response

The 9th Toolmaking Information Day concluded with a tour of the company, which this year was once again organized jointly by VDMA Toolmaking and the IPH Working Group for Tool and Mold Making. "At Arburg, we gained exciting insights into the current state of additive manufacturing and an outlook on research activities. Such exchanges of experience and networking benefit our members and research institutes equally," summarized Alfred Graf Zedtwitz from VDMA Toolmaking, who organized the event.

The VDMA Toolmaking is a specialized division of the VDMA Precision Tools Association and supports member companies from tool and mold making as well as manufacturers of fixtures and standard parts. Since 1997, VDMA Toolmaking and the Working Group for Tool and Mold Making at the Institute for Integrated Production Hannover (IPH) have been working closely together.