How can NZ manufacturers rewrite the rules for injection moulding?

A new white paper investigates how thermoplastic manufacturing is revolutionising SLS printing.

Manufactured exports make up around 85% of all New Zealand’s merchandise exports. The manufacturing sector is steadily moving towards more specialised goods capable of earning higher export revenue, and that means innovation and embracing new technologies is critical.

With the industry not keeping up with consumer expectations, manufacturing offshore had become the go-to solution in past decades. The result has been poor quality products, high minimum orders and long lead times.

Local manufacturers are now focussing on customised, specialised products. Founder and CEO of LMAC Consulting, Nigel Reaney says that bringing manufacturing back onshore means harnessing technology and looking for innovative solutions wherever possible.

"We need to take advantage of rapidly advancing and affordable technologies," he explains. "These technology advancements are not insignificant; what we're talking about is nothing less than the next industrial revolution, the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' to be exact."

When it comes to innovations in injection molding, the advent of thermoplastics is rewriting the rules. Typically a plastic polymer, a thermoplastic is a material that becomes soft when heated and harder as it cools. Thermoplastics have become a leading material in manufacturing, replacing steel in many applications.

There's a family of engineered thermoplastics developed specifically for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing. These new design and manufacturing options open the door to improved products, new designs, business models, and markets.

The key is knowing when to use thermoplastic additive manufacturing instead of conventional injection molding. To help we've developed a white paper - The New World of Thermoplastic Manufacturing - that looks at what SLS is and how thermoplastic manufacturing is revolutionising the process.

The white paper covers 8 key areas:

1. How SLS works - what it is, the main benefits and design features. It delivers complex parts cost-effectively, with reduced labour requirements.
2. Why choose SLS - when comparing material properties, SLS stacks up against common injection molding materials. It's a good choice for production because it's compatible with such a versatile, performance-focused range of materials.
3. Improving on injection molding - not only does SLS compare favourably, but SLS additive manufacturing frees designers to achieve more than traditional injection molding.
4. Thermoplastics - they're the key material, allowing designers more freedom and the ability to go beyond typical manufacturing limitations.
5. A look at DuraForm EX - an innovative material that produces SLS parts that can be used as ‘real-world’ production parts and also enables functional testing of prototypes.
6. Other SLS properties - it doesn't stop with DuraForm EX. This section looks at DuraForm PA, which is a nylon 12 material. Its capabilities include environmental stress-cracking and chemical resistance.
7. Our changing world - SLS is helping to deliver new business models, from air travel to footwear.
8. Eliminating the 'orange peel' effect - the release of the ProX SLS 6100 has eliminated any orange peel effect on parts.

The innovation of thermoplastics for SLS is a perfect example of how NZ manufacturing companies can compete on a global scale and boost their export revenues. The more willing they are to not only accept how technology is reshaping the industry, but to get on board with it, the more they'll benefit from the revitalisation that technology can offer. "New Zealand manufacturing industry leaders need to show faith and courage in technology," says Nigel Reany. "It's how individual businesses and the manufacturing sector across New Zealand can be on the winning team."

DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER

https://content.complete3d.co.nz/thermoplastic-man...