Insufficient stock of spare parts.

Use FIM to manufacture spare parts from customer-specific material

BASF Ultramid® 30% glass-filled PA66.

This part design was provided by a leading global automotive manufacturer based in Germany. STEP files are preferred for FIM.

The next step is to convert the STEP file into a mold design. To do this, the part is rotated into a cavity in a block of material, and then the inlet opening(s) and the first vent are added.

As it was a large piece, the mold was divided into two parts and put together.

The parts were formed on a 50-ton press. The FIM molds work hand in hand with every installed basic molding system.

An aluminum mold frame was used to hold the large mold assembly in place.

The alkaline Nexa3D solution was used to demold these parts over a period of 2.5 days.

This time can be optimized by redesigning the mould or by removing part of the mould before demoulding.

The holder above comes straight from the tool: no post-processing, no polishing. The details in the design and the functionality of the part stand out clearly.

• The construction of the molds is a simple process.
• The material (BASF Ultramid®) fills the molds well in the first test rounds.
• Optimization for demoulding is always a good thing and improves the subsequent iterations.
• Data sheets were used for mold data, settings, pressure, temperatures and more.
• Iterating the design, changing the materials or both based on the results achieved are just some of the benefits of working with
• Freeform Injection Molding.

• The part is located directly above the turbocharger in the engine area
• Several parts were tested under real conditions for more than 9 weeks:
  • Extreme temperature conditions.
  • Humidity test.
  • UV exposure.
  • Various vibration conditions.
  • Mechanical performance tests.