We’re going to be speaking at RAPID + TCT Conference on Wednesday , May 18th and we would like to personally invite you to join us as we cover the latest in additive manufacturing.

RAPID + TCT is North America’s largest and most influential additive manufacturing event, attending yearly ensures the entire industry is able to collaborate and take this great technology to the next level.

Renaissance Services led a U.S. Air Force-sponsored program for Low-Cost Tooling for Castings with a specific emphasis on parts used in small turbine engines.  The team consisted of foundries and small engine programs with a concentration on castings for rotating and non-rotating components and a variety of materials ranging from nickel-based alloys to steel and aluminum.

The program focused on multiple additive manufacturing (AM) tooling options for the optimal solution to address overall cost, lead time, and tooling life to meet specific engine program needs.  The AM tooling approaches included 3D-printing of ceramic molds, 3D-printing of wax patterns, and 3D-printing of limited-life polymer injection dies.

Each AM tooling approach, using component designs from the OEMs, was produced to determine actual capabilities and performance.  The tooling approaches were then evaluated by Renaissance engineers, the OEMs, and the foundries to determine the viability for each to address specific product development, performance, and production requirements.

This presentation will provide an overview of the AM tooling approaches, as well as results from using the AM tools with the participating OEMs and foundries.