Q: What is the current development status and trend of laser metal 3D printing technology in mold processing?

A: Against the backdrop of the mold industry moving towards deep digital and information-based manufacturing, laser metal 3D printing technology, as a leader in the additive manufacturing field, is gradually becoming a new key technology for efficient and high-precision mold manufacturing. The China Die & Mould Industry Association clearly states in the "14th Five-Year Development Outline for the Mold Industry" that the impact of metal 3D printing on the mold industry is deepening, indicating that this technology will play a more important role in mold manufacturing.

Q: What are the main types of laser metal 3D printing for molds?

A: Laser metal 3D printing for molds is mainly divided into two types: graft printing and integral printing. -

—Graft printing realizes local high-precision mold manufacturing by printing metal powder layers on a traditional steel base, with the significant feature of greatly reducing production costs.

—Integral printing directly prints the entire mold, suitable for rapid prototyping of complex structures.

Q: In which mold processing areas is laser metal 3D printing mainly applied?

A: The core application areas of mold metal 3D printing are the printing of conformal waterways and exhaust inserts.

— The design of conformal waterways allows cooling channels to follow the contour of the product, effectively solving problems in traditional processing such as long injection molding cycles, uneven product cooling, and large deformation caused by only drilling straight waterway holes.

—Exhaust inserts improve the quality and production efficiency of injection-molded products by optimizing the exhaust system.

Q: What are the technical advantages of mold metal 3D printing?

A: Mold metal 3D printing has the following technical advantages:

—Realization of complex structure design: Metal 3D printing technology can directly print molds with complex internal structures and arbitrary geometric shapes, which is difficult to achieve with traditional processing methods. This design freedom greatly enhances the flexibility and functionality of molds.

—High-precision manufacturing: Metal 3D printing uses high-precision heat sources such as laser beams or high-energy electron beams for processing, enabling precise control of parameters such as temperature, speed, and precision during printing, thus ensuring the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of molds.

—Rapid prototyping: Compared with traditional manufacturing methods, metal 3D printing eliminates many complex processing steps and intermediate links, significantly shortening the mold manufacturing cycle. This is particularly important for enterprises that need to quickly respond to market changes.

—Material saving: Metal 3D printing technology reduces mold manufacturing costs through optimized design and precise material control. It enables on-demand manufacturing, avoiding material waste and processing allowance issues in traditional manufacturing.

Q: What are the main powder materials used in laser metal 3D printing for molds, and what are their respective properties?

A: The main powder materials used in mold metal 3D printing include CX and 18Ni300, which can meet the processing requirements of different molds:

—CX is a stainless mold steel that emphasizes rust resistance and polishing performance.

Printing density with CX material: approximately 7.8 g/cm³.

Initial hardness after printing: 33±3 HRC; hardness after heat treatment: 45-52 HRC.

—18Ni300, as a hot-work die steel, is renowned for its high toughness, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance.

— Printing density with 18Ni300 material: approximately 8 g/cm³.

—Initial hardness after printing: 35±3 HRC; hardness after heat treatment: 45-55 HRC.

Q: How should mold steel materials be selected in the pre-preparation stage of laser metal 3D printing?

A: When selecting mold steel, we need to use mold steel with high tensile strength, high hardness, high thermal strength, strong corrosion resistance, and good toughness.

—The hardness of mold steel is closely related to the carbon (C) content in the material: the higher the content, the higher the hardness. However, hardness is inversely proportional to toughness.

—The rust resistance of mold steel depends on the chromium (Cr) content: the higher the content, the better the rust resistance.

 Therefore, material selection requires trade-offs based on specific application scenarios. It is necessary to determine the material, model, specification, and production environment of the mold to be manufactured, and then combine factors such as production process, production efficiency requirements, mold service life, mold manufacturing complexity, and usage frequency for selection. 。