3D printing solutions

Tooling

3D printing tooling, rather than using machined metal tooling, has two main advantages – it’s much faster and it’s lower cost. The problems have been that large, printed tools don’t mate well, the operating conditions must be adjusted to accommodate their thermal properties and the tools don’t generally last.

All that has changed with the release of HighTemp DL401 resin. It’s specially designed for printing tooling and combined with Photocentric’s print optimisation software, it gives you remarkable high temperature resistance in highly accurate large parts. They have the necessary hardness under compression with enough elongation to seal.

  • Prototype and iterate new designs faster
  • Get product in the hands of key customers and influencers quickly
  • Makes short runs economically viable, opening up greater choice of designs and sizes

 

1/10th of the cost and 50 times faster

Founded in 1977, Grisport is one of the leading companies in direct injection and shoemaking worldwide. They wanted to improve their margins and go to market quicker by 3D printing their tooling.

They chose the Liquid Crystal Magna because it is one of the largest printers of its kind, it’s cost effective and very fast.

3D Printed Mould

Traditional Mould

Time to make

3D Printed Mould

14 hours

Traditional Mould

4 weeks

Mould cost

3D Printed Mould

€250

Traditional Mould

€5000

Plastic part cost

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

Injection times

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

Sole quality

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

“3D printing with Magna with the help of QI factory is going to change fundamentally the way we bring moulds and products to the market.”

Giovanni Grigolato

Head of R&D at Grisport

Silicone Breast Form Moulds

Boost’s breast form revolution started by listening to the experiences of women who had treatment for breast cancer. When Sam Jackman’s mum had a mastectomy, she found the traditional silicone gel prosthesis was hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and unsuitable due to inhibition when using the platinum catalyzed silicone.

After a frustrating search for an alternative, Sam, and her co-founder Rosie Brave, decided to solve the problem themselves using HighTemp DL401 and Liquid Crystal Magna.

3D Printed Moulds

Time to print

3D Printed Moulds

11 hrs 45 mins

Dimensions

3D Printed Moulds

132 (h) x 487 (w) x 256 (d) mm

Cost

3D Printed Moulds

€83.17

“3D printing enabled us to test and perfect our designs faster and much more cost effectively than using traditional manufacturing methods. We’re already thinking about what else we can do, now the technology has been proven.”

Sam Jackman.
Co-Founder, Boost Innovations

Fast-track mould making with additive manufacturing

Providing quality moulds to advanced manufacturers in the metalworking industry for a variety of applications is the core business of Tetralogia’s customer. They were looking for a solution that could shorten lead times and save manufacturing costs as competition was fierce. Turnaround and cost per mould are key to the client’s business and often the deciding factor between getting the job or not.

Tetralogia helped them become more competitive through the implementation of Photocentric’s technology.

Injection Moulding

3D Printing

Turnaround

Injection Moulding

3-4 weeks

3D Printing

2.5 days

Cost per part

Injection Moulding

€8,000 - €12,000

3D Printing

€800 - €1,200

Material

Injection Moulding

Polypropylene

3D Printing

Photopolymer HighTemp DL401

“We could not believe the huge savings brought by 3D printing. The cost of Photocentric’s technology was 80-90% cheaper, a far cry from expensive Injection Moulding costs, even for larger injection series where savings will still be around the 60-70% mark. Equally astonishing was the shorter life cycles, we saved 30% on lead times”

Carlos
Tetralogia

Our 3D Printing Solution

Liquid Crystal Magna and HighTemp DL401 are transforming the way moulds are being made. HighTemp DL401 is specially made for printing tooling, giving you remarkable high temperature resistance and the highest accuracy in large parts, hardness under compression and enough elongation to mate and seal, characteristics necessary to enable the injection of molten plastic.

The large build volume of Liquid Crystal Magna and its fast print speeds, allow for full size moulds to be printed efficiently.

“HighTemp DL401 is very good for us because it reaches the higher temperatures necessary for PU injection and keeps them stable.”

Giovanni Grigolato
Head of R&D at Grisport

3D printing solutions

Tooling

3D printing tooling, rather than using machined metal tooling, has two main advantages – it’s much faster and it’s lower cost. The problems have been that large, printed tools don’t mate well, the operating conditions must be adjusted to accommodate their thermal properties and the tools don’t generally last.

All that has changed with the release of HighTemp DL401 resin. It’s specially designed for printing tooling and combined with Photocentric’s print optimisation software, it gives you remarkable high temperature resistance in highly accurate large parts. They have the necessary hardness under compression with enough elongation to seal.

 

  • Prototype and iterate new designs faster
  • Get product in the hands of key customers and influencers quickly
  • Makes short runs economically viable, opening up greater choice of designs and sizes

1/10th of the cost and 50 times faster

Founded in 1977, Grisport is one of the leading companies in direct injection and shoemaking worldwide. They wanted to improve their margins and go to market quicker by printing their tooling.

They chose the Liquid Crystal Magna because it is one of the largest printers of its kind, it’s cost effective and very fast.

“3D printing with Magna with the help of QI factory is going to change fundamentally the way we bring moulds and products to the market.”

Giovanni Grigolato
Head of R&D at Grisport

3D Printed Mould

Traditional Mould

Time to make

3D Printed Mould

14 hours

Traditional Mould

4 weeks

Mould cost

3D Printed Mould

€250

Traditional Mould

€5000

Plastic part cost

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

Injection times

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

Sole quality

3D Printed Mould

Same

Traditional Mould

Same

Silicone Breast Form Moulds

Boost’s breast form revolution started by listening to the experiences of women who had treatment for breast cancer. When Sam Jackman’s mum had a mastectomy, she found the traditional silicone gel prosthesis was hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and unsuitable due to inhibition when using the platinum catalyzed silicone.

After a frustrating search for an alternative, Sam, and her co-founder Rosie Brave, decided to solve the problem themselves using High Temp DL401 and Liquid Crystal Magna.

“3D printing enabled us to test and perfect our designs faster and much more cost effectively than using traditional manufacturing methods. We’re already thinking about what else we can do, now the technology has been proven.”

Sam Jackman.
Co-Founder, Boost Innovations

Fast-track mould making with additive manufacturing

Providing quality moulds to advanced manufacturers in the metalworking industry for a variety of applications is the core business of Tetralogia’s customer. They were looking for a solution that could shorten lead times and save manufacturing costs as competition was fierce. Turnaround and cost per mould are key to the client’s business and often the deciding factor between getting the job or not.

Tetralogia helped them become more competitive through the implementation of Photocentric’s technology.

“We could not believe the huge savings brought by 3D printing. The cost of Photocentric’s technology was 80-90% cheaper, a far cry from expensive Injection Moulding costs, even for larger injection series where savings will still be around the 60-70% mark. Equally astonishing was the shorter life cycles, we saved 30% on lead times”

Carlos
Tetralogia

Injection Moulding

3D Printing

Turnaround

Injection Moulding

3-4 weeks

3D Printing

2.5 days

Cost per part

Injection Moulding

€8,000 - €12,000

3D Printing

€800 - €1,200

Material

Injection Moulding

Polypropylene

3D Printing

Photopolymer High Temp DL401

Our 3D Printing Solution

Liquid Crystal Magna and HighTemp DL401 are transforming the way moulds are being made. HighTemp DL401 is specially made for printing tooling, giving you remarkable high temperature resistance and the highest accuracy in large parts, hardness under compression and enough elongation to mate and seal, characteristics necessary to enable the injection of molten plastic.

The large build volume of Liquid Crystal Magna and its fast print speeds, allow for full size moulds to be printed efficiently.

“HighTemp DL401 is very good for us because it reaches the higher temperatures necessary for PU injection and keeps them stable.”

Giovanni Grigolato
Head of R&D at Grisport