A cooperative effort between Thermwood Corporation, Applied Composite Engineering (ACE), Techmer PM and Purdue University’s Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center has produced a composite helicopter part using a 3D Printed Polysulfone (PSU) mold.

PSU mold printed and machined on a Thermwood 10'x20' LSAM®

Final Part from mold (oil drip pan for a Chinook Helicopter)

The Details

The mold was printed from Techmer supplied carbon fiber reinforced material and trimmed on Thermwood’s Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM®) machine. ACE produced a production part from the tool in an autoclave using normal production processes.

Despite the fact that Polysulfone appears to be an ideal material for this application, the participants believe this is the first time PSU has been 3D printed, since it processes at temperatures and requires torque levels above those needed for normal polymer extrusion.  The extruder and print head on Thermwood's LSAM machine has been specially designed for ultra-high temperature, high-torque operation.

3D Printing Mold on Thermwood 10'x20' LSAM®

The part, an oil drip pan for a Chinook Helicopter, was molded in an autoclave at 275^oF and 90 PSI. The printed mold held vacuum without the need for special coatings other than normal mold prep and release. With a Tg (glass transition temperature) of 372^oF the participants believe that this particular PSU formulation may be able to process parts at up to 350^oF which is adequate for about 95% of composite parts processed today. Additional tests will be performed to determine the suitability and durability of this material at this temperature. They also plan to evaluate Polyethersulfone (PES) which processes and operates at even higher temperatures.

The PSU mold and resulting part were displayed at the recent AM2017 Additive Manufacturing Conference in Knoxville.

Comparison vs Traditional Methods

Another interesting aspect of this collaborative effort is that a mold for the same part was built by ACE using traditional methods and the cost and build time was compared to making the same tool using additive manufacturing. The results were stunning.

The Results

Additive manufacturing material cost was 34% less and it required 69% fewer labor hours. Build time for the additive tool was 3 days versus 8 days for the conventional tool. If the part was larger, a support structure would be needed for the conventional tool which would add two days and more labor hours to the conventional process. A larger additive tool would not require a support structure.

The goal of this collaborative effort is to develop materials and processes to efficiently and reliably 3D print production composite tooling, capable of operating at elevated temperatures in an autoclave. These first successful results may indicate that they are very near reaching that goal.

Collaborative partners on this project

Applied Composites Engineering – Composites is their business focusing on aerospace. With nearly thirty years in the industry they have shown core competency rarely found in a company their size. This combination of capability and experience provides their customers with the benefits of a larger company supporting more sophisticated projects and larger production along with the speed and flexibility of a smaller enterprise.  

Purdue’s Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center – Their primary focus among others is to develop a comprehensive set of simulation tools that connect composites from their birth in manufacturing to predicting their useful life. They predict and measure the anisotropic deformation that occurs in printed elements, including a description of anisotropic element shape change during deposition in order to anticipate performance of the printed element.

Thermwood Corporation – Pioneer in CNC development, first company to build and sell a CNC router has moved aggressively into developing and building large scale additive manufacturing systems and industry leading software. Its LSAM (L-Sam) system prints and trims large to very large molds and tools that are solid, virtually void free and able to sustain vacuum without secondary coatings.

Techmer PM - A leading manufacturer of high-performance custom compounds used in the plastics industry, they seek to deliver value-added, breakthrough solutions to the OEM and processing communities worldwide. Working extensively with the additive manufacturing community they have developed materials ideally suited to the additive manufacturing process and have wide-ranging experience with additive manufacturing technology.

A 3D printed boat hull pattern, from which fiberglass boat hull molds are made, has been completed using a near net shape additive manufacturing process and then successfully used to produce a production capable fiberglass mold in a proof of concept joint evaluation program. The completed pattern was recently displayed at the AM2017 Additive Manufacturing Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Video 

Finished boat hull pattern - shown with Thermwood LSAM® 10'x20' machine

A Collaborative Effort

This achievement was the result of a collaborative effort between Thermwood Corporation,Techmer PM and Marine Concepts. The tool was printed slightly oversized and then trimmed to final net size and shape using a Thermwood’s large scale additive manufacturing (LSAM®) system.

It was made from Techmer’s Electrafil© ABS LT1 3DP, which has proven ideal for marine tooling applications when processed using LSAM print technology. The entire print, assembly and trim process required less than ten working days to complete. After the printed and trimmed tool was coated and finished, a fiberglass mold was produced using the printed pattern. This effort clearly demonstrates the feasibility, practicality, economics and advantages of using additive manufacturing in the production of boat tooling. 

The Details

Thermwood LSAM® 10'x20' machine printing two of the six sections

The final tool was printed in six sections, four major center sections with walls approximately an inch and a half thick and a solid printed transom and bow, which were pinned and bonded together using Lord plural component urethane adhesive before being machined as a single piece on the Thermwood system.

Bonding the boat hull pattern pieces together

Bringing the two sections together

Boat hull pattern after bonding together and before machining

Thermwood LSAM® 10'x20' machining boat hull pattern

The final trimmed pattern weighs approximately three thousand pounds. It required approximately thirty hours to print and fifty hours to machine.

Final trimmed pattern before coating

Thermwood’s demonstration machine, used for this program, has a 10 foot by 20 foot worktable and features both print and trim capability on the same machine. The print head used for this project can print at rates approaching 200 pounds an hour when running this particular Techmer material. Thermwood also offers larger machines and higher throughput print heads as part of its LSAM product line. 

Pulling the Mold

Building frame on boat hull pattern to pull mold

Finished frame on boat hull pattern after casting the fiberglass mold

Removing fiberglass mold from boat hull pattern

Finished boat hull mold in red

Additive Manufacturing Could Change Marine Tooling Process

Additive manufacturing offers the promise of even more advances in marine tooling such as printing the hull and deck pattern as a single piece, allowing a production mold to be taken from the hull and then flipping the pattern over and taking a deck mold from the other side of the same pattern. All of these possibilities result in dramatically lower tooling cost and substantially faster build time. 

For large boats and yachts, Thermwood is evaluating the feasibility of printing molds directly, rather than printing a pattern from which the mold is taken. Because of their large size, these tools will need to be printed and machined in sections, even with very large LSAM® printers. It may also be possible to print integrated cooling channels for air or liquid into these large tools as part of the print process. 

With this initial success and some radical new ideas that appear to be possible with current materials and technology, it is becoming apparent that additive manufacturing may very well represent a disruptive force for the marine tooling industry.

Save Big Money on your CNC router purchase in 2017! 

Some great news is the current dual benefit of the Section 179 deduction/100% bonus depreciation which allows you to write off 100% of the equipment you purchase in 2017 (up to $500,000) makes this an ideal time to purchase, but you need to act now!

Want a Thermwood CNC before the end of the year?  Act now!

Fall is here, and the time to lock in a production slot for end of the 2017 year shipment is now. 

To take advantage of the Schedule 179 deduction benefit for 2017, contact us today! 

How Does Schedule 179 Work?

Schedule 179 allows businesses to deduct a large part or all of the cost of a machine purchased in 2017 up to a limit of $500,000:

You can basically write-off 100% of all the equipment your business needs to buy or finance this year (up to $500,000)!

From Section 179 of the IRS tax code:  This allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income.

Important:  Section 179 can provide you with significant tax relief for this 2017 tax year, but equipment and software must be financed and in place by midnight December 31, 2017.

An example of Section 179 at work:

For More Detailed Information  please click here

Calculate Your Potential Savings with Schedule 179  please click here

Please use the following links to view our line of 3 axis and 5 axis Thermwood CNC routers.  

Visit Why Purchase a Thermwood? to see why our machines are the most reliable, technically advanced and safest choice for almost 50 years.

Latest Cut Ready Update Summary

We are constantly adding new features and abilities to the Award-Winning Cut Ready Cut Center.  

Included in this update is an additional mattress size (Double) to the existing Vertical Wall Beds collection.  Like the Queen sizes, these can be customized in the Cut Ready software to fit your application.

About the Vertical Wall Beds

Also known as “Murphy Beds”, these are a collection of stylish, attractive bedroom furniture pieces for the home. They are ideal where space is limited, such as guest rooms, dorm rooms, etc. 

This collection provides you with a simple, yet elegant design that is easily assembled with a screwdriver using “Lock Joints”.

Create Your Own Custom Configuration

Vertical Wall Beds come in several styles and configurations, however, you may also create your own unique design. Side units may be adjusted to any width, depth, or height within a given range. Choices of undermount or side mount slides are also available.

Get creative by applying different moldings to obtain your desired look. This simple, clean design will blend with virtually any decor.

About the Cut Center

The Thermwood Cut Center is an exciting alternative to traditional CNC routers for making a wide variety of products including cabinets, closets, furniture, doors, drawers and much more.  Just tell the machine what you what to make and it does it...it is that simple!  NO programming is required. 

---

Latest Cut Ready Update Summary

We are constantly adding new features and abilities to the Award-Winning Cut Ready Cut Center.  

Included in this update is a collection of Puzzle Joint Picture Frames (all may be resized within a given range allowing you to find you own custom fit) and more.

New Puzzle Joint Picture Frames

We've had numerous Customer Requests for Picture Frames, so we've added a collection of them.  All picture frames may be resized within a given range allowing you to find you own custom fit.  

There are also several framing widths to choose from and the option to include a back.  The frames use our unique "Puzzle Joint" construction method making assembling them a breeze.  

These items are available with or without backs along with several frame widths to choose from. All picture frames may be resized within a given range allowing you to find your own custom fit. 

Drawer Box Updates

We've also increased the length of tennons and dados on Drawer Box parts.  This gives you a stronger box, while also addressing an issue for a particular height choice.

Improved Display

Entertainment Centers and Hidden Beds now have their overall dimensions displayed within their thumbnails and photos to more easily determine which to choose.

About the Cut Center

The Thermwood Cut Center is an exciting alternative to traditional CNC routers for making a wide variety of products including cabinets, closets, furniture, doors, drawers and much more.  Just tell the machine what you what to make and it does it...it is that simple!  NO programming is required. 

---

Latest Cut Ready Update Summary

We are constantly adding new features and abilities to the Award-Winning Cut Ready Cut Center.  

Included in this update is a collection of Vertical Wall Beds, that can be customized in the Cut Ready software to fit your application.

New Vertical Wall Beds

Also known as “Murphy Beds”, these are a collection of stylish, attractive bedroom furniture pieces for the home. They are ideal where space is limited, such as guest rooms, dorm rooms, etc. 

This collection provides you with a simple, yet elegant design that is easily assembled with a screwdriver using “Lock Joints”.

Create Your Own Custom Configuration

Vertical Wall Beds come in several styles and configurations, however, you may also create your own unique design. Side units may be adjusted to any width, depth, or height within a given range. Choices of undermount or side mount slides are also available.

Get creative by applying different moldings to obtain your desired look. This simple, clean design will blend with virtually any decor.

Update Info

This update contains over 200 configurations for a Queen mattress. In the coming weeks, we will release two other sizes: Double/Full & Twin.

About the Cut Center

The Thermwood Cut Center is an exciting alternative to traditional CNC routers for making a wide variety of products including cabinets, closets, furniture, doors, drawers and much more.  Just tell the machine what you what to make and it does it...it is that simple!  NO programming is required. 

---

In the video below, Thermwood's own Brent East gives a tour of our booth #9200 during Day 2 of the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas, NV.  Featuring the award-winning Cut Ready Cut Center and the versatile Model 45 CNC router.  Take a look at what we are up to at the show!

See just how easy it is to use the Cut Center

The Thermwood Cut Center will be in action during AWFS 2017.  You'll have the opportunity to see just how easy it is to run this new machine.  Just tell it what you want, and it makes it...it is that easy! 

We'll be demonstrating live during the show, and you can be part of it by helping to operate the Cut Center.  Please visit our booth (#9200) and speak to a Thermwood representative to get your hands on this exciting machine! 

Solid Wood Machining on the Thermwood Model 45

We will also be demonstrating solid wood, plastics and aluminum utilizing a pod system and a horizontal aggregate on our Thermwood Model 45. 

The heavy-duty Model 45 is designed for a variety of functions including the machining of rotary operations when equipped with our optional C-Axis.  This expands the capability of this already useful machine to include volutes, carvings, chair parts, stair components in addition to cabinets, solid wood, millwork, phenolic, display fixtures and much more.  This high-performance three axis CNC router is available in either single or dual spindles, multiple table sizes and many other options as well.

Thermwood Model 45 Videos (including machining HDPE plastic sheets):

See at AWFS 2017:

Both of these machines will be on display and cutting live at AWFS 2017 (July 19th-22nd) in Booth #9200 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Make plans now to visit us and see this exciting new technology in person!