New Developments in Metal Laminated Tooling

Time reduction and quick geometrical changes of complex components and tools are currently the most important demands in product development. The manufacturing process presented in this paper is based on multiple additive and subtractive te chnologies such as laser cutting, laser welding, direct laser metal deposition a nd CNC milling. The process chain is similar to layer-based Rapid Prototyping Te chniques. In the first step, the 3D CAD geometry is sliced into layers by a spec ially developed software. These slices are cut by high speed laser cutting and t hen joined together. In this way laminated tools or parts are built. To improve surface quality and to increase wear resistance a CNC machining center is used. The system consists of a CNC milling machine, in which a 3 kW Nd:YAG laser, a co axial powder nozzle and a digitizing system are integrated.