Scientists 3D-print nearly 2-ton steel mold for Nasa aircraft project

A team at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has spent eight weeks 3D-printing a massive steel mold that stands 6 feet tall, measures 4 feet wide and weighs nearly 2 tons. The tool, developed with Boeing, is designed for manufacturing thermoplastic composite aircraft components and will contribute to NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project. According to ORNL, the project explores whether large metal tooling can be produced through additive manufacturing in ways that improve manufacturing flexibility, cost and efficiency. The work combines robotic metal printing, multiple steel types and computer simulations to overcome the challenges of producing a tool of this scale.A massive mold built layer by layerThe tool is known as a Stamp Form Die (SFD), a type of punch press used to cut or shape materials. In aircraft manufacturing, SFD metal molds can be used to form thermoplastic composite parts.