Open Competition - Advanced Materials/Chemicals (October 2000)

Flexible Manufacturing Techniques for Large Plastics Molds

Sponsor: Stewart Automotive Research, LLC

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2000 - 10/31/2003
• Total project (est.): $2,434,280.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,000,000.00

Manufacturing of molds for large plastic parts, including auto parts such as doors and bumper covers, is a long and complicated process. It is also expensive: molds can cost more than $1 million. The availability of a faster, less costly approach would enable the $20 billion U.S. tooling and machining industry to compete with low-cost Asian firms. Stewart Automotive Research plans to develop a zoned tooling (Z-Tool) process that will produce large molds quickly while also improving part quality and accelerating part cycle times. Instead of the extensive machining normally needed to make molds, the new process will incorporate several techniques already used in the aerospace industry but adapted for the more cost-sensitive automobile business. SAR will use abrasive waterjet cutting to make the steel sections; the challenge lies in cutting thick plates accurately while optimizing process speed. Electron beam welding and/or diffusion bonding will be used to rejoin the sections; the challenge here will be to maintain surface quality at the joints. One of the unique benefits of making molds by this process is the introduction of conformal cooling channels for improved temperature uniformity and heat transfer during parts manufacturing. Software will be used to optimize the shape and location of cooling channels to achieve faster cycle times. The ATP funding is needed because the automotive supply chain (including SAR, a small business) has limited funds for research and development, and other private funding will not be forthcoming until technical hurdles are overcome. Subcontractors include Altair Engineering, Inc. (Austin, Texas), which will model heat transfer in the molds; Sciaky, Inc. (Chicago, Ill.), which will help develop the welding process; Rice University (Houston, Texas), which will provide testing facilities; Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. (Pittsburgh, Pa.), which will provide technical review and consulting with regard to diffusion bonding; and Flow International Corp. (Kent, Wash.), which will develop the abrasive waterjet cutting technology. If successfully developed and commercialized, the new process offers potential economic benefits on the order of $8 billion annually to the U.S. plastics manufacturing and tool and die industries.

For project information:

David H. Stewart, (713) 675-3244
stewartresearch@pdq.net

ATP Project Manager

H. Felix Wu, (301) 975-4685
felix.wu@nist.gov