Interesting little article from Michelin.
http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-room/p...trial-processes
Quote:
...Until now, parts were manufactured via machining, where material is removed from a block of metal, leaving only the desired part. With 3D printing, the process is reversed: material is applied in layers, usually as a powder or liquid, and fused using a tool such as a laser. This is why the technical term for 3D printing is additive manufacturing. This technique opens the door to remarkable possibilities...
...From the early 2000s, we felt that additive manufacturing held huge potential for our curing molds. A mold is made of thousands of steel strips. For example, a winter tire mold can contain up to 4,500 of them. Innovation can bring about incredible progress, and our engineers are now only limited by their imaginations...
...To meet our needs, we decided to draw from existing solutions to develop our own system. Since 2009, we have had our own machine with which we manufacture some of our molds. We are the first manufacturer to offer tire ranges using this technology...
Very intricate tread patterns can be designed into the mold using 3D printing, but I have read elsewhere that this can also make it difficult to remove the mold from the cured tire.
http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-room/p...trial-processes
Quote:
...Until now, parts were manufactured via machining, where material is removed from a block of metal, leaving only the desired part. With 3D printing, the process is reversed: material is applied in layers, usually as a powder or liquid, and fused using a tool such as a laser. This is why the technical term for 3D printing is additive manufacturing. This technique opens the door to remarkable possibilities...
...From the early 2000s, we felt that additive manufacturing held huge potential for our curing molds. A mold is made of thousands of steel strips. For example, a winter tire mold can contain up to 4,500 of them. Innovation can bring about incredible progress, and our engineers are now only limited by their imaginations...
...To meet our needs, we decided to draw from existing solutions to develop our own system. Since 2009, we have had our own machine with which we manufacture some of our molds. We are the first manufacturer to offer tire ranges using this technology...
Very intricate tread patterns can be designed into the mold using 3D printing, but I have read elsewhere that this can also make it difficult to remove the mold from the cured tire.
