Revolutionizing trimming fixture production with Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) technology
About Total Machining Solutions
Total Machining Solutions (TMS), a leading composite tooling company in the UK, has embraced Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) to transform the production of trimming fixtures. TMS is active in motorsport, film, TV production, fine arts/sculptures, maritime and aerospace.
Traditionally, trimming fixtures have been produced using labor-intensive processes involving metal and tooling boards, leading to high costs and extended lead times. With LFAM, TMS and CEAD have found a more efficient and cost-effective solution.
This case study explores the manufacturing of a mold and trim fixture. These parts were used by TMS to manufacture a Carbon Fiber Aerospace Fairing.
The use of trimming fixtures
Trimming fixtures are specialized tools used in manufacturing processes to securely hold a component in place during the trimming or finishing stage. These fixtures are critical in industries such as aerospace, motorsport, automotive, and maritime, where precise composite profiles and high accuracy are required for final component shapes.
Trimming fixtures provide:
- Stability: ensuring the part remains fixed during cutting or machining.
- Precision: allowing for consistent and repeatable trimming results.
- Efficiency: reducing manual adjustments and optimizing the production workflow.
- Customization: enabling manufacturers to tailor fixtures for specific part geometries.
Customization: enabling manufacturers to tailor fixtures for specific part geometries
The traditional manufacturing process of trimming fixtures requires extensive manual labor, from CAD design to machining, gluing, milling, and assembly. This results in logistical challenges and significant material waste.
These fixtures are typically made from metal or tooling boards and necessitate detailed CAD designs followed by complex machining operations, including gluing, milling, drilling, and assembly. This conventional method results in extended lead times, high costs, and logistical challenges, particularly when shipping large, heavy mold
However, the emergence of Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) has introduced a transformative alternative, offering a faster, more flexible, and cost-effective way to automate trimming fixture production.
This technical white paper compares the conventional manufacturing process with the LFAM approach, highlighting the significant advantages of integrating modern additive manufacturing into the production of trimming fixtures.
For metal blocks, trimming follows full milling, while polyurethane blocks often require gluing multiple parts, demanding skilled labor and generating significant material waste. Additional finishing steps like polishing and coating are necessary for surface precision.
Traditional methods rely heavily on CNC operators and machines to carve designs, with tooling boards requiring multiple blocks to be glued, extending production timelines by days or weeks due to final assembly and finishing processes.
Large Format Additive Manufacturing of trimming fixtures
In contrast, Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) 3D printing utilizes composite thermoplastic pellets to create near-net shapes. While CAD tools are the same, LFAM allows for greater design flexibility, enabling the creation of intricate, lightweight, and geometrically complex molds.
LFAM builds molds layer by layer from a digital G-Code file, reducing manual, specialized labor, material waste and the need for specialized tools. Post-processing like milling or coating may still be required, but this streamlined process minimizes material waste, lowers human error, and often eliminates assembly, offering a faster and more efficient alternative to traditional methods.
These characteristics of LFAM result in the following advantages of the use of additive manufacturing for trimming fixtures.
1. Lead time and iteration speed:
A major drawback of traditional manufacturing is its long lead time, often stretching from weeks to months. Design changes can further delay the process due to multiple machining stages and supplier communication.
In contrast, Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) significantly reduces lead times, enabling mold production in days instead of weeks. Its rapid prototyping capabilities allow for quick design iterations and validation. As 3D design software becomes more accessible, new technology students are also becoming familiar with 3D printing (3DP).
Traditional manufacturing methods pose risks and require experienced operators to optimize yield. In contrast, 3D printing simplifies the process with automated machines, leading to immediate yield improvements. Operators can start with simpler molds and quickly transition to more complex parts.
“We have seen about 25-30% reduction of lead time on manufacturing as opposed to the traditional method.” – Kevin Anson, Business Development Manager – Total Machining Solutions
2. Manufacturing costs
The cost of traditional trimming fixture production is high, driven by expensive materials (such as metal, epoxy or tooling boards) and labor-intensive machining processes.
(LFAM) printing, on the other hand, offers significant cost savings. The initial setup cost is lower, especially for complex or small production runs. There is less dependance on manual labor, material costs are reduced, and waste is minimized. The overall cost of LFAM printing a mold is far less than the traditional approach, particularly when factoring in the elimination of manual assembly and reduced labor.
“Because we are printing a near net shape, we are using much less material than we would with clamping PU-boards and machining them to the final shape. It is much more cost effective and quicker.” – Kevin Anson, Business Development Manager – Total Machining Solutions
3. Warehouse management, shipping and logistical challenges
Traditional molds, especially those made from metal, are heavy and bulky, making them costly to store, ship, and logistically difficult to handle. These molds require a lot of space, particularly when they must be stored for years if composite parts are trimmed in-house. When sold to clients, specialized transportation is often required, which can be delayed due to size or weight constraints. Additionally, managing global logistics, particularly for multiple parts, can be cumbersome and prone to delays.
3D Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) printed molds offer a solution to these challenges:
- Recyclability: Thermoplastic printed parts can be recycled. After use, a mold (especially for one-time or short-term projects) can be shredded into pellets and reused in LFAM technology. The mold can be saved in digital format and re-printed when needed, eliminating the need to save physical molds.
- Lightweight and Cost-Effective: Thermoplastic polymers or composite materials are much lighter and easier to transport, significantly reducing shipping costs.
“Additive manufacturing gave us the opportunity to reduce the dependance on patterns and go straight to carbon molds.” – Kevin Anson, Business Development Manager – Total Machining Solutions
“There is the opportunity for recyclability of the materials. This is especially interesting for the Formula 1 teams that we work for. They are driven to reduce costs and reduce their carbon footprint.” – Kevin Anson, Business Development Manager – Total Machining Solutions
4. Improving of workflow
The traditional trimming fixture production process can be complex, requiring constant communication between designers, engineers, and manufacturers to maintain precision. Design changes made late in the process can cause costly, time-consuming delays, often necessitating re-machining or even reassembling the mold.
In contrast, 3D Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) eliminates various steps and suppliers from the production process. There is no need anymore for suppliers of fabricated framed fixtures, the purchase of PU board, glue and so on.
Additionally, any design modifications can be implemented quickly and efficiently, without interrupting production. The flexibility of LFAM also fosters more dynamic collaboration between teams, enabling faster decision-making and reducing delays.
“Within a few months it has been easy to use the extruder. I have gone from design to production, integrating the software and hardware seamlessly. I’ve felt confident doing that now within a short amount of time.” Dilan Patel, Additive Manufacturing Engineer – Total Machining Solutions
“with LFAM you have more design freedom which provides more flexibility for manufacturing compared with the solid traditional method.” Kevin Anson, Business Development Manager – Total Machining Solutions
How does large format technology match trimming fixture requirements?
The use of trimming fixture brings certain requirements. LFAM manufacturing of these successfully meets the essential requirements of trimming fixtures, ensuring similar or better performance compared to traditional methods.
- Vacuum integrity: integrity is crucial, you do not want movement of the part. This is achieved through precise layer-by-layer printing and post-processing to ensure airtight seals.
- Dimensional accuracy: ensured via CNC machining for fine-tuning printed molds.
- Cost-effective materials: as opposed to the autoclave mold used to produce the carbon part, trimming fixtures are not exposed to high temperatures. This allows for the use of a more economic thermoplastic material, such as glass fiber PET-G.
- Durability & wear resistance: the fiber enforced materials can withstand repeated trimming cycles without fatigue.
- Structural integrity: the robust nature of 3D-printed molds ensures stability under operational stresses.
- Ease of manufacturing and handling: lightweight thermoplastics drastically decrease the weight of molds and fixtures, increasing the ease of use and transport.
Revolutionize your trimming fixture production with Large Format Additive Manufacturing
The shift from traditional trimming fixture production to LFAM represents a game-changing advancement for manufacturers seeking efficiency, cost savings, and sustainability.
Companies like TMS, in collaboration with CEAD, are leading the way in adopting LFAM technology to revolutionize their production processes. CEAD Group is at the forefront of this transformation, offering end-to-end Hybrid Manufacturing printing solutions for trimming fixtures that enable businesses to optimize production, reduce costs, and unlock new design possibilities.
Validate your business case with CEAD’s additive manufacturing specialists.
