Description

"Dieless forming" is the processing method without "die" as its name shows. Die less forming process using a 3D printer of carbon fibre reinforced plastic parts has developed to produce three-dimensional mechanical parts. Specimens for static and fatigue tests are manufactured by sandwiching the carbon fibres between upper and lower plastic plates made by 3D printing and by heating the sandwiched plates. The fatigue and static strengths are increased by thermal bonding of the plastic plates and carbon fibres. In addition, the strengths are heightened by including the carbon fibres in molten plastic. 3D printing is also called additive manufacturing. This term accurately describes how this technology works to create objects. "Additive" refers to the successive addition of thin layers between 16 to 180 microns or more to create an object. In fact, all 3D printing technologies are similar, as they construct an object layer by layer to create complex shapes. Dieless forming, an innovative sheet metal forming technology developed in Japan which enables a metal part to be formed directly from a CAD file in just a few minutes and with the utmost precision.