Additive Manufacturing Tools: Technological Innovation and Application Prospects

Background and demand for additive manufacturing tools

In the traditional knife manufacturing field, most ordinary knives are made of ordinary tool steel, which easily dulls during use. Especially when machining difficult-to-machine metals such as titanium alloys, the insufficient edge strength causes the knife to anneal due to frictional heat, leading to machining difficulties or even making machining impossible. Even when machining easily machinable carbon steel, the large amount of heat can cause partial annealing of the tool's edge. Currently used special knives are generally manufactured using cemented carbide through integral sintering, which is expensive, wasteful of raw materials, and the material is hard and brittle, prone to breakage. During use, improper operation or the characteristics of the material being cut can cause wear or localized chipping, sometimes rendering the knife unusable. In the hardware knife and scissor manufacturing field, products such as kitchen knives and scissors are mainly made of stainless steel. Knives made of ordinary stainless steel have limited hardness and wear resistance, resulting in poor sharpness retention. To improve the sharpness of the blade, higher alloy content stainless steel or stainless steel with composite properties are used, which can increase the knife's lifespan, but also significantly increases manufacturing costs. Therefore, the market urgently needs a manufacturing technology that can both improve tool performance and reduce costs, and additive manufacturing tools have emerged to meet this need.

Principles and technical routes of additive manufacturing tools

Principles of Additive Manufacturing Technology

Additive manufacturing is a technology that creates objects by layering materials. Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing (such as machining), additive manufacturing builds objects from scratch, offering high flexibility and customization. In tool manufacturing, additive manufacturing allows for precise control of material distribution and properties, thereby optimizing tool performance.

Main technical route

1. Powder bed melting technology routePowder bed melting technology based on thermoforming can produce cemented carbide cutting tools with near-theoretical densities. This technology involves melting and solidifying powder material layer by layer on a powder bed using a heat source such as a laser or electron beam to form the tool shape. However, this technology has some problems, such as porosity, cracks, decarburization, and cobalt evaporation. By adjusting parameters such as laser energy density, scanning speed, and powder characteristics, the quality of the printed parts can be significantly improved. For example, appropriately increasing the laser energy density can increase the degree of powder melting and reduce porosity; optimizing the scanning speed can make the molten pool more stable and reduce the occurrence of cracks.
2. Cold deposition sintering technology routeCold deposition sintering technology, based on green body cold printing, debinding, and sintering processes, can produce cemented carbide cutting tools with excellent surface quality and superior mechanical properties. This technology first uses cold printing to create a green body from powder material containing a binder, then debinds to remove the binder, and finally sinters to achieve the required density and performance. However, this technology suffers from problems such as binder residue and part shrinkage. By optimizing key parameters such as binder type, debinding process, and sintering temperature, the density and mechanical properties of the parts can be improved. For example, selecting a suitable binder can reduce the difficulty of debinding while ensuring green body formation; optimizing the debinding process can ensure complete removal of the binder, reducing the impact of residue on tool performance.

Advantages of additive manufacturing tools

Performance improvement

1. Enhanced cutting edge strengthAdditive manufacturing technology can enhance the strength of tool cutting edges. For example, by removing the tool cutting edge and creating a digital model, a special metal material is deposited on the substrate using a laser coaxial powder feeding process to form a high-strength cutting edge layer. This layer is then ground to shape, significantly improving the tool's wear resistance, toughness, and service life. This method effectively addresses the problems of easy wear and annealing of traditional tool cutting edges, solving the performance deficiencies of tools during machining.
2. Increased hardnessA high-hardness additive manufacturing reinforcement layer is prepared at the cutting edge line of the cutting tool. Using a reasonable additive manufacturing material ratio, after sharpening, the cutting edge hardness can reach HRC60 or higher. This significantly improves the tool's wear resistance, allowing it to remain sharp during cutting, reducing wear, and extending the tool's service life.

Cost reduction

1. Material utilization optimizationAdditive manufacturing technology allows for precise material deposition based on the actual needs of the cutting tool, avoiding the significant material waste associated with traditional manufacturing methods. For example, in the manufacture of specialized cutting tools, the traditional integral sintering method of cemented carbide wastes a lot of raw materials, while additive manufacturing can precisely control the amount of material used according to the shape and performance requirements of the tool, thus reducing material costs.
2. Reduce imports of high-end steelAdditive manufacturing technology allows for the production of high-performance cutting tools using relatively common materials, reducing reliance on high-end steel, thereby lowering the production cost of high-end cutting tools and enhancing their market competitiveness.

Application areas of additive manufacturing tools

Metal processing field

In metal processing, additive manufacturing tools offer significant advantages. For difficult-to-machine metals, such as titanium alloys, traditional tools are prone to annealing due to insufficient cutting edge strength, leading to machining difficulties. Additive manufacturing tools, by enhancing cutting edge strength and increasing hardness, can better meet the cutting requirements of these challenging materials, improving machining efficiency and quality. For example, in the aerospace field, where high-performance materials such as titanium alloys are widely used, additive manufacturing tools can meet the high-precision, high-efficiency machining requirements.

Hardware and cutlery industry

In the manufacturing of hardware knives and scissors, additive manufacturing can solve the problem of limited hardness and wear resistance of ordinary stainless steel knives. By creating an additive reinforcing layer on the cutting edge, the sharpness and lifespan of the knife are improved. For example, products such as kitchen knives and scissors can be made more durable and maintain their sharpness for a longer time using additive manufacturing technology, thus improving the user experience.

Challenges of Additive Manufacturing Tools

Technical difficulties

1. Quality controlEnsuring consistent tool quality is a challenge in additive manufacturing. For example, issues like porosity and cracks in powder bed fusion technology, and binder residue and part shrinkage in cold deposition sintering technology, all require optimization of process parameters. However, adjusting these parameters necessitates extensive experimentation and research to find the optimal combination.
2. Material performance consistencyThe consistency of material properties used in additive manufacturing has a significant impact on tool performance. Different batches of powder materials may exhibit performance variations, leading to inconsistent tool performance. Therefore, a rigorous material quality control system is necessary to ensure material performance consistency.

Equipment and cost issues

1. Equipment investmentAdditive manufacturing equipment is expensive, making the purchase and maintenance costs high for some small and medium-sized enterprises. Furthermore, the operation and maintenance of the equipment require specialized technicians, which increases the company's operating costs.
2. Production costsAlthough additive manufacturing has advantages in material utilization, its production costs remain relatively high. For example, powder materials are expensive, and additive manufacturing has relatively low production efficiency, both of which contribute to increased tool production costs.

Development Trends of Additive Manufacturing Tools

Technological innovation

1. Process optimizationIn the future, the manufacturing process for additive manufacturing tools will continue to be optimized. Further research and improvement of powder bed melting and cold deposition sintering technologies will address current problems and improve tool quality and performance. For example, developing new laser scanning strategies will improve laser energy utilization and reduce porosity and crack formation; optimizing binder formulations and debinding processes will reduce binder residue and part shrinkage.
2. Materials research and developmentDevelop materials better suited for additive manufacturing to improve tool performance. For example, develop new alloy powder materials with better wear resistance, toughness, and hardness to meet the needs of different fields.

Application Expansion

1. Applications in emerging fieldsWith the continuous development of additive manufacturing tool technology, its application areas will continue to expand. For example, in the field of medical device manufacturing, additive manufacturing tools can be used to manufacture high-precision surgical instruments to meet the special requirements of medical devices; in the field of new energy vehicle manufacturing, additive manufacturing tools can be used to process battery materials and components, improving production efficiency and quality.
2. Customized productionThe flexibility of additive manufacturing makes customized cutting tool production possible. Tools with special shapes, properties, and functions can be manufactured according to the needs of different customers, meeting personalized market demands.