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Customization is being hailed as one of the fastest-growing trends in manufacturing. In this day and age, skilled labour is expensive and difficult to find. As many industries progress, there is a shift to move toward more automated processes for producing goods and as a result, old-school manual work practices are being reduced. This is where customized manufacturing using CNC processes opens up new doors for creative possibilities, resource optimization, and the time and energy savings that it brings. The machining process may differ at different shops, but they usually follow the same principle for production.
There are several industries that utilize CNC-machined molds to produce their products, and the options to produce anything with molds are endless! Creating movie props, building toys, furniture, automotive equipment, construction, and architectural elements, and even replicating duplicates of family heirlooms can all be made possible by means of using molds for manufacturing. If there is any idea you have in mind, it can be custom cast in foam with the appropriate processes, tools, and materials. Read ahead to learn all about the use of foam molds to create innovative products and open up new markets with the help of FROG3D’s foam carving system.
The Use Of Molds In Customized Manufacturing
Different manufacturing processes demand the shaping of raw materials with a fixed tool, structure, or frame which is known as the ‘mold’. Molds are essential to manufacturing processes and their central purpose is to reproduce consistent replicas of the given design, and some form materials that are used in mold-making can include the following:
- Plastics
- Ceramics
- Wood
- Foam
Foam is a lightweight and durable material that can be processed into various shapes, and can be utilized in a variety of everyday products. It is a cost-effective material and is also easily available in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Foam is used across a range of industries thanks to its versatility, practicality, and durability. This material is used in amazing and never-seen-before creations and expands the possibility for even more elaborate product designs and ideas. Due to this, standard formwork has been decreasing in popularity because it is not flexible enough to support more sophisticated and complex curvatures.
Foam molding grants several industries endless possibilities with regard to product design and developing new product lines. When utilizing foam-molding processes, it is possible to fabricate custom-shaped parts and easily merge smaller parts into a larger, finished design to assemble and deliver end products. This allows the possibility to produce the smallest products to even larger-than-life creations. Foam is also more malleable to work with when creating precast shapes, and it can be machined or carved into solid structural forms instead of expending extra time and energy that goes into laminating and forming wood.
Using Foam To Create Molds And Precast Products
Since material processing techniques and technologies have been advancing rapidly, it allows for concrete and cement to be used in creative and innovative ways that were seldom seen before, which introduces new ideas for more elaborate designs and structures. As mentioned previously, standard formwork has decreased as it is just not flexible enough to support these complicated curvatures. For precast shapes, foam is a much more reasonable material to work with since it can be carved or machined into solid structural forms instead of the laboursome and time-consuming process of laminating and forming wood, with the added work of building the supporting structures to hold them in place.
Without molds, concrete would be shapeless. It is useful to note that concrete has been making a significant impact on design ideas for many industries, and notably within the construction industry for the manufacturing of manholes, catch basins, and pipes. The businesses that pour concrete mixes into molds require a material that can be precisely shaped, and this is where foam plays a crucial part. Well-made molds are crucial in boosting efficiency and optimizing material use, and foam is a versatile and commonly used material for precast mold production as it is fairly dense and can be cut, sanded, routed, and shaped easily. When creating precast molds, EPS foam is a superior material as it is simple to shape and finish the mold and custom-made molds can be easily facilitated by Streamline Automation’s FROG3D® CNC machines such as the FROGWire™ and FROGMill™.
Benefits Of Using CNC-Machined Foam Molds And Precast Products
Customized manufacturing that implements CNC machining techniques is increasingly being used in different industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, defense, and more. Below are some benefits associated with CNC-machined parts utilized in customized manufacturing:
High Precision In Machined Parts
CNC machining allows the seamless fabrication of complex products, and offers high precision even with the most unique and complicated features and tight tolerances.
Enhanced Productivity And Efficiency
CNC machines allow the possibility to carry out tasks throughout the day without ever slowing down, and they use computer software and instructions to perform machining tasks. This eliminates the possibility of human error while also providing consistent and timely results each time.
Offers Limitless Opportunities For Creativity
It is possible to design and fabricate any kind of mold required for your manufacturing processes. This provides limitless opportunities to bring even the most outrageous design ideas to fruition, and allows businesses to grow their product lines.
Delve Into The World Of Custom Manufacturing With FROG3D®
In the world of CNC machining, customized cutting begins with an initial drawing or design schematic for the product with CAD software, and the design serves as a blueprint for the foam mold. Common foam options include expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane foam. With Streamline Automation’s line of FROG3D® products, it is possible to produce the kind of foam molds and precast molds that used to require a skilled sculptor in past times. FROG3D® is the industry’s only turnkey system that offers a complete and fully automated mold-making platform from a single source. Through the integration of 3D scanning, hot wire foam cutting, 4-axis CNC routing, and various supporting processes alongside the versatility of foam, the FROG3D® System provides an end-to-end fully automated solution to produce foam molds and precast.
FROGScan™ Flash – Peel 3
One method to procure a digital model for reproduction is 3D scanning. Streamline Automation’s FROGScan Flash™ – Peel 3 is an indispensable tool for this process as it significantly reduces the time it requires to integrate real-life objects into digital 3D models with the ease of a hand-held device. The 3D model may be modified, duplicated, or dialed into a negative foam mold depending on the project’s requirements. When designing for an established environment, the FROGScan Flash™ – Peel 3 can capture the specific dimensions available to ensure that the end product fits seamlessly with its surroundings. It can also produce scans with up to 100-micron accuracy and it is built to withstand heavy use in an industrial environment. The FROGScan Flash – Peel 3 enables the capture of high-quality geometry and colours in tandem with its powerful 3D data-obtaining capabilities, in addition to 3D scanning software which provides post-processing capabilities such as alignment and merging.
FROGWire™
Were you aware that selecting the appropriate processing method for your materials could influence time-to-market, costs, and the overall quality of the product? Granted the variety of foam types accessible and the necessity for all materials to be prepared for use, there is a requirement for a tool to shape them, and this is where hot wire foam cutters prove invaluable.
The FROGWire™ is a fully automated CNC cutter. This means that the equipment is computer-driven to guarantee the accuracy and repeatability of every contour and cut. While operating FROG3D® machines, you won’t need to worry about operational dangers, human errors, or slow turnovers that are associated with manual cutters. The FROGWire™ is an essential tool to help you prepare materials before processing on the FROGMill™. The FROGWire™ works in tandem with the FROGMill™ by preparing foam for milling in-house rather than paying to pre-slab or shape the foam. The FROGWire™ cutting machine offers an easy-to-use controller system to monitor and guide the hot wire cutting process. Files that contain 2D or 3D model designs are imported directly to the industrial-grade G-code-based controller which provides the machine with the toolpath automatically. The FROGWire™ can also be set up with two wires and this enables immediate double throughput. When the number of hot wires increases, the production time decreases, and cutting functions can be replicated to run simultaneously on the same machine. In addition to having a multi-wire setup, the FROGWire™ has multi-axis capabilities and a rotational axis. This multidimensional design increases the complicated structures available for cutting and forming and allows the FROG3D® System to enhance accuracy and reduce operation time and cost while doing so.
The impressive cutting speeds of the FROGWire™ translate into creating your products faster and this will allow you to increase productivity and satisfy more customers. Produce greater, more lucrative, and more complex products than you were capable of before, expand your product lines, and open up new markets with the FROGWire™.
FROGMill™
The FROGMill™ is FROG3D®’s CNC milling machine which includes software and a dust collection setup. It is the industry’s most versatile 4-axis CNC foam carving router and will provide you with capabilities that are otherwise impossible with traditional processes or standard machines. When integrated with the FROG3D® System, the FROGMill™ simplifies the conversion of product design to product manufacturing while ensuring that your product ideas are delivered with precise details and efficiency.
The FROGMill™ is engineered to maximize the precision and speed when creating foam molds and precast products for your manufacturing needs. It can quickly and efficiently produce foam molds to fulfill specific dimensions, shapes, or requirements, which enables increased flexibility in design and production, thus allowing you to explore new product lines with ease. The FROGMill™ ensures product consistency and repeatability when creating foam molds. Once a design is programmed into our machine, it can be reproduced each time, thus ensuring consistency and uniformity of products each time. The FROGMill™ is engineered to cut foam precisely to the required dimensions which reduces foam and resource wastage, thus providing the added benefit of cost savings for your business.
FROGTools™
Machine tools are utilized for cutting, forming, and carving, and are crucial components of the manufacturing process. Streamline Automation offers specialized CNC router bits for foam to optimize your time and resources. The right CNC machine tools are important to increase manufacturing productivity, allow extreme precision and accuracy, ensure flexible production, and make sure that products are consistent each time.
FROGTools™ are the only CNC foam tools that will enable you to achieve depth and precision for carving foam molds. These tools are made specifically for milling EPS and polyurethane foam and include regular and tapered cutters in ball end and end mill styles. Tapered tools will allow you to procure high detail in deep cuts, thus improving the intricacy and detail of your products. Longer bits will allow deeper cuts and thicker slices with fewer passes which translates into less time spent in assembly and improved productivity. Each standard FROGTool™ is titanium nitrate (TIN) coated to provide the best in performance and durability, and it is designed to last and save you the cost of recurring replacements that are typical of lesser tools. In addition, all standard sizes for common milling processes are kept in stock at Streamline Automation and are available to ship worldwide immediately.
Streamline Automation will guide you to find the best balance between imagination and technology in the competitive world of custom manufacturing. The FROG3D® System is the industry’s leading turnkey 3D CNC solution that is completely integrated and fully automated where every component works seamlessly together to deliver a complete solution. All of our equipment and products are engineered for the accurate fabrication requirements of producers, regardless of the manufacturing scale. Our fully automated FROG3D® system will enable you to produce complex and large-scale projects that would be impossible with traditional methods. By replacing traditional methods with an automated solution, we can help you turn your creative product ideas into reality. Contact us today to learn how Streamline Automation’s FROG3D® System can help your business increase production capabilities and expand manufacturing potential.
