Starting condition
What arrived at the shop
A small batch of stainless fertilizer tubes needed three bends, but long-life conventional tooling did not match the scale of the job.
Project · Industrial & manufacturing
3D-printed rapid press tooling
Consumable 3D-printed tooling formed small-batch stainless fertilizer tubes without committing to conventional production tooling.
Project details
Scope and shop processes
- Project type
- Small-batch rapid tooling
- Capabilities
- 3D printing, CAD & design, Cutting & forming
Barnes work
Work completed
Barnes designed and 3D printed a press die that formed all three bends in one operation. The first die set produced approximately 40 parts before breaking.
Outcome
Completed result
The consumable tool lasted long enough to prove the small-batch approach and informed the next improvement. Tool life was matched to the job instead of treated as a failure.
Technical details
Project details
- 3D-printed press die
- Three bends in one operation
- Approximately 40 parts from the first die set
- Stainless fertilizer tubes