Mantle TrueShape Additive Process Delivers Precision Metal Parts

Mantle Inc.’s TrueShape precision metal 3D printing technology combines rough part creation and precision finishing to produce precision tooling components—such as cavities, cores and sprue bushings—and is said to reduce the time and cost of making production-grade tools, molds and dies.

The TrueShape process prints, shapes and sinters (see “Have You Heard of Printing Mold Inserts with Metal Paste?”). Mantle’s Flowable Metal Paste material is printed in the shape of the part using a precise positioning system and an extrusion-based printhead. Then, high speed automatically shapes the deposited layers. Mantle’s high-temperature furnace completes the process by heating the part to just below its melting point. The combination of additive 3D printing with subtractive machining reportedly meets tooling industry requirements, such as surface finish of 1-3 um Ra, EDM-like accuracy of 0.001-0.004” across 4” parts, fine features and sharp details and unique conformal cooling designs that could not be made with traditional methods.

The additive technology produces highly accurate, fine-featured inserts with outstanding surface finish using tool steels like H13 and P20. Mantle has also developed two tool steel materials, including P2X and H13, and has demonstrated that these materials perform in a manner comparable to traditional tool steels.

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