Testing a 3D-printed mold for technical sports footwear
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Table of Contents
Technical sports footwear has to meet high performance requirements, especially if it is specific to outdoor environments. The timely proposal of new solutions at a high technical level for the world of sports footwear is essential.
The need
The leading manufacturer of outdoor footwear and ski equipment needed to shorten the development time of new products and was therefore looking for a solution to study and test the prototype phase.
DWS Systems proposal
A specialized technician from DWS Systems proposed a plastic injection mold to the company for the production of a ski equipment accessory. The material from DWS Systems is resistant to high temperatures and is therefore suitable for the injection of various plastic materials.
The solution
The mold was tested to determine its performance with the injection of different plastic materials: polycarbonate, polyethylene, nylon and glass-filled polypropylene, carrying out several molding cycles.
The manufacturing time of the finished product was also determined, comparing it with the production flow using traditional methods. From the original production time of three weeks, we switched to having a production batch in just three days, drastically reducing the time.
3D printing benefit
Time-to-market: drastically reduced
Internalization of the prototyping phase, both direct and indirect production
Therma DM570
Material for ultra-detailed mold manufacturing using 3D printing