Thermal characteristics of a new metal/polymer material for FDM rapid prototyping process

Purpose - Presents development and characterisation of a new metal/polymer composite material for use in fused deposition modelling (FDM) rapid prototyping process with the aim of application to direct rapid tooling. The work represents a major development in reducing the cost and time in rapid tooling. Design/methodology/approach - The material consists of iron particles in a nylon type matrix. The detailed formulation and characterisation of the thermal properties of the various combinations of the new composites are investigated experimentally. Results are compared with other metal/polymer composites used in rapid tooling. Findings - The feedstock filaments of this composite have been produced and used successfully in the unmodified FDM system for direct rapid tooling of injection moulding inserts. Thermal properties are found to be acceptable for rapid tooling applications for injection moulding. Originality/value - Introduces an entirely new metal based composite material for direct rapid tooling application using FDM RP system with desired thermal properties and characteristics. This will reduce the cost and time of manufacturing tooling-inserts and dies for injection moulding.