CASE STUDY
HOW WESTEC INCREASED TOOLING CAPACITY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL TOOLAMKERS TIME
WESTEC PLASTICS INVESTS IN MANTLE METAL 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE MOLD TOOLING
HIGHLIGHTS
Westec Plastics Corporation adopts Mantle metal 3D printing technology to help respond quickly to evolving customer requirements and get injection molded parts into customers’ hands more quickly.
The ability to print production-ready mold inserts using industry-standard materials like H13 tool steel allows Westec to free up experienced toolmakers’ time to focus on specialized steps like tool repair and maintenance
Using Mantle technology, Westec has been able to cut lead times in half to produce a mold for a medical diagnostic part, helping to keep the design and development process on track
About WESTEC
Westec Plastics provides a range of custom plastic injection molded parts primarily to the medical, government, and consumer industries.
Westec’s headquarters features 23 presses ranging from 39 to 610 tons, an extensive range of secondary operations, and a full in-house tool room.
With over five decades of experience, Westec’s capabilities are built on a “find a way or make a way” philosophy and dedication to solving the most complex customer challenges.
SUMMARY
A full-service plastic injection molder with in-house tool-making capabilities, Westec has adopted Mantle’s metal 3D printing technology because it allows them to produce production ready mold cavity and core inserts in dramatically less time – in some cases, just days, as opposed to 10 to 12 weeks when outsourcing – than traditional manufacturing.
Mantle’s printing technology also allows Westec to deal with significant labor challenges, as experienced toolmakers are in short supply. Because Mantle’s metal printing technology can produce a nearly finished mold insert with virtually no hands-on processing, Westec can reserve toolmakers’ limited time for only the most critical operations such as tool finishing, repair, and maintenance.
A section of Westec’s molding facility
“TOOLING IS THE BASE OF OUR COMPANY. WITHOUT QUALITY TOOLING, WE CAN’T PRODUCE QUALITY PARTS, BUT IT’S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND QUALITY TOOL MAKERS. USING MANTLE’S TECHNOLOGY, WE CAN COMPLETE UP TO 70 PERCENT OF THE JOB, AND HAVE OUR TOOLMAKERS HANDLE THE SPECIALIZED STEPS THAT ONLY A HUMAN CAN DO.”
-Tammy barnes, CEO, westec plastics
application example: medical diagnostics part
Westec had been developing an eight-cavity tool to produce a medical diagnostic part. Design changes, forced work on the tool to halt until the new design could be validated. In an effort to complete that validation process as quickly as possible, Westec turned to Mantle’s TrueShape metal 3D printing technology to quickly produce a single-cavity tool that would match all the characteristics, including gating locations, parting lines, molding parameters, steel numbers, and more, of the production tool.
The Mantle printed H13 inserts and final assembled mold
For the Mantle printed inserts, only 10 hours of additional finish work, including grinding and EDM work, were required, as compared to 35 to 40 hours for a traditionally manufactured insert. Once complete, the company molded parts using the printed insert and found no difference between traditionally-manufactured inserts and the printed inserts.
Finishing grinding of the Mantle inserts
Using Mantle’s metal 3D printing technology, Westec was able to rapidly respond to changing customer demands, quickly producing prototype H13 mold inserts as part designs evolved, and keeping the design and development process on track. But the benefits of Mantle’s TrueShape technology don’t end there. Mantle’s technology not only enables Westec to dramatically reduce lead times associated with creating tooling, but also allows the company to expand their capacity. The ability to print mold inserts that require minimal final finishing allows Westec’s skilled toolmakers to focus on fine details, helping to free up time to take on additional jobs and grow their business.
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