Material-tailored tool inserts for injection moulding using material extrusion multi-material Additive Manufacturing

Tool inserts for injection moulding must serve various requirements being contradictive to each other. The best approach to enhance the functionality of a tool insert, i.e., providing good wear and corrosion resistance as well as good toughness, is to employ a multi-material approach. This study investigates a concept for manufacture of a material-tailored multi-material tool insert using Material Extrusion additive manufacturing of metals (MEX/M). The processing of AISI A2 (1.2363) and AISI 420 (1.2083) steel as a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant material, respectively, in combination with AISI H11 (1.2343) as a tough bulk material were investigated. The eligibility of these materials for co-sintering was evaluated based on shrinkage and resulting density after sintering. A material-tailored tool insert was manufactured by means of MEX/M demonstrating its capability for multi-material additive manufacturing. Elemental distribution at the interface was analysed. Surface quality of the multi-material tool insert was evaluated taking into account extruder trajectories.