Explain how Michelin uses SLM metal 3D printing to make tire molds

Michelin tires began to explore the possibility of applying metal 3D printing to tire molds as early as ten years ago. The previous stage was not a busy one. In September 2015, Michelin Tire announced a joint venture with the Fives Group to form a new company dedicated to “manufacturing industrial-grade and traditionally unfinished tire mold parts”.

Affected by Michelin tires, many tire mold manufacturers have turned their attention to the increasingly hot metal 3D printing industry to seek new solutions. The final step in the tire making process is to vulcanize the tire in a closed mold. Vulcanization imparts elasticity to the rubber. The mold is responsible for shaping the rubber and finally becomes the tire we see everyday. Tire companies typically outsource this part of the mold to a designated mold making company.

The figure shows several main steps in traditional CNC machining:

Milling the contour of the aluminum block into the desired shape and surface;
Then making a groove on it for later manual insertion of the mold of the tire groove;
Finally, the inserted mold and the bottom are welded by laser beam to form a complete mold.

The mold shown in the drawing can make a pattern of at least four tire gullies, but when the pattern becomes complicated and complicated, the manufacture of the mold not only becomes difficult but the labor and time are also greatly increased.

Metal 3D printing can produce small and complex molds that are difficult to machine in the traditional way, and the cycle from design to printing is shorter than the traditional modeling-to-CNC cycle, and new mold new lines can be developed faster. At the same time, these mold manufacturers are more cautious about 3D printing. The discussion on mold surface quality, mold roundness, printing speed, printing process stability and whether laser sintering will cause internal structural defects of metal parts has not stopped. Over.
Mr. Ralf Frohwerk, Head of Global Business Development, SLM Solutions, the world's leading 3D metal printing company, has been focusing on and promoting the application of metal 3D printing in tire molds. He believes that although ultra-high precision and high surface quality requirements are the biggest challenges in additive manufacturing , metal 3D printing will be a good solution for complex tires such as snow tires.
Today, as a high-end brand in metal 3D printing, SLM Solutions metal 3D printers have successfully printed the steel molds with a thickness of only 0.3mm at the thinnest part, eliminating the costly process of stamping and bending, while also saving Going to the cost of manual installation and welding.
Shown below is the tire mold printed by SLM Solutions. The outer layer is an aluminum machined support shell to provide sufficient strength, stability and roundness. The interior is the mold part of the metal print. Cost considerations, this part will be as light and thin as possible while ensuring the strength of the mold itself.

Frohwerk is optimistic about the shortcomings of metal 3D printing technology in terms of printing precision. He said, "We have done a lot of remarkable progress and achievements in the past three years." SLM Solutions provides printing accuracy that is already metal 3D printing. The leader in the industry. It can be expected that metal additive manufacturing technology will further develop in the near future while reducing the need for subsequent processing.

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