What will be shown at the stand
Visitors can watch RG 3280 inserts mould polypropylene on an APSX-PIM V3, with demonstrations at 11:00 and 14:00 daily from 17 to 20 November in Hall 12.1, stand D61. An xMOLD display will show empty tools, tools holding injected parts and the recovered parts. iAM Marketplace says its lab validated Form 4 profiles for both resins under Formlabs' Open Material Mode, which requires a licence, and estimates 48 to 72 hours from CAD to moulded parts.
Two resins, two roles
RG 3280 is a ceramic-filled resin for rigid inserts that open and can be reused. xMOLD is sacrificial: it is dissolved chemically after moulding, which helps with undercuts and negative draft. The company also describes a hybrid tool, with RG 3280 forming a conventional two-half mould and small xMOLD inserts for threads or undercuts. Each xMOLD section serves one shot, the rigid parts are meant for reuse. Repeated use after dissolution exposure has not been established yet.
Limits and reported numbers
Forward AM's processing guide reports about 1,000 shots for unfilled ABS, POM and PC, and about 100 for glass-filled PP GF30 and PA 6.6 GF25, and stresses support, cooling and careful demoulding. iAM Marketplace sees smaller parts as the best fit; larger parts needing higher pressure and clamping force, or far higher volumes, may suit aluminium or steel. For xMOLD, a user guide describes dissolution in 1 mol/L sodium hydroxide at 70 °C: 80% of 30 mm cubes after 16 hours and 97% after 24 hours with heated agitation. These are specimen results, not a release time for a given part.
Reported case at MD ELEKTRONIK
The automotive supplier used RG 3280 tooling for prototype cable overmouldings with electronics and contacts. According to a Forward AM case study, lead time fell from six to ten weeks to a few days, eight mould components printed in two hours, and savings in overhead exceeded 5,000 euros. More than 60 parts were moulded in 90 minutes with little or no insert wear, which does not show full tool life.