As the requirements for the appearance quality of injection molded products increase, the demands for mold surface polishing performance become more stringent. The main factors affecting mold polishing performance are density and the quantity and size of internal pores and sand holes. High-gloss products typically require mold density to exceed 99.998% and surface polishing to reach A0/A1 levels, imposing very high demands on mold materials and manufacturing processes.
For SLM (Selective Laser Melting) 3D printing technology, internal pores and sand holes are inevitable. The density of conventional SLM printing processes is around 99.94%, leading to pores exceeding 60 micrometers, which cannot meet the requirements of high-gloss products.
LTQ is a super-dense printing process developed independently by LAMOTEK for SLM technology. With LTQ, product density can reach 99.998%, and polishing levels can reach SPI-A0/A1. Products printed using the LTQ process can achieve a mirror-like surface finish, making it especially suitable for mold products with high polishing requirements, such as cosmetic packaging, automotive lens, and optical lenses.
Cosmetics
Trapped air, a common production issue in both injection molding and die casting molds, leads to poor product appearance and quality defects, making it one of the primary issues affecting product yield and reducing production efficiency.
LAMOTEK, based on a profound understanding of the interaction between "laser-powder-airflow," has developed a multi-faceted and multi-angled exhaust structure that better conforms to design dimensions and geometric models by effectively controlling dozens of process parameters during the SLM (Selective Laser Melting) forming process.
Exhaust hole diagram
Low printing accuracy has always been a major obstacle limiting the further application of 3D printing. Users have to leave more blank margin when using 3D printing, which not only increases the cost of subsequent processing but also leads to material waste.
LHA is a high-precision printing technology independently developed by LAMOTEK, which can achieve excellent surface and subsurface quality for molds. Products printed using the LHA process can reduce the unilateral machining allowance from 0.8mm to 0.3mm, shorten post-processing time by 20% to 40%, and in some mold fields, they can even be used directly after printing.
High-precision printing products
Continuously reducing the usage cost of 3D printed molds is a goal that LAMOTEK pursues through technological innovation. Hybrid printing involves machining the non-conformal waterway parts of the mold into a base using traditional methods and then "growing" mold cavity surfaces with conformal waterways on this base. Compared to full printing, hybrid printing significantly reduces the cost of using 3D printing for customers while enhancing the overall delivery efficiency of 3D printed molds.
Through continuous technological innovation, the grafting process of LAMOTEK has been able to achieve a perfect match and combination with common mold materials in the injection molding/die-casting industry. The material strength and hardness can be equal to or even exceed the base material, effectively ensuring grafting. The service life of the mold can be extended to provide users with more cost-effective solution options.
Hybrid products