“We produce thousands of automotive and consumer white goods parts using RenPIM^® materials,” said Dr Mukesh Agarwala, Managing Director of 3DPD. “These include large automotive parts such as dashboards, door panels and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) components to smaller parts for medical equipment, refrigerators and washing machines.”

In a recent project for an automotive customer, 3DPD used RenPIM^® 2185 for the production of a full size car dashboard in a single part. Using CAD data from the customer, 3DPD produced a master model of the dashboard and from this made a silicone rubber mould. The mould was then used to produce the finished part in a single shot.

 RenPIM^® Vacuum Grade is a fast curing, two-component polyurethane casting system that can simulate the appearance and physical properties of a wide range of thermoplastics used in rapid prototyping, such as ABS, HDPE, PP and rubber.

They can be used for the rapid production of high quality functional prototypes for form, fit and function testing. Parts are produced in minutes without the use of high cost steel moulds. They are highly accurate and dimensional stable and able to reproduce fine details and surface textures.

Dr Agarwala said: “The mechanical and physical properties of the parts are excellent, including tensile strength, elongation and impact strength. The good surface finish and paintability of the parts are also important factors for us – and the rapid production cycle, of course as our customer deadlines can be as little as three days.

“Once finished, the parts have to be able to withstand real-life working conditions – high temperature, vibration, electrical, mechanical and thermal shocks as well as stress fatigue. The RenPIM^® parts meet all these demanding criteria for us and our customers.”