| Q. |
What is a Zap™ Tool?
|
| A. |
Zap™ Tooling yields a high quality zinc
core and cavity suitable for injection molding.
|
| Q. |
How is it produced?
|
| A. |
Zap™ Tooling begins (typically) with a
stereolithography or CNC machined master pattern. Followed by a modified Rubber-plaster
Molding (RPM) process which produces a cast core and cavity.
|
| Q. |
How does the zinc tool compare to aluminum?
|
| A. |
The Zap™ Tool material is similar to aluminum
except for its lower melt temperature. Surface hardness is slightly greater than
aluminum.
|
| Q. |
What kind of longevity could we expect from a Zap™ tool?
|
| A |
We have successfully produced 5000 ABS parts and more than
500 Glass-filled polycarbonate parts all with no noticeable deterioration of the
Zap™ tool. Additionally, a local ceramics manufacturer has used these
tools successfully in the production of ceramic parts. Other plastic material
will produce similar results depending on the degree of abrasiveness of the
fillers and the individual part geometry.
|
| Q. |
What about tolerances?
|
| A |
Zap™ tool tolerances are from ± 0.001 to ±
0.010. We were able to bring tolerances to ± 0.001 in critical areas by
customer request.
|
| Q. |
How big of a part can I make with Zap™ tooling?
|
| A. |
Largest part produced by Zap™ tooling was so far
12"W X 12"L.
|
| Q. |
How does Zap™ Tool cost
compares to machined aluminum?
|
| A. |
A typical Zap™ Tool will cost approximately 20 to
50% less than a corresponding machined aluminum tool and will be produced in 10
days for simple parts and 2 weeks for more complex parts.
|
