2021 was a year to remember for Catalysis!
Catalysis had the opportunity to work with many new & returning customers, meet others in the industry at conferences, share education on the benefits of 3D printed tooling, talk about the different cool things we can do with 3D printed tooling and much, much more.
We wanted to take a moment to go through this year full of celebration & achievement!
3D PRINTED TOOLING EDUCATION
We understand being skeptical to try 3D printed tooling, especially if you feel that traditional methods are working for you. We wanted to make sure that you know all that 3D printed tooling can do for you & your business, so we used some of our Tooling Tuesday videos for education to share important information on 3D printed tooling.
Here are a few of those educational videos:
NO VACUUM HOLES
Did you know that we don’t drill holes in our tools? With no vacuum holes, we are able to vacuum over the entire tool surface, resulting in better part quality.
SPEED OF TOOLING
It’s important to us to be able to provide tools to our customers in a quick turnaround time because we understand how valuable time is. We are able to go from tool design to forming parts in just 2 weeks.
BASES & BOXES
The 3D printed vacuum forming tooling we make is unique, but so are the bases & boxes that make the complete tool.
COST COMPETITIVENESS
When it comes to providing tooling for customers, we value providing lower tooling cost. President & CEO, Darrell Stafford explains why we are so confident in our tooling cost competitiveness.
Providing quality customer service & attention to detail for our customers
PERSONAL DELIVERY
Our manufacturing manager personally delivered 6 composite part manufacturing tools that were completed in less than 2 weeks manufacturing time. We have never done this type of tool before, so we decided to deliver the tools with our own truck, our own labor & with our own manufacturing manager. At Catalysis, we value our quality of service & attention to detail for the customer!
DIFFERENT USES FOR 3D PRINTED TOOLING
We are always wanting to expand upon our knowledge & the different tooling needs we can provide our customers. We also used some of our Tooling Tuesday videos this year to share all the different ways we are using 3D printed tooling.
Here are a few of those videos on different ways to use 3D printed tooling:
PULP PAPER TOOLING
A pulp water solution is used to pull through the tool to form the part. The tool is a stainless steel 3D printed metal tool with 9,000 honeycomb cells. The 9,000 holes in the tool are used so that when you are pulling the part, it pulls the water through to form the part.
PRINTED POCKETS & INSERTS
Similar to conventional tooling, we can add a printed pocket and inserts to the tool. For this project, it was added to fasten a metal tag to the tool.
TOOL MODIFICATION
With our 3D printed tooling technology, we can modify a tool by just printing an insert and post processing it to the tool. No welding & no machining is necessary. With an aluminum tool, certain modification requests would require welding and machining- resulting in a much higher cost and take at least multiple weeks.
ONE STOP SHOP FOR:
Catalysis is your “One Stop Shop” for forming tool, trim tool & check fixtures. All tools are 3D printed, utilizing the same design to save cost & time. Being able to receive all 3 tools at the same time allows for an easier, more efficient, time saving stream line process.
“I was a machinist for 30 years and this tool would have taken hours to make on a mill & cost over $10,000. Using a Catalysis FX™ vacuum forming tool, we were able to get better vacuum on our tool for a fraction of the cost and time. Since joining Catalysis, I haven’t even touched a mill!”
– Darrin Love, Catalysis Manufacturing Manager
Our team worked hard & put in long hours when needed
CONFERENCES
AMUG
Orlando, FL
May 2-6, 2021
FOAM EXPO
Novi, Mi
July 13-15, 2021
MD&M EXPO
Anaheim, CA
August 10-12, 2021
SPE
Thermoforming
Conference
Catalysis was honored to have the opportunity to attend the SPE Thermoforming Conference in Grand Rapids, MI Sept. 20-22, 2021 (our 3rd year attending)!
- We exhibited at a booth where attendees were able to watch our 3D printed vacuum forming tool form a part
- President & CEO, Darrell Stafford presented on Additive Manufactured Thermoforming Tooling Tuesday AND
- We won GOLD in parts competition! We were the first company to have a part, as well as the tool in the competition
SPE Thermoforming Division Webinar
Catalysis had the honor of sponsoring an SPE Thermoforming Division webinar on November 16, 2021 where President & CEO, Darrell Stafford presented on The Benefits of Additive Manufactured Thermoforming Tooling.
