SBIR Phase I: 3D Printing of Thermally Stable Composites for Injection Molding Tooling

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable Fortify to provide U.S. manufacturers with a disruptive manufacturing technology to create low-volume tooling parts with order of magnitude reductions in lead times and part price. U.S. manufacturers rely on prototype and low-volume production parts that are currently produced using aluminum soft tooling that need to be precision machined. Prices for these small run parts can reach USD $10,000 or more per tool, depending on complexity, with lead times extending weeks or months. This results in high unit costs when parts are produced in low volumes. Industry data suggests the market for outsourced prototype and low volume injection molded parts with physical dimensions serviceable by Fortify technology may be as large as USD $2.7 Billion. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will enable Fortify to create a thermal competitive advantage to enable customer discovery in the field of low-volume injection molding tooling. Despite the noise in the field of 3D printing, disrupting the injection molding tooling industry has remained elusive due to the lasting need for high strength, thermal stability, fatigue resistance, and smooth mold finish in 3D printed molds. Fortify is uniquely positioned to address these technical challenges by leveraging novel materials, patented manufacturing hardware, and proprietary manufacturing software. Fortify prints ceramic-filled, high-temperature resins that are locally textured by magnetic fields in customized magnetic printers to produce optimum ceramic microstructures designed by Fortify's INFORM software to maximize the thermomechanical performance of the printed parts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.