Flovv and Flovv-e Aim to Make Injection Molding More Accessible Thanks to 3D printing
3D printing has seen a lot of success on Kickstarter, with notable examples including the likes of Formlabs and Bambu Lab. These projects have demonstrated the platform’s potential to fund innovations, propel them forward and bring them to fruition. Now, Flovv and Flovv-e, new projects combining desktop injection molding and 3D printing, are following in these footsteps, having already raised over $165,181 from an initial target of $10,000, and with 28 campaign days remaining.
Neckog Industries, the company behind this project, is working to combine the strengths of 3D printing and reaction injection molding (RIM). Flovv and Flovv-e are the first products to be marketed by the American manufacturer. They promise to push back the boundaries of both additive manufacturing and injection molding by producing durable, precise and versatile parts at greater speed and cost-efficiency.
The Flovv-e printer and the Flovv machine both enable reaction injection to be used with 3D printing
Combining 3D Printing and Reaction Injection Molding (RIM)
Flovv and Flovv-e aim to combine the complementary advantages of 3D printing and injection molding. 3D printing offers unrivalled design flexibility, but is ill-suited to mass production. Injection molding, on the other hand, excels in the rapid production of high-quality parts, but its high cost and lack of design flexibility make it inaccessible to many users.
Flovv and Flovv-e bridge this gap by combining the advantages of both technologies. Using RIM, they inject liquid polyurethanes into 3D-printed molds, creating dense, strong parts in just a few minutes. This approach makes it possible to produce hihgly-precise, complex parts with a high surface quality finish.
Polyurethane parts are created in 3D-printed molds
Flovv and Flovv-e Allow Users to Discover and Experiment With Injection Molding
The Flovv-e integrates a 3D printer and a reaction injection molding (RIM) machine into a single module, while the Flovv serves as a stand-alone RIM unit. Rather than plastic pellets, both devices exploit reaction injection molding, with the machines mixing two liquid materials (polyurethane and a hardener) before injecting them into a mold.
The Flovv-e features a print volume of 320 x 320 x 400 mm, a fully enclosed design, a heated chamber and a claimed maximum speed of 300 mm/s. With this machine, it should be possible to print molds with ABS filament, apply a release agent, then inject the mold with various materials (rigid, flexible, foam).
The Flovv-e 3D printer features an integrated Reaction Injection Module (RIM)
The Flovv, on the other hand, is an injection-only machine, designed for those who already own a 3D printer. Both machines automatically mix polyurethane and hardener, avoiding the challenges of rapid solution curing, and run a self-cleaning program after use.
Challenges Ahead and Promising Applications
The potential applications for Flovv and Flovv-e are vast and promising. The Kickstarter project, which has already raised over $150,000 the initial goal, bears witness to the strong interest in this technology. It’s important to bear in mind, however, that this is a project under development, and its promises have yet to be independently validated.
Neckog Industries’ injection solutions are compatible with a variety of polyurethane resins
Given the attractive price of the machines (announced at $900 for the Flovv and $4,000 for the Flovv-e after the crowdfunding campaign), Neckog Industries is aware that some of its public lack the experience needed to design complex injection molds. That’s why the manufacturer also offers a mold design service (DaaS) to make its products easier to use. With DaaS, Neckog Industries takes charge of mold design, enabling users to concentrate on innovation and the creation of their end products. This service aims to simplify the manufacturing experience and make it accessible to a wider audience.
We will keep an eye out on the progress of this project to assess its real impact on the 3D printing industry. In the meantime, if you would like more information, feel free to visit the Neckog Industries website HERE.
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*All Photo Credits: Neckog Industries
