Evaluation of Large Format 3D Printing in the Manufacturing of Tooling for Resin Transfer Molding - Carfair Composites Inc. (RESUBMISSION)

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Carfair Composites, Inc. is a Winnipeg-based company and a global leader in the manufacturing andsupply of high-quality composite structures for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Thecompany's innovative use of the Light Resin Transfer Molding (LRTM) process to produce lightweightcritical components has opened up an opportunity for the development of more fuel-efficient andlower emission buses. Carfair is currently looking for ways to significantly lower production costs andimprove productivity as part of their effort to support the growing adoption of lightweight compositestructures in heavy vehicle manufacturing. Accordingly, the company is making a significant effort inevaluating large format 3D printing of composite molds as a faster and cost-effective method oftooling development compared to the traditional tool manufacturing techniques.There is still a large knowledge gap in the application of 3D printing of polymers in the manufacturingof large-size tooling. Majority of the existing 3D printers were developed and optimized for parts inthe scale of two feet or less. Large format 3D printing requires an in-depth knowledge of design foradditive manufacturing, process parameters optimization, dimensional analysis and manufacturingpost-processing as applied to printing larger components, usually at the scale of four feet and above.Carfair and the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM) at Red RiverCollege Polytechnic are pulling their technical expertise together to address the current limitations inlarge format 3D printing for composite molds. The team will focus on process development leadingto the creation of prototype composite molds for LRTM.Both TACAM and Carfair have already made some investments in 3D printing of polymers, with theacquisition of some large printers. The College team has developed significant expertise in polymeradditive manufacturing processes that can be easily transferred to the printing of large-formatcomponents. The team will use their skills in 3D modeling, process parameters selection, 3D lasermetrology and CNC machining to produce prototype large-format composite molds for the LRTMprocess, which will be tested and adopted by industry. Carfair is in a position to utilize the results ofthis research work immediately, with potentials for significant cost and time savings and improvedprocess efficiency.