NEWS RELEASE - LIPTOOL Rapid Tooling System

From: Nick Osborn (Nick@lip.co.uk)
Date: Fri Sep 11 1998 - 18:42:52 EEST


NEWS RELEASE

TIME: 9:00am
DATE: Friday, 11th September 1998
SOURCE: Laser Integrated Prototypes Ltd.
STATUS: For immediate release
SUBJECT: LIP ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF LIPTOOLä RAPID TOOLING SYSTEM

Cambridgeshire, UK * 11th September 1998

Laser Integrated Prototypes today announced the launch of the revolutionary new LIPTOOLä Rapid Tooling System, which enables the fast manufacture of moulded components in production intent materials.

The LIPTOOLä Rapid Tooling System enables the creation of a prototype mould tool from a component master pattern within hours or days instead of weeks.

The Component Master Pattern (CMP) can be made via Rapid Prototyping, CNC, by hand or indeed any process which provides a physical model of the object to be moulded. The surface finish of the CMP is accurately reproduced in the resulting mouldings.

This unique system allows truly representative product evaluation and performance testing to be carried out, without incurring the time and cost penalties traditionally associated with the conventional prototype tooling route.

In addition, because the presence of fillets and draft angles within the CMP is optional, real parts in real materials can now be made available at the concept stage of a design if required. This provides increased customer confidence and thus allows for greater creativity in the design process, by providing real parts for testing at the earliest possible juncture.

The LIPTOOLä Rapid Tooling System is designed to suit the relatively high temperature and pressure processing conditions necessary for the moulding of a wide variety of real, production intent materials.

Type 'A' LIPTOOLä material is suitable for the moulding of flexible production intent materials, including all rubber compounds (e.g. EPDM) and is available today.

Type 'B' LIPTOOLä material is suitable for the moulding of common engineering and commercial plastics, including ABS, polypropylene, acetals, polycarbonate and glass filled nylon, and is being developed for release later this year.

The LIPTOOLä Rapid Tooling System is accessible either as a limited bureau service direct from LIP's R&D department or ideally as a fully licenced process for in-house use. Due to the simplicity of the process it is extremely fast and safe to operate, and produces tools which are directly compatible with standard production moulding equipment.

LIP has been involved with materials development and processing for over 20 years, and has 9 years' direct experience of RP and associated technologies. The LIPTOOLä Rapid Tooling System has been developed in response to the 3D design and manufacturing industry's demand for production material components in hours rather than days or weeks, without the restrictions of being tied to any one particular Master Pattern production process.

For further information, please contact Rod Pike * rod@lip.co.uk.

LIP . . . MAKING REALITY

Laser Integrated Prototypes Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1354 650 789
140 - 144 Station Road, March, Fax: +44 (0) 1354 650 799
Cambs. PE15 8NH, UK http://www.lip.co.uk

Nick Osborn
Technical Director
------------------------------------------------
nick@lip.co.uk
Laser Integrated Prototypes Ltd.
140 - 144 Station Road, March,
Cambs. PE15 8NH, UK

http://www.lip.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1354 650 789
Fax: +44 (0) 1354 650 799
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For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



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