A tire mold is a precision mold that gives a tire its final shape. Hankook Precision Works produces tire molds with the 5-axis machining and casting technologies that enable the precision mold production. Depending on the use and purpose of the tire, the company provides both conventional molds and new type molds of various technologies and forms, such as casting mold, direct engraving mold, ventless mold, and wave parting mold.
The South Korea-based company now plans to boost this part of its business with 3D printing. Together with 3D printing specialist company Tera Works, it recently co-launched a “3D Printing Convergence Technology Center” at the Hankook Engineering Lab in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City.
With the goal of expanding its services in the field of precision tire molded parts, the center will develop new Kerfs – fine grooves on tire surfaces – and new tire molds. This business model makes me remember the work of Michelin in the tire industry and how this led a few years later to the creation of AddUp.
3D printed Kerf is gaining momentum given its advantages when applied in the manufacturing process of tires for electric and high-performance vehicles. Noise reduction, improved grip, and enhanced handling are just a few examples of these advantages. As far as technology is concerned, we know that Hankook integrates an in-house metal 3D printer that is used for the manufacture of sipes and other parts for tire molds. The company is now waiting for the results of the 3D printed mold’s feasibility tests for mass production. If successful, they will confirm the process ability to reduce the manufacturing time for tire sipes and the processing time for mold parts of complex forms.
Moving forward, Hankook Precision Works plans to continue its expansion, investing more in the AM field and pushing for the discovery of new business opportunities rooted in this technology.
The announcement follows a collaboration between Hankook’s hardware platform subsidiary Model Solution and Prototech, a domestic 3D printing firm, to escalate rapid prototyping and the 3D printing parts industry.
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