When a partner approached us with a project for the entertainment industry, the brief was clear and the timeline was tight.
A large mould needed to be designed, manufactured and laid up in just three weeks, ready to go on tour.
The Challenge
The project centred around producing a mould from an STL file of a bonnet. On the surface that sounds straightforward, but an STL file does not equal a production-ready mould.
There were three main challenges:
• An extremely compressed three week turnaround
• The overall scale of the tool
• Complex overhangs that required careful planning for additive manufacture
In touring environments, timelines are fixed. There is no room for delay. The tool had to be right first time and delivered on schedule.
Our Approach
As with every project, we started by understanding exactly how the tool would be used. From there, we worked backwards.
1. Reverse Engineering the Geometry
We received an STL of the bonnet. To make this editable and suitable for tooling design, we reverse engineered it into a STEP file.
From that surface model, we designed the mould from the ground up. Every decision was made with the additive manufacturing process in mind.
Material cannot be printed in thin air. So we carefully considered:
• How material would be laid
• Where support structures would be required
• Whether slicing angles could be used to manage overhangs
• How to optimise the geometry without compromising function
2. Splitting for Manufacturability
Due to the size and geometry, the mould was split into four manageable sections.
This allowed us to:
• Print efficiently
• Maintain structural integrity
• Control distortion and accuracy
• Work within the tight timeline
Once complete, the sections were bonded together to create the final production-ready tool.
3. Deploying the Full Rapid Fusion Arsenal
This project made use of multiple systems:
• Cerberus for printing and milling operations
• Apollo for multi-planar 3D printing
Using both systems allowed us to combine additive and subtractive processes where required, ensuring dimensional accuracy and surface quality.
The Result
Within three weeks, the complete mould was:
• Designed
• Engineered for additive manufacture
• Printed in four sections
• Bonded and finished
• Delivered to the client
For complex, large-scale tooling under severe time pressure, speed alone is not enough. Accuracy, process knowledge and practical manufacturing experience are what make delivery possible.
Bringing all parts together and seeing the completed tool leave for tour was a proud moment for the team.
Looking Ahead
At Rapid Fusion, we work across complex and diverse projects, from entertainment to industrial manufacturing. Each one brings a new set of challenges and opportunities to push hybrid manufacturing further.
And we are already looking forward to the next one.
