Service · Concrete mould making
Formwork, recess formers and cast-in components without tooling manufacture
From STEP or STL files straight to the ready-to-use mould: cost-effective from a single part, in days rather than weeks. Manufactured in Altenholz near Kiel.
concrete formwork is the production of the negative mould into which concrete is poured: formwork, recess formers, built-in components and structure-giving inserts. Where traditional mould making generates tool costs and weeks of lead time, additive manufacturing delivers the same geometry without tools, economically from just one part.
Formwork construction for precast concrete elements is divided into four groups. Mach-3D covers all four with the same digital process: the physical part is created directly from a CAD file.
formwork
Moulds for precast elements, special components and samples. Even geometries that can only be produced from wood or steel with great effort: undercuts, curves, organic contours.
Breakthroughs
Placeholders for cut-outs, channels and openings in the precast element. Designed as permanent formwork or with a demoulding chamfer for reuse.
Device
Holders, gauges and positioning aids for reinforcement, sleeves or anchor channels. Custom-engineered for the specific precast element rather than improvised.
Surface
Inserts for edges, bevels, logos, lettering and surface reliefs. For small production runs and one-offs where a die is not worthwhile.
Additive manufacturing does not replace traditional mould making; it complements it where volume and geometry argue against steel.
| Criterion | Classic steel mould | 3D printed formwork |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling costs | high, incurred before the first part | none, it is manufactured directly |
| lead time | several weeks | Days |
| Economically speaking | medium to large series | Batch size 1 |
| Complex geometry | complex, in part unfeasible | at no extra cost |
| tool life | very high, many hundreds of impressions | limited, material-dependent |
| Changes | expensive, often newly built | Modify CAD, reprint |
For ongoing mass production, the steel mould remains the first choice. For prototypes, special components, sample pieces, spare parts for discontinued moulds and short-term requests for changes, the printed route is faster and cheaper. Many precast concrete plants use both in parallel.
Fresh concrete is strongly alkaline with a pH value of around 12 to 13. In addition, there is vibration stress, release agents and, depending on the plant, heat treatment. The choice of material determines the service life of the mould, not print quality alone.
A printed formwork does not replace steel for high volumes. For exposed concrete, the surface must be sealed or smoothed, as FDM components have a visible layer structure. Draft angles must be included in the design from the very beginning. Anyone who plans for this will get a mould that performs its task reliably.
Moulds and inserts
Formwork, recess formers and structuring inserts, manufactured on the large-scale system in Altenholz near Kiel.
Technical drawings. Photos from ongoing customer projects will follow.
Concrete mould construction is the production of the negative mould into which concrete is poured. This includes formwork, void formers for penetrations, built-in components and texturing inserts. The mould determines the geometry, dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the finished concrete component and is thus the actual tool of precast production.
That depends on the material, wall thickness, post-processing and handling. A printed formwork does not achieve the service life of a steel mould, which can withstand many hundreds of castings. For prototypes, sample parts, special components and short runs, it is sufficient. For ongoing large-scale production, steel remains more economical. We estimate the expected service life prior to production.
Fresh concrete is strongly alkaline with a pH value of around 12 to 13. PP and PP-GF have proven successful due to their chemical resistance and good demoulding properties, ASA for weather-resistant applications, PA-CF and PA-GF for high rigidity under vibratory load, and PPS-CF at elevated temperatures. The choice depends on the quantity required, the load and the surface requirements.
For small batch sizes, yes, because there are no tooling costs. Traditional mould making requires an investment before the first part is produced, whereas additive manufacturing does not. From medium to large series, the ratio reverses, and the steel mould becomes cheaper per impression. The economic tipping point can be estimated in advance.
The build space is 900 × 900 × 1000 millimetres. Larger moulds are broken down into segments, manufactured individually and then joined together. This is standard practice in mould making and allows components well beyond the actual build space limit. The parting lines are positioned so that they are not visible in the concrete part.
Only with post-processing. FDM components have a visible layer structure that would otherwise be reproduced in the concrete. The necessary surface quality can be achieved through sealing, sanding or coating. For exposed concrete quality, we plan this step from the outset and agree on the required quality in advance.
Starting from one piece. Especially in mould making, the single item is the norm; every mould is unique anyway. A prototype before making a series decision is explicitly possible and in practice the most common way to start.
Ideally, a STEP or STL file of the desired concrete part or mould. If you only have a drawing, a sketch or an existing component, we will take care of the design or digitise the part via 3D scan. Details on quantities, concrete mix and surface requirements help with material selection.
Mach-3D manufactures Formwork, moulds, recess formers and embedded components for precast concrete elements. From STEP or STL files, ready-to-use moulds are produced without the need for toolmaking, using a large-scale system with a build space of 900 × 900 × 1000 mm; larger geometries are segmented and assembled.
Materials on request: PP and PP-GF for chemical resistance, ASA for outdoor storage, PA-CF and PA-GF for rigidity under vibration stress, PPS-CF for high temperatures. From batch size 1, for precast concrete plants in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and the whole of Northern Germany. The basics of formwork technology are compiled by the Concrete Information Service. Other services: Engineering and 3D scan as well as 3D printing manufacture.
Mach-3D Fabrication GmbH · Dänischenhagener Straße 1 · 24161 Altenholz bei Kiel