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Welded Sleeves for Web Manufacturing & Inserts for Molding

The tool for the transfer of structure always needs to be custom fit to the manufacturing process. Whether for web manufacturing and roll-to-roll or for injection manufacturing processes and molding processes, different parameters apply. Nickel shims are the ideal base for custom fitting to a process. After electroforming a shim at a precise thickness, it can be laser cut to the exact shape. This base can be used for welding or manufacturing your customized tool.

Welded Sleeves for Web Manufacturing

To achieve the perfect fit for air mandrels, welded sleeves are an optimal solution for web manufacturing. Nickel shims are very homogenous and precise metal plates that create the ideal base for welding sleeves. The electrodeposition process allows to create shims with minimal thickness variation, which is important for a good fit on a mandrel.

In a first step the nickel shims are laser cut to the precise size, so they can be welded to a custom fit sleeve. To find the optimal fit, sleeves with different diameters are manufactured at 3D AG. Crucial steps are high quality electroforming and high precision laser cutting to receive the optimal diameter for the mandrel that will guarantee efficient web manufacturing.

Sleeve Specfications

Customized Welded Sleeves

Our high-precision and custom-fit welded sleeves are designed to meet the unique needs of your project. We offer specifications with incredibly accurate tolerances, unmatched by others in the market. From material type to thickness and diameter, our welded sleeves are built to the most exacting standards to deliver unparalleled performance.

Standard seam: 120 µm
Narrowed Seam: 80 µm – 100 µm
Seam Roughness: 3 µm – 5 µm
Accuracy & Repeatability: < 10 µm
Maximum Welding Length: 2000 mm

Precision Fit For Superior Performance: Dummy Test Sleeves

At 3D AG, we know that precision is essential for achieving superior performance in roll-to-roll processes. That's why we offer high-quality welded sleeves with a precision fit that ensures optimal results every time. To achieve the best precision fit, we offer a set of 3 dummy sleeves customized to your drum. Contact us today to learn more and get started.

Injection Molding: Precision Laser Cutting for Mold Cavity Inserts

Nickel shims are not just an optimal base for welding sleeves, they are often used in their flat state. The controlled thickness variation at thicknesses between 40 µm to several mm allows full flexibility in creating a custom fit insert for injection molding. By electroforming, the nickel shim is manufactured at the precise thickness to fit into the mold cavity. Special and miniaturized structures can be used in injection molding with this specific technique.

The nickel shims are laser cut with high precision to the dedicated size. Not only distinguished shapes, but holes and other haltering support can be laser cut and therefore custom fit to the mold cavity. With this manufacturing method, the inserts can also easily be replaced for later cycles. Injection molding is a widely used manufacturing process and comes in many different forms, the usage of custom fit inserts has opened the possibility to precisely transfer nano and microstructures to plastic parts. In some cases inserts can also be used as thick stampers for the replication and transfer of structures to sheet or 3D shaped plastic or glass products.