Oak Ridge and Boeing Produced 3D-Printed Steel Mold
The two-ton industrial tool was manufactured using wire-arc additive technology to support aircraft production.
Updated on Sept. 26, 2026 in Manufacturing
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Boeing have successfully manufactured a steel Stamp Form Die mold using wire-arc additive manufacturing. This specialized tool is intended for use in the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing project.
Why it matters
This collaboration sought to determine if 3D printing could effectively reduce production costs and shorten lead times for large-scale industrial components. The successful creation of the mold demonstrates a potential pathway for simplifying complex fabrication processes in aviation.
The completed mold stands 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and weighs nearly 2 tons. It features a unique configuration of a mild steel structural region paired with a stainless steel working surface.
The players
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This facility is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that conducts research in various scientific and engineering fields.
Boeing
This is a major American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, and rockets.
Baker Industries
This company specializes in large-scale tooling and fabrication services, managing the stress relief annealing and final production steps for the project.
The details
The production utilized the Arc-1 system, which employs a robotic arm and welding torch to layer molten metal. To ensure structural integrity, the team incorporated curved internal cooling channels and used temporary ribs to mitigate residual stress during the build.
Timeline
The printing process required 8 weeks to complete.
The project was highlighted on September 26, 2026.
Market Landscape
This project signals a broader industrial push toward replacing traditional, time-intensive casting methods with additive processes for heavy manufacturing. By scaling wire-arc additive manufacturing for large parts, the industry aims to gain competitive advantages in both aerospace and energy sectors.
The adoption of these additive manufacturing techniques may eventually lead to lower production costs for large structural components in the automotive and energy industries. For consumers, this could result in faster development cycles for high-performance vehicles and renewable energy hardware.
The takeaway
The successful creation of this mold shows that additive manufacturing can handle heavy-duty structural requirements through complex simulation and stress-relief techniques. Organizations looking to implement similar tech should prioritize early-stage digital modeling to manage material distortion during the build process.
Further reading
For more on industrial production trends, visit Manufacturing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 3D Printing Industry.
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