The 3D-printed tooling system manufacturer has been acquired by Michigan-based Angstrom Group, a privately held Tier 1 automotive industry supplier. San Francisco–based Mantle developed a hybrid system for producing injection mold tooling.
Wohlers Associates View:
The Mantle hybrid tooling system extrudes metal paste onto a substrate which, after hardening, is machined to its final dimensions. Machining is relatively easy because it is performed on the green part—made from dried paste—before it is sintered to form the final steel mold. While not a purely 3D printing process, the use of AM significantly reduces the time required to produce tools for injection molding. Like all sinter-based AM processes, the system must address substantial part shrinkage as it transitions from green to finished steel.
Mantle’s principal advantage is speed, especially in producing prototype tooling. The company reports that its process can also be used for production tooling, suggesting that time savings extend to higher-volume manufacturing. Quick-turn tooling enables faster iteration at the design stage and shorter production runs, giving users a clear time-to-market advantage.
An interesting aspect of the acquisition is that Angstrom appears to have acquired Mantle primarily for its own competitiveness as a mold maker. It is not yet clear whether Mantle systems will continue to be commercialized for other injection molding companies. From Mantle’s perspective, the acquisition represents a secure exit as a captive solution within an established global tooling firm—apparently opting not to pursue a standalone market strategy.
Founded in 2015, Mantle focused intently on its narrow application area, developing technology tailored specifically for mold tooling. This tight focus likely facilitated its acquisition by a specialist such as Angstrom. READ.
