How MicrosoftOptimizedTooling for
Shield Metal
Prototyping
with Stratasys’
PolyJet™
Technology

The Stratasys J8 Series™ printers
have given me a powerful tool toproduce parts for both engineersand designers, a difficult gap
to bridge for other 3D printing
technologies
Mark Honschke
Additive Prototyping Lead, Microsoft

Press molds for sheet metal PCB shield cans

22Customer Profile
Located in Redmond, Washington—Building 87 or
Microsoft’s Advanced Prototyping Center (APC)
is a 26,000 square foot prototyping facility, home
to a team of highly passionate makers that act
as the translator, between concept and reality for
Industrial Designers and Engineers. Utilizing a
multitude of manufacturing and prototyping tools,
the APC focuses on efficiently creating solutions
and prototypes to answer business questions.
Following the mantra of “Fail Fast” the APC is
responsible for quickly generating confidence
in development decisions for Microsoft’s
designers, engineers, and partners. 3D printing
plays an integral part in Microsoft’s “Fail Fast”
development process and PolyJet™ models are apart of our daily routine.
Challenge: Shield Metal Prototyping
Shield cans are an essential part of modern
electronic devices used to protect internal
electronic components from electromagnetic
and radio interference. Without these criticalguards, electronic devices would be susceptible

Microsoft 3D Printing Lab for Rapid Prototyping

to external interferences which would cause
operational issues from minor malfunctions tocomplete failure. As important as sheet metalcomponents play for hardware historically
prototyping them has been challenging and timeconsuming. Traditional methods for prototyping
shield cans have often impeded the iteration
process, requiring a complete restart of thetooling whenever even simple design changes
are needed. The time and money required bythese older methods reduced the total numberof iterations that could be accomplished during
a development cycle. Sheet metal shield cansare typically made from thin metal materials
like brass, nickel silver and stainless steel and,due to the thin geometries, directly 3D printing
shield can prototypes is not practical. However,
3D printing the tooling form needed with
PolyJet™ technology to use when producing themetal prototypes improves the lead time andhas opened the use of unique geometries thatwould otherwise be impossible using traditional
methods..

3
3

Solution: 3D Printed Tooling
While 3D printing has been around for decades,
its wide adoption for sheet metal prototyping
has only recently emerged. In the past all 3D
printing processes had limitations that curbed therange of useful geometries. Stratasys PolyJet™
technology has been the best option with thebest balance between part quality, accuracy,
and speed and the J850 Prime, renowned for
its enhanced x/y accuracy, and multiple layer
resolutions including a high 14-micron resolution,
presents an exceptionally rapid method toproduce sheet metal tooling with the precisionnecessary for prototyping extremely smallfeatures. The standard Vero materials, with
their high compression strength, have been anamazing resin for sheet metal form prototyping.
In addition, if higher flexural strength and heat
deflection temperature parts are needed the J850
Prime, with its 7 material bays, has the capacity
to run the Digital ABS Plus material without losing
the ability to run full color parts. The dynamic
features of the J850 Prime mean model makers
spend less time designing around traditional
manufacturing limitations and can focus on
producing the best part for the need. Tooling withsharp corners, odd undercuts, or difficult surfaces
to machine is no longer a concern. The timespent designing the molds is reduced, allowing
engineers to embrace a new paradigm of rapid
and frequent part iteration.

While 3D printing has
undoubtedly revolutionizedhardware design, its
transformative impact
extends beyond mere part
creation. Stepping back,
we can appreciate its rolein eliminating previously
cumbersome processes
involved in producing actualparts. The inclusion of printed
tooling introduces a powerfuldimension, amplifying
efficiency and creativity in thedevelopment process.
Mike Oldani

Model Maker, MicrosoftImpact
In hardware development it is necessary tocontinue to find faster solutions for replacing
traditional prototype processes with newer
fabrication techniques using modern technology
to enable continuous improvement. Shield can
prototyping at Microsoft’s Advanced Prototyping
Center using the Stratasys J850 Prime has
given our model-makers the capacity to supply
engineers with highly accurate models swiftly,
and with far fewer design limitations than thetraditional techniques, significantly accelerating
the development process and leading to moreinnovative product solutions.

Assembled press mold for shield can frameExploded view of press mold for shield can frame

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