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CONCR3DE’s advanced binder-jetting technology enables the production of highly accurate, 3D printed washout tooling for composite manufacturing. Using a specially developed water-soluble ceramic material, complex mandrels and cores can be produced quickly and dissolved in under one minute using regular tap water.
This innovative process allows manufacturers to produce hollow composite parts with complex internal geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using traditional tooling methods.
Key benefits include:Complex geometry freedom
Fast tooling production
Autoclave compatibility
Excellent dimensional stability
Dissolves quickly in water with no residue
Traditional composite tooling often introduces limitations that increase cost and restrict design flexibility.
Creating intricate internal structures using conventional tooling methods is extremely difficult or sometimes impossible.
Manual processes and tooling fabrication significantly increase production times, especially for prototypes or small batch runs.
Traditional mould production and lay-up processes require considerable labour and tooling costs, increasing the cost per part.
Many traditional core materials expand during curing processes, leading to part distortion and reduced dimensional accuracy.
CONCR3DE Washout Ceramic provides the ideal combination of strength, stability and dissolvability.
Key material characteristics:
Flexural strength: 7–10 MPa
Coefficient of thermal expansion: 7 ppm/°C
Autoclave compatible for CFRP prepreg processing
Dissolves in under 1 minute using tap water
Non-toxic binder system
The material maintains excellent dimensional stability during curing and dissolves cleanly without leaving residue or slurry.
Binder jetting achieves extremely high precision with tolerances of <0.2 mm per metre.
The surrounding powder supports the part during printing, enabling complex geometries without additional support structures.
Unused powder can be 100% reused, resulting in a highly efficient and waste-free process.
The technology allows users to scale seamlessly from prototype production to industrial manufacturing.
The washout tooling workflow follows a simple five-step process:
The tooling geometry is prepared and sliced using NOAH Production software.
The tooling is produced using CONCR3DE’s binder-jetting printing technology.
Printed parts are oven-dried to strengthen the mineral binder and stabilise the tooling.
Unbound powder is removed using compressed air and brushes. All excess powder is fully recyclable.
A water-soluble coating or Teflon tape is applied to prepare the tooling surface for composite lay-up.
CONCR3DE washout tooling is designed to meet the demands of advanced composite manufacturing.
Flexural strength: 7–10 MPa
Heat resistance: 150°C – 180°C
Pressure resistance: Up to 8 bar
Autoclave dwell time: Up to 180 minutes
Dimensional accuracy: <0.2 mm/m
The tooling dissolves completely in water with no remaining solids or slurry, enabling efficient removal after the curing process.
Washout tooling supports multiple composite manufacturing techniques including:
Prepreg lamination
Wet lay-up
Resin transfer moulding (RTM)
Filament winding
Compatible fibre types include:
Carbon fibre
Glass fibre
Aramid fibre
This technology enables the production of complex composite components used in industries such as:
Aerospace
Motorsport
Satellite systems
Defence
Industrial equipment
Internal ducting
Structural components
Composite blades
Piping systems
Pressure vessels
CONCR3DE washout tooling is designed with sustainability in mind.
Non-toxic materials and binder system
Chemical-free washout process
100% powder reuse during printing
Powder largely reclaimable after washout
This circular manufacturing approach makes the process one of the most sustainable tooling solutions available today.
Successful material washout with 3D printing depends on compatibility between structural and sacrificial materials. Engineers should evaluate
Thermal behaviour during fabrication
Chemical compatibility during washout
Mechanical performance of the final component
Internal surface quality requirements
Dimensional tolerances following soluble support removal
CONCR3DE provides dedicated washout material systems with published technical data. Engineers can review full specifications, mechanical properties and processing parameters in the following material data sheets:
Washout Sand Material Data Sheet
https://concr3de.com/PDF/CONCR3DE_MDS_Washout_Sand.pdf
Washout Ceramic Material Data Sheet
https://concr3de.com/PDF/CONCR3DE_MDS_Washout_Ceramic.pdf
These documents provide detailed information on density, strength characteristics, curing behaviour and recommended washout conditions to support engineering validation and compliance processes.
When properly specified, the washout process delivers repeatable internal accuracy and consistent structural integrity across production batches.
Conventional casting and moulding impose geometric limitations due to core extraction and tooling access constraints. Material washout in additive manufacturing eliminates these restrictions by forming internal features digitally and removing sacrificial material without mechanical intervention.
Combined with large format additive systems such as the Armadillo, this approach reduces tooling costs, shortens development cycles and supports rapid design refinement directly from CAD data.