Additive Molding™
Ultimate Performance & Scalability

ARRIS’ Additive Molding™ is an automated manufacturing technology with new material and design latitudes that expand the possibilities for products across industries. 3D-aligned continuous fiber composite materials are now possible within complex shapes where material composition can change within regions of a single part. Ultimate performance meets ultimate scalability.

Performance

Composites: 3D stress-aligned fibers optimize strength and stiffness
Design: Topology-optimized, material-efficient structures
Multifunctional: Material combinations and highly integrated designs
Embedded: Electronics, circuits, and metallic components
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Scalability

Economics: High throughput, end-to-end automation
Optionality: Wide range of material options, global supply chains
Cosmetics: High-quality molded surfaces and tolerances
Production Ready: Repeatable process, reliable equipment

How Additive Molding™ Works

ARRIS’ patented Additive Molding™ technology automates the additive manufacturing and molding of complex products made of continuous 3D-aligned fibers (e.g., carbon and glass), thermoplastics, and components (e.g., circuits, electronics, and metallic inserts).

1
Preforming: Composite Shaping
Continuous dry fiber is impregnated with thermoplastic resin and then shaped to comprise a section of the final part. These shapes have continuous composite fibers aligned with the part’s 3D stress-vectors.
2
3D-Aligned Preform Assembly
All shapes and components are assembled into a final assembly.
3
Mold Processing
Final processing of assembly locks in ideal performance, accuracy, surface quality, and part-to-part repeatability.

What Can Additive Molding™ Do for Your Product?

1

Resolution & Precision

Precisely 3D-align fibers within very thin, intricate features and around tight radiuses to exacting tolerances.
2

Cosmetic Surfaces

Achieve beautiful, class-A surfaces with no post-processing. With the capabilities of in-mold texturing and decorative films, Additive Molding™ can achieve virtually any cosmetic requirement and match industry-standard injection molding specs.
3

Multi-material

Combine different materials seamlessly to deliver multifunctional zones such as RF-transparent windows or location-optimized strength, stiffness, thermal, and electrical properties.
4

Large Parts

Scale your designs to produce very large parts for demanding structural applications.
5

Manufacturing Scale

Meet the highest-volume production requirements with an advanced manufacturing process that’s cost-effective and scalable by design.
6

Sustainability

Set new sustainability standards with energy-saving manufacturing, fully recyclable materials, and unprecedented whole life-cycle sustainability.

Built on proven technologies

Composites Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing

Pioneered for high-performance aerospace products, composites and additive manufacturing industries have defined high-performance structures but have limited scalability.
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High-Speed Molding

The highest-volume complex part manufacturing process in the world — molding delivers unrivaled scalability at low cost, but historically has not utilized materials capable of meeting the highest-performance applications.

Grounded in proven legacy technologies trusted by the world’s leading manufacturers, Additive Molding™ delivers ultimate performance with aerospace-developed material processing approaches and unparalleled design capabilities. In addition, it is a scalable, high-speed manufacturing technology based on mature, high-volume molding approaches.

Leveraging deep experience in material sciences, composites, and thermoplastic processing, ARRIS empowers leading brands to create innovative, high-performance, sustainable products at scale using fiber and topologically optimized-for-the-process designs.

The product design and engineering teams of top brands shoulder great responsibility. Manufacturing scalability and quality are required because companies cannot fail their loyal customers. Product performance and design differentiation are necessary to attract new clients and inspire existing customers. Additive Molding™ brings together scalability, performance, and design for these teams in the ultimate manufacturing technology.

Partner with ARRIS

ARRIS’ applications development team leverages deep expertise in additive manufacturing, composites manufacturing, and product development across industries. This world-class team is equipped with ARRIS’ powerful SpecificDesign™ design and optimization software, and is exclusively focused on helping customers’ product teams create breakthrough products.

New client onboarding generally follows this process:

1
Overview of ARRIS' design and manufacturing technologies
2
Application exploration to identify the highest value first projects
3
Collaborative design work
4
Simulation and optimization
5
Manufacturing of first articles
6
Full-scale production

Reach out to learn more about how Additive Molding™ can differentiate your products.

Contact Us

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