Building parts using cut-layer additive manufacturing

Abstract

To provide methods and apparatus for fabricating components via layering techniques.SOLUTION: A method of manufacturing a part using a cutting machine includes: placing a non-porous sheet on a surface of a material cutting machine; removing material from the non-porous sheet to form a plurality of sections of the part; and, while the non-porous sheet is present on the material cutting machine, forming fastening holes within the sections. The method further includes: removing the sections from a remainder of the sheet; placing the sections together such that each section of the part abuts another section; and inserting fasteners through the fastening holes of the sections.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for fabricating components. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for fabricating components (e.g., patterns, molds, like products, or other parts) using techniques or processes similar to 3D printing manufacturing processes, including layering. These techniques or processes can, at least in some embodiments, enable the production of lower-cost molds or tools without the use of a 3D printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, additive manufacturing techniques and processes involve the deposition of one or more materials to create net-shape or near-net-shape (NNS) objects, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methods. While "additive manufacturing" is an industry standard term (ASTM F2792), additive manufacturing encompasses a variety of manufacturing and prototyping techniques known by various names, including freeform fabrication, 3D printing, and rapid prototyping / tooling.

[0003] Some additive manufacturing techniques use large 3D printers capable of producing very large parts, molds, patterns, etc. These parts can be made from, for example, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials. One method for producing these parts utilizes a polymer extruder, which produces a bead of molten thermoplastic material that is added to the part being produced, one layer at a time. These layers can be modified and / or flattened into wider beads during the additive manufacturing process using devices such as pressure plates, rollers, etc. Using these methods, sometimes referred to as 3D printing, parts are made slightly larger than desired. After the part cools and hardens, it is machined to its final size and shape. The resulting part is generally a shell of a specific thickness and approximately the desired size and shape.

[0004] Another type of additive manufacturing can be referred to as "cut-layer" additive manufacturing. In some examples of cut-layer additive manufacturing, pieces can be cut from a porous material, layered on top of each other, and adhered together to create a part. In some cases, the part can be hollow and comprised of individual elements that are narrow beads that, when stacked together, form a shell or wall around the desired part's outline. In some approaches, the shell or wall is made of a porous material and infused with a catalyzed thermosetting liquid that hardens to create a rigid composite part reinforced with the porous material.

[0005] However, it may be desirable to fabricate parts from non-porous materials such as metals (e.g., aluminum). Examples of potential uses for such parts include industrial molds and tools, such as thermoforming molds, compression molds, and injection molding molds. Generally, aluminum molds for applications such as compression molds or injection molding molds are not suitable for long-term production, but may be desirable for prototyping and short-run sample production, provided the aluminum molds have a reasonable cost and can be produced in a reasonable timeframe.

[0006] One reason aluminum is not always used for these applications is that the molds, which can be relatively large, involve the use of large blocks of material and the time required to remove (e.g., machine) excess material to create the desired cavity shape of the mold. This is especially true for large, deep parts, where it may be necessary to remove more than half of the original material to achieve the desired final part geometry. These types of molds may also contain internal channels through which heated or cooled liquids can be circulated to control the temperature of the tool during operation. Machining such channels into a solid block of material requires significant time and specialized equipment, further increasing manufacturing time and costs. Also, in many cases, it may not be possible to locate these channels in specific areas of the mold by machining them into the solid block from the outside, even though this would otherwise be desirable. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Aspects of the present disclosure relate particularly to methods and apparatus for manufacturing components by additive techniques. Each of the embodiments disclosed herein may include one or more of the features described in connection with any of the other disclosed embodiments. Some embodiments of the present disclosure utilize additive manufacturing methods related to those described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 322,477.

[0008] Some embodiments of the present disclosure involve manufacturing non-porous molds, including molds made from materials such as metal (e.g., aluminum), or other products that can benefit from additive manufacturing by cut layers. Parts can be manufactured using CNC routers or other material-cutting machines, which can be relatively less expensive than traditional additive manufacturing machines equipped with extruders. These laminated elements can be used, for example, to build molds and can be nested on sheet material to achieve high yields. Sheet material can also have a lower cost per pound than large blocks of the same material suitable for creating molds. Individual laminated elements can be machined to accept dowels or other alignment devices to facilitate the process of aligning the individual layers. Each layer can also be machined to form channels for coolant, air, adhesives, etc., during assembly, and / or to include information about each layer. This information can include information about where the layer is intended to be located in the assembly. To achieve the best possible yield, individual layers can be constructed from two or more pieces with appropriate joints. In that case, the individual layer elements may be secured together by adhesives, bonding agents, mechanical fasteners, or a combination thereof.

[0009] For molds that may be subject to high levels of stress during operation, alternative methods of securing the layers together can be used. Different types of materials with different coefficients of expansion than the actual layer materials can be used to secure the layers together. Thus, the assembly itself can develop compressive forces when heated or cooled.

[0010] In one aspect, a method for manufacturing a part using a cutting machine can include placing a non-porous sheet on a surface of a material cutting machine, removing material from the non-porous sheet to form sections of the part, and forming fastener holes in the sections while the non-porous sheet is on the material cutting machine. The method can further include removing the sections from the remainder of the sheet, placing the sections together so that each section of the part abuts another section, and inserting fasteners through the fastener holes in the sections.

[0011] In another aspect, a component at least partially formed from a sheet material can include a series of layers including at least a first layer and a second layer formed from a non-porous sheet material, a first through-hole in the first layer and a second through-hole in the second layer, the second through-hole aligned with the first through-hole, a fastener extending through the first through-hole and through the second through-hole, and at least a portion of a coolant passage extending through the first and second layers.

[0012] In yet another aspect, a method for manufacturing a part using a cutting machine can include placing a sheet of material on a surface of a material cutting machine, removing material from the sheet material to form sections of the part, and removing additional material from the non-porous sheet material to form slots for vacuum forming, channels for coolant, or both. The method can further include cutting the sections from the remainder of the sheet and assembling the sections together to form the part, including fastening the sections with adhesive, fasteners, or both, so that internal channels are formed through at least two of the sections.

[0013] Another advantage is, for example, that the part (e.g., mold) may require less machining to achieve its final size and shape. Thus, the process may require less time and mold costs to create the final product. Also, heating and / or cooling channels can be machined into the cut sheet for parts where it may be difficult or impossible to machine the channels into a solid block of material.

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary material cutting machine operable to profile a layer of relatively low-cost layer material, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a top view of an exemplary mold layer section nested within a larger sheet of material to reduce material requirements. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary mold layer having identification numbers and letters, heating and / or cooling passages, vacuum passages, and alignment and / or fastener holes machined into the material. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary mold layer having channels (eg, adhesive channels) contoured into the sides of the layer. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view of an exemplary mold layer in which most of the sides of the layer are contoured to accept adhesive, leaving bosses in the layer to facilitate separation of the layers. [Figure 6A] FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary mold layer formed of two pieces that form a joint (e.g., by gluing the two pieces together with an adhesive and pulling the pieces tight with mechanical means such as a bolt and nut). [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a bottom view of the exemplary mold layer of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7] FIG. 6C is an enlarged front view of the joint of FIGS. 6A and 6B. [Figure 8] FIG. 6C is an enlarged bottom view of the junction of FIGS. 6A and 6B. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view of an exemplary mold layer with another example of a joint joining two pieces together. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of the joint portion of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary section of a mold with exemplary fastening techniques. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of section AA of FIG. 11 showing the fasteners used to secure the successive layers together. [Figure 13] 12 is a cross-sectional view of section AA of FIG. 11 showing another example of a fastener used to secure a series of layers. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary mold that can be manufactured using steel support plates and rods. [Figure 15] 15 is a perspective view of the mold shown in FIG. 14 with some layers removed, for example, to show the layers cut by the CNC machine of FIG. 1. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of the mold shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 17] FIG. 15 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the mold shown in FIG. 14, showing the connections between the heating and / or cooling passages. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for fabricating multiple components, particularly by layer-forming techniques. Specifically, the methods and apparatus described herein can facilitate the fabrication of patterns, molds, and other products. In some embodiments, exemplary techniques for fabricating parts are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 322,477, filed May 17, 2021, and issued May 31, 2022, as U.S. Patent No. 11,345,081, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0017] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more non-porous materials, such as metal (e.g., aluminum), further requiring reduced time and relatively low cost. In some embodiments, mold blanks can be assembled by stacking sections cut from sheet material (e.g., aluminum) to produce a laminated mold blank that is approximately the size and shape of the desired final mold. This can avoid the need to machine a mold from a solid block of material. The laminated mold blank formed by the stacked elements can be machined to the desired final size and shape after assembly. This process can produce parts with structures similar to parts made by other additive manufacturing methods in that the parts can be built layer by layer. As shown in FIG. 1 , layers in at least some of the approaches disclosed herein are cut from sheet material and assembled with a material-cutting machine, such as a CNC router 11 or milling machine, rather than layers applied to each other during a 3D printing process.

[0018] The individual layer sections 24 used to construct the mold can be nested within one another on a sheet of material 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Nesting the sections 24 on individual sheets of material 12 can result in improved yields, particularly when the individual sections 24 are formed with a cutting machine, such as a CNC router 11 (FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, different individual sections 24 can have different shapes, although at least some of the sections 24 can have the same shape. Each section 24 can form an entire layer (described below) of the part 20 or can form part of a particular layer of the part 20. An entire part can be formed from a single sheet of material 12 (e.g., one of the three sheets of material 12 shown in FIG. 2), although multiple sheets of material 12 can be used to form a single part.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows the individual layers formed by a single section 24 after the section 24 has been cut with the CNC router 11 and removed from the remainder of the sheet 12. Referring to FIG. 3, during the process of cutting the sections 24 from the sheet 12 and before the sections 24 are separated from the sheet 12, alignment and / or fastening holes 13 can be cut into the individual sections 24 that will be stacked together when the parts are assembled. The holes 13 can be sized and positioned so that dowels can be used to align the individual sections 24 during assembly to obtain the finished structure. The holes 13 can be through holes that extend through the entire width of the section 24.

[0020] In some embodiments, the sections 24 can be cut from a non-porous material. In particular, the sections 24 can be cut from a metallic material. In manufacturing the elements 24, the CNC router 11 tends to generate significant forces on the sections 24, particularly on the relatively narrow elements 24 where holes 13 are formed after the segments 24 are cut from the remainder of the sheet 12. Therefore, it may be desirable to avoid these forces on the narrow sections 24 by drilling or machining holes 13 located in the individual sections 24 during the initial operation. For example, the holes 13 can be formed while the entire sheet 12 is still unitary or before the individual elements 24 having holes 13 are cut from the remainder of the sheet 12.

[0021] Once the holes 13 are formed, the resulting alignment or fastening holes 13 can be used to screw or otherwise attach what will become the individual sections 24 to hold them securely to the table of the cutting machine 11 before completing the remaining machining operations and cutting into the individual smaller sections 24.

[0022] Additionally, during the process of cutting layer sections 24 from sheet 12, indicators 14 representing information about the individual segments 24 can be printed, etched, or otherwise applied to the surface of each segment 24. For example, indicators 14 can be formed by removing material from the segments 24. The information provided by indicators 14 is useful during assembly. This information can include the layer associated with the individual segment 24, the location of the section 24 on that layer, etc., facilitating sorting and assembly of the sections 24. In some embodiments, indicators 14 can be advantageous, for example, by avoiding the need for labels, which would need to be removed during assembly to prevent them from interfering with the assembly process.

[0023] In some embodiments, holes and / or slots can be cut by machine 11 in individual layer sections 24 in such a way that when the sections 24 are stacked on top of each other, the holes or slots form sealed channels 15 that extend through the interior of the part. These channels 15 can be used to circulate a liquid (e.g., a coolant that can be heated or cooled), steam, or other fluid through the final part (e.g., a tool such as a mold). For example, if the assembled part is a mold, channels 15 for coolant can extend through the body of the mold to control the temperature of the mold during use of the mold to make a part.

[0024] For parts forming tools, particularly thermoforming molds, shallow slots 16 can be formed in one or more sections 24. For example, as shown in Figure 3, slots 16 can be machined across the wall on a section 24 during the machining process to provide a path for air removal during the vacuum forming process, eliminating the need to drill vacuum vent holes as a secondary process.

[0025] For some parts, it may be desirable for the individual layers to be firmly bonded to one another. For example, a tool such as a mold may function best if the layers forming the mold are secured in a leak-tight manner. In examples of molds that are not intended to be subjected to significant forces during use, such as thermoforming molds or fiberglass lay-up molds, the individual layers may be bonded to one another using a suitable adhesive. However, other approaches to achieving strong adhesion are also contemplated.

[0026] 4 and 5 show examples of useful sections 24 of adhesive bonds. In adhesive bond layers, each layer formed with one or more sections 24 may have areas of section 24 machined, routed away, or otherwise removed. For example, about 0.005 to about 0.030 inches (about 0.13 mm to about 0.76 mm) of material may be removed from the face of section 24. This removed material is represented in FIGS. 4 and 5 by area 38, which includes hatching in an X pattern. The material removed from area 38 may provide space for adhesive.

[0027] 4, adhesive channels 30 are formed by removing material (e.g., by routing) into the sides of section 24, while face 32 of layer element 24 remains solid (i.e., no material is removed from face 32). Adhesive channels 30 may include outlets 31 formed in the sides (top and bottom in FIG. 4) and / or bottom (left portion in FIG. 4) of section 24. Outlets 31 may facilitate the flow of adhesive or other adhesives by providing a flow path for this adhesive and preventing the adhesive from being expelled onto the mold surface.

[0028] 5 is a front view of another example of section 24, with hatched area 38 representing removed material. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the material removed from section 24 can form a U-shaped recess in surface 32, which corresponds to the bottom of the mold. This removed material can provide space for adhesive flow in parts (e.g., molds) that do not use cooling channels.

[0029] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, all or most of the sides of sections 24 can be machined (e.g., removing about 0.005 to about 0.030 inches (about 0.13 mm to about 0.76 mm) of material) to leave sufficient material stock on faces 32 of sections 24 around alignment or fastening holes 13. In some embodiments, bosses 31 formed by the portions of the section 24 where material was not removed by machining can function to maintain proper spacing between two adjacent sections 24. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 4, adhesive can be forced out from the sides and bottom of sections 24 of the mold. FIGS. 4 and 5 can be used with adhesives, such as room temperature adhesives, or any other suitable adhesive.

[0030] In at least some embodiments, one or more sections 24 of a part can be formed as a single monolithic element, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, for example. Thus, each section 24 can form a respective layer of the part. However, a part can include one or more sections 24 of layers formed as two or more pieces, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B. These multi-piece sections 24 can have ends that are adhesively joined together at joints 39 and / or pulled together by mechanical means at joints 39.

[0031] Figure 6A shows a front view of two pieces of section 24 joined together at a circle around the area of ​​joint 39. Figure 6B shows a bottom view of section 24 formed as two pieces joined at joint 39.

[0032] FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of joint 39. As shown in FIG. 7, joint 39 can include a slot 33 of any suitable shape, with a T-shape shown. Slot 33 can be machined into section 24 to facilitate placement of bolt 34 and nut 35. Bolt 34 and nut 35 can be used to draw abutting ends together to form joint 39, which can include adhesive. If adhesive is used, the adhesive can be applied to slot 36. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, adhesive-receiving slot 36 can be machined three-quarters (i.e., 75%) of the thickness of section 24. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, boss 37, similar to boss 31 (FIGS. 5 and 6A), can be configured to maintain a desired spacing between two or more pieces that together form a single section 24.

[0033] In some embodiments, adhesive is used to join the multi-piece sections 24, but not all embodiments require adhesive. For example, as shown in Figure 9, joints 17 can join the separate pieces of a particular section 24 together without the use of adhesive. While Figures 9 and 10 show one exemplary, relatively simple design, other designs are possible and are contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0034] In some embodiments, joint 17 can resemble in at least some respects joints used to join puzzle pieces together. For example, with reference to FIG. 10 , one side has a female shape 39 and the other, opposing side has a male shape 40. Two or more separate pieces of element 24 having joint 17 can be joined together by pressing one piece of section 24 onto the other. The male shape interlocks within the female shape so that the two parts cannot be directly pulled apart.

[0035] Mechanical means for attaching multiple layers together can include fasteners (e.g., screws or rivets), welding, or other mechanisms. When fasteners are used, each section 24 or group of sections 24 can be fastened to another section 24 or group of sections 24 by a bolt. As described below, each bolt can join two sections 24 together, or can join three, four, five, or more sections 24 together.

[0036] Figure 11 shows an example of a section 24 that can be secured to additional sections 24 using fasteners. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11 taken along line AA, showing the alignment of multiple stacked sections 24 and / or fasteners inserted into fastening holes 13.

[0037] 11 and 12 also illustrate example locations of coolant channels 15 and alignment and / or fastening holes 13 when multiple sections 24 abut one another along a first direction (e.g., horizontally), but part 20 has openings facing a second direction (e.g., vertically). FIG. 12 illustrates bolts 19 inserted into holes 13. At least some of the coolant channels 15 and holes 13 may be aligned with one another and form through holes distributed to form a generally U-shaped pattern, although other patterns, including irregular patterns, may be used.

[0038] 12, each section 24 can have counterbored holes 27 with through holes 28 (an example of holes 13) that mate with threaded holes 29 (another example of holes 13) in the next section 24. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the first series of holes 13 alternates between pairs of counterbored holes 27 and through holes 28 and threaded holes 29. The second series of holes 13 has an inverse pattern of alternating pairs of holes 27 and holes 28 and threaded holes 29.

[0039] 13 shows an example configuration of a part where the first section includes a counterbore 27 and a through hole 28, and the next two sections 24 include threaded holes 29. Thus, a group of sections 24 can be bolted with bolts 19 having different (e.g., longer) lengths compared to the bolts 19 in the configuration shown in FIG.

[0040] 14-17 illustrate an exemplary part 20 assembled from sections 24, which may be formed and configured as described above. As shown in these figures, part 20 is a compression or injection mold having four walls, a bottom, and an open side. The opening formed in the open side may be oriented perpendicular to the direction in which sections 24 are stacked (e.g., vertically). However, it should be understood that other types of parts are contemplated herein, and the present disclosure is not limited to parts 20 that function as molds.

[0041] Metal molds, such as compression or injection molding molds, can be subjected to relatively high levels of force during operation. An exemplary mold 20 is shown in FIGS. 14-17. The mold 20 can be formed according to the above description, although other approaches can be used if desired. For example, alignment and / or fastening holes 13 can extend entirely through the mold 20 (e.g., the entire length of the mold 20 measured along the stacking direction in which the individual sections 24 abut one another). These alignment and / or fastening holes 13 can be drilled, for example, as part of the initial step of cutting the elements 24 from the sheet, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and described above. In the case of an aluminum mold, steel rods 22, as shown in FIG. 14, can be threaded into each end. These steel rods 22 (which can be formed of another material if desired) can pass through the alignment and / or fastening holes 13, and when nuts 23 or other restraining devices are applied to both ends and tightened, the nuts 23 compress the aluminum layer formed by the sections 24 tightly (e.g., tightly enough to form an airtight seal).

[0042] The systems and methods described herein may involve additional advantages. Metals, including aluminum and steel, expand when heated. Materials including aluminum may expand at a faster rate than other metals, such as steel. In the configuration described above, when the assembled tool (e.g., mold 20) is heated, the aluminum mold body formed by sections 24 can expand at a faster rate than the steel rods 22, which hold the layers formed by sections 24 together. This results in large forces that tend to push the layers together. However, because compressing the aluminum mold body may require significantly more force than stretching the steel rods 22, the steel rods 22 may be stretched by forces generated by the thermal expansion of the aluminum sections 24, and such stretching creates large mechanical forces that tightly bond the layers together. Therefore, the use of steel rods 22 and the geometry of the steel rods 22 (e.g., as described above) may result in a mold 20 that is strong enough to withstand the forces generated by the forming process. In at least some embodiments, steel rods 22 can be attached directly to the aluminum body of mold 20 formed by sections 24. In other embodiments, steel plates 25 can be placed at one or both outer ends of mold body 20, which help to further distribute forces generated during the forming process, including thermal expansion of the mold itself.

[0043] 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 100. Method 100 can include step 102 of placing a non-porous sheet material 12 in a cutting machine, such as machine 11, as described above. Step 104 can include using machine 11 to remove material from sheet 12 to form individual sections 24, which correspond to one or more of the sections 24 described above. If desired, holes 13 and / or 15 can be formed before sections 24 are removed from sheet 12.

[0044] In step 106, one or more sections 24 may be removed from the remainder of the sheet 12. Finally, the sections 24 may be assembled to form the part 24. The sections may be secured together with rods, fasteners, adhesives, etc.

[0045] The disclosed system and method can offer several advantages. As a first example, sheet material, such as aluminum, can be cheaper per pound than a large block of the same material. Also, the assembled mold 20 does not require significant material removal by machining, as opposed to using a solid block of material, thereby requiring fewer pounds of material. While metallic materials can be used to form the part 20, the part 20 can also be made from other materials, including polymer sheets, even if the material is not commonly available in large blocks. Because less material needs to be removed to achieve the final desired mold surface using additive design, machining time is significantly shorter than cutting from a solid block, resulting in less wear on the cutting tool and less wear and tear on the machining center. Furthermore, the use of cut-layer techniques can generally be faster, allowing parts such as tools to be constructed in less time. Machining heating and / or cooling channels 15 ( FIG. 17 ) into elements cut from sheet material can facilitate positioning the heating and / or cooling channels 15 in areas and along paths that cannot be machined into a solid block.

[0046] From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that the present disclosure is susceptible to numerous changes, adaptations, and modifications by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the above disclosure pertains. However, all such variations that do not depart from the spirit of the disclosure are intended to be considered within its scope as defined by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 102 Place a non-porous sheet on the cutting machine 104 Removing material from a sheet using a cutting machine 106 Detach a section from a sheet Assemble the 108 sections

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a part using a material cutting machine, comprising: placing a non-porous sheet on a surface of a material cutting machine; removing material from the non-porous sheet to form sections of the part; forming fastener holes in the sections while the non-porous sheet is on the material cutting machine; removing the sections from the remainder of the non-porous sheet, wherein at least one of the sections is formed as multiple pieces that together form a layer of the part; placing the sections of the part together so that each section abuts another section in a direction perpendicular to the fasteners being placed in the fastener holes, wherein two or more of the pieces are joined together by interlocking joints; inserting the fastener through the fastening hole in the section; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming one or more channels for coolant by removing material from the non-porous sheet while the non-porous sheet is on the material cutting machine.

3. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing material from the non-porous sheet while the non-porous sheet is on the material cutting machine to create one or more paths for adhesive.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more paths for adhesive include outlets formed in one or more sides of the section.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the part is a mold and at least a portion of the section forms a bottom wall and a pair of side walls of the mold.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sections forming the mold are arranged together such that each of the sections of the part abuts the other sections along a first direction and the mold has an opening facing in a second direction different from the first direction.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sections is formed as a single piece forming one layer of the part.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-porous sheet is a metallic material.

9. A component formed at least in part from sheet material, a series of layers including at least a first layer and a second layer formed from the non-porous sheet material, the first layer and the second layer having interlocking shapes configured to be joined together by a joint; a first through hole provided in the first layer; a second through hole in the second layer, the second through hole being aligned with the first through hole; a fastener extending through the first through hole and through the second through hole; at least a portion of a coolant passage extending through the first layer and the second layer; A part comprising:

10. The part of claim 9 , wherein the part is an open-sided mold.

11. 10. The component of claim 9, further comprising a third layer formed from the non-porous sheet material, the third layer having a third through hole, the fastener extending through the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole.

12. A method for manufacturing a part using a material cutting machine, comprising: placing a sheet of material on a surface of a material cutting machine; removing material from the sheet material to form a plurality of sections of a part, the sections including a first section having a first portion of a joint and a second section having a second portion of the joint; removing additional material from the sheet material to form slots for vacuum forming, channels for coolant, or both; cutting the sections from the remainder of the sheet material, at least one of the sections being formed as a plurality of pieces that together form a layer of the part; assembling the sections together to form the part, the forming step including fastening the sections with adhesive, fasteners, or both, so as to form an internal passageway through at least two of the sections, wherein two or more of the pieces are joined together by the joint, and the first portion of the joint and the second portion of the joint have an interlocking shape; A method comprising:

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one layer of the part is formed by a single section.

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