DLP 3D Printing in Electrical Connector Manufacturing Applications

Conference Abstract: Taking advantage of its high accuracy, fine resolution, and high efficiency, DLP 3D printing plays a significant role in electrical connector 3D printing production. Over the past two years, a production technology R&D team, composed of experts from the TE Connectivity Aerospace Defense & Marine connector group and the Stratasys Origin One product team, have produced multiple thousands of production parts. Compared to the traditional polymer injection molding process, DLP 3D printing process for electrical connector manufacturing has distinct advantages in tooling elimination, lead-time reduction, improved repeatability, and environmental sustainability. Improvements to the Origin One 3D printer’s dimensional accuracy and process efficiency through DLP projector characterization, z-accuracy improvement, and automatic software compensations have been key to achieving this milestone. These new technology developments have unlocked additive production for a series of electrical connector applications. Meanwhile, the project team is continuously working on next generation DLP 3D printing technologies for better serving electrical connector 3D printing production requirements. As technology continues to evolve, it's clear that DLP 3D printing will revolutionize the future of electrical connector production.