2026 Injection Molding Summit Spotlights Metal 3D Printing

SPE’s 2026 Injection Molding Innovation Summit will feature Xact Metal in a panel on moldmaking with metal 3D printing.

Metal additive manufacturing continues to move from prototyping into production tooling, and its value becomes especially clear when cooling limits injection molding performance.

You can also read: Metal 3D Printing in Mold Making: A Technologies Comparison.

At the 2026 Injection Molding Innovation Summit, SPE will close its technical agenda with a panel on “Moldmaking with metal 3D printing.” The session will feature Scott Kraemer of Xact Metal, Scott Peters of Molded Marketing LLC, and another speaker still to be confirmed.

The topic fits naturally within a program focused on simulation, digital twins, automation, cavity pressure, foam molding, and workforce training. Together, these sessions show how molders now use data, software, and advanced tooling to reduce risk before production begins.

Register for the event here.

Why Cooling Still Defines the Cycle

Injection molders often focus on machines, materials, and process windows. However, the mold itself still controls much of the cycle.

Cooling time typically accounts for a significant portion of the injection molding process, particularly for thick or complex parts. Therefore, even small cooling improvements can create meaningful productivity gains without changing the resin, press, or molding cell.

Conventional cooling channels, however, limit mold designers because drilled lines must follow straight paths. As a result, these channels cannot always reach hot spots near critical surfaces, threads, ribs, or thick sections.

Consequently, that limitation often forces molders to extend cooling time, even when the rest of the process can run faster. In some cases, poor heat removal can also contribute to sink marks, dimensional variation, or cosmetic defects.

Metal additive manufacturing addresses this challenge differently. Because the process builds up layers, engineers can design conformal cooling channels that follow the part’s geometry more closely. Consequently, the tool can remove heat more evenly and help molders shorten the cycle without sacrificing part quality.

Xact Metal Case Study Shows the Business Case

A K-Rain irrigation case study shows how this approach can support production tooling, not just prototype development. Moreover, K-Rain wanted to increase productivity for a sprinkler-head product, but its previous cooling strategy did not yield sufficient improvement. Initially, the company tried stainless steel water lines and conventional cooling rods. However, that approach proved ineffective for the application.

To solve the problem, K-Rain worked with Zero Tolerance LLC and Xact Metal technology to redesign the mold insert with conformal cooling. The team designed the cooling circuit in Cimatron and printed the inserts in Uddeholm Corrax, a corrosion-resistant tool steel. Importantly, the project did not replace traditional moldmaking. Instead, it combined additive manufacturing with proven finishing operations. Zero Tolerance printed four inserts in about 35 hours, then heat-treated them to 50 HRC, machined them, EDM-processed them, and polished them to an A2 finish.

Results Move the Discussion Beyond Prototyping

The redesigned tooling reduced cycle time by 20%, according to the case study. First, K-Rain reduced the cycle time from 52 seconds to 49 seconds by using a faster hydraulic unscrewing motor. Then, the redesigned conformal cooling insert reduced the cycle further, from 49 seconds to 41 seconds. The project also improved part quality. According to the case study, the design change almost completely eliminated the sink on the part surface. That result matters because molders must often balance cycle reduction against cosmetic and dimensional requirements.

For plastics processors, the lesson is practical. Metal 3D printing can help moldmakers retrofit existing production tools, validate conformal cooling strategies, and improve molding economics. Moreover, it gives engineering teams another way to address cycle time when machine adjustments alone cannot solve the problem.

That is why Xact Metal’s participation at the SPE summit feels timely. As molders look for technologies that connect simulation, tooling, and production performance, metal additive manufacturing offers a more flexible path to faster, more stable molding.

To learn more about these advances, attend the 2026 Injection Molding Innovation Summit, where industry experts will discuss how metal 3D printing, simulation, and advanced tooling can help molders improve productivity and part quality.