Düsseldorf, 24-09-08 

Rapid Manufacturing Enlarges the Range of Precision-casting Applications

Precision castings are distinguished by the smoothness and homogeneity of their surface, which is unusual for castings, as well as by their outstanding complexity and dimensional accuracy. As rapid-prototyping and rapid-manufacturing processes develop, the range of applications of precision-cast components and the design freedom they offer grow apace. In addition, new applications are opening up in short production runs that used to be impossible to realise economically. Today, precision castings are being made in weights ranging from a few grams to more than 100kg.  

In addition to its wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys and materials that is hardly equalled by any other manufacturing technology, precision casting is distinguished by the diversity of its methods. Next to the conventional technology, which uses wax patterns and ceramic shell moulds on high-output production systems, a multitude of advanced rapid-manufacturing methods are being used today.  

Whenever small batches of prototype castings are needed in a hurry, the quick-cast process comes to the fore in which lost-wax moulds are made without tools by stereolithography. The thermo-jet injection process may similarly be used to make complex wax moulds in another tool-less process. Further alternatives include patterns made by laser-sintering and other methods for use as lost-wax moulds and mould patterns that are generated indirectly within a tool. These methods permit producing relatively large pilot batches economically. All these processes are designed to enable castings to be produced quickly, economically, and flexibly in small batches of up to 50.

Further information on the subject of 'Rapid manufacturing enlarges the range of precision-casting applications' is presented in No. 1/2005 of the journal 'konstruieren + gießen'. Copies are available free of charge (zgv@bdguss.de). In addition, a special issue offers exhaustive information on precision casting.

 

The subjects dealt with in previous ZGV information brochures include

• ADI
• Continuously Cast Iron: Suitable for Many Applicationssts
• Cast Metals for Engine Components are Heavy-duty Specialists
• Bionically Designed Castings with a Great Lightweight and Strength Potential
• Precision Casting – an Economical Solution for Complex Components  
• Austenitic Cast Iron Features Properties for Extreme Applications
• Welding of Castings – an Overview
• High-tech Castings Mirror the Dynamic Development of Wind Power Generation
• Cast Iron with Lamellar Graphite – still the most Frequently Used Cast Iron Material
• Cast Cylinder Heads and Crankcases Offer Versatile Solutions for the Cars of Today and Tomorrow
• High-alloy Casting Materials for Special Applications in the Pump Industry World
• Steel Castings for Buildings all over the World