PRINTING
Emerging additive manufacturing technology for sand molds and cores
removes design constraints and accelerates speed
to market. SHANNON WETZEL, SENIOR EDITOR S 36 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Nov/Dec 2013
till relatively young, additive manufacturing is gaining traction as a rapid prototyping/manu- facturing technique, but it is not relegated only to direct produc- tion of a saleable good. Met-
alcasters, patternmakers and casting users have started using 3-D equipment to build, layer by layer, sand molds and cores to pour sound, production-quality castings. T e method has been cutting weeks out of product development lead times, reducing costs and, in some cases, achieving designs that defy traditional
production constraints. “[With additive manufacturing] we are able to manufacture that which we haven’t been able to make before,” said Steve Murray, an independent sales/marketing liaison for Hoosier Pattern, Decatur, Ind., which uses an in-house printer to make sand molds and cores. “If that doesn’t get
you excited, then get out of the business.” While direct printing of products like an acoustic
guitar, stylized clock, nylon bike or smartphone case makes headlines, secondary processes such as metalcast- ing could have the most to gain from additive manufacturing.
The aerospace and diffuser cores shown on these pages were printed using additive manufacturing.
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