“ Castings
Precision Metal
When you can 3-D print those cores as a single package or a couple pieces and assemble, it can be very competitive, and in fact it can be very cost-effective, even for 25, 50 or 100-piece quantities.” —STEVE SHADE
probably want to machine out a pattern tool, a soft tool or low production tool. It balances on the customer’s requirements or request.” Cremers sets the cost eff ective- ness limit for 3-D printing around 12 or 16 inches. “Once it gets past that in size, there’s a bigger cost factor. T e dollars start matching or going over the cost of building a pat- tern tool with the traditional CNC route,” he said. Geometry is another area where
rapid technologies like AM can provide significant benefit. “Certain parts and especially aluminum parts typically are diecast intent, so we’re dealing with a lot of thin wall sections,” said Shade. “Some of the tradi- tional casting technologies like sand casting might have diffi culty with those thin walls. So we employ investment casting techniques, 3-D printing using SLS patterns to investment cast thin wall parts. But
we can also build an aluminum wax tool to shoot the wax patterns for investment castings for low volume production. So that’s a great bridge to full production with diecasting.” In industries where metal cast-
ing weight is of great concern, such as aerospace, rapid manufacturing technologies are showing promise in converting parts such as welded assemblies into single castings. “Very complex castings can
be produced to optimize perfor- mance, function and available real estate,” said Hockemeyer. “So, whether the project requires a one-off printed sand mold/core or wax pattern, a multi-impres- sion soft pattern for low volume production, or several hundred sand cores or wax patterns, the influence of rapid manufacturing methods continues to play a vital role with a promising future in the metal casting arena.”
Make sure you’re Getting all the pieces.
At JENCAST, we pride ourselves on being a world class, full-scale manufacturing services provider. We bring every piece of the puzzle when it comes to delivering the industry’s highest quality components. From initial product design, to our robust production capacities in both foundry and fabrication, we have you covered.
Combine that with our list of added-value services, such as surface coatings, in-house CNC machining, sub or complete product assembly, and testing
capabilities, we’re able to supply you with turnkey components or products of superior quality and insure zero-defect availability.
P.O. Box 1509 / Coffeyville, KS 67337
www.jencast.com
Contact JENCAST today at 800-331-3551 or visit us online at
www.jencast.com.
24 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Nov/Dec 2014
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