Indirect Investment Casting
This article is a reprint from the Formlabs blog. So far we’ve covered some metal casting basics, as well as direct investment casting in our blog series on casting. Today we are moving to indirect investment casting. The process of making patterns from molds or tooling is referred to as indirect investment casting because it requires creating molds for producing the patterns in addition to final investment molds. Rigid molds for wax (often referred to as tools) are commonly fabricated by machining aluminum or steel. Machined metal molds cost thousands of dollars to produce and take weeks of machining and polishing work before first shots can be run and pattern parts evaluated within a casting process. By directly printing tooling, engineers and designers can reduce the time between concept and first tests from weeks to a matter of days. A 3D printed mold in Clear Resin for wax injection. Molds for producing wax patterns can be printed with High Temp Resin. For optimal surface finish of molded parts, treat the interior surfaces of the mold by sanding and polishing for a smooth look, or bead blasting if a uniform matte look is desired. To ensure the final cast parts are dimensionally [...]
HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Shortens Time to Market – Part 2
The value of functional prototypes Picking up where we left off on our article about “How HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing customers shorten their time to market” today we will discuss the value of functional prototypes. In addition to print speed, the material properties of parts from HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions are ideal for prototyping and enable customers to make decisions about their final parts. HP Multi Jet Fusion technology allows for the creation of highly isotropic parts, or parts that have similar properties when measured in the X, Y, and Z dimensions. “Isotropy is important so that the designer does not need to take the time to communicate extra design intents, like where strength and dimensional accuracy are most important in the part,” says Boyes. “In other additive processes, it is important to orient the part such that the strength is not needed between layers. In terms of strength, parts produced with HP MJF technology are not as sensitive to orientation, so less time is spent from engineering to getting the parts in hand that can be used in production.” Furthermore, HP prints with engineering-grade thermoplastic and has the capability to print with high dimensional accuracy. This enables customers to [...]
Direct Investment Casting
Last week we covered some metal casting basics and today we are going to pick up where we left off. Today we will talk about direct investment casting. The direct investment casting process moves straight from creating a pattern to surrounding that pattern with investment material. Since the wax injection method of creating a pattern requires multiple steps, it is considered indirect. Direct investment casting is best for short runs of parts or initial testing of a part concept, as each printed part will require some finishing steps. Direct investment casting is also a good choice for large parts or parts with thick cross-sections that may be more difficult to mold successfully in wax due to warping and shrinkage. Direct investment casting is valuable for producing parts with geometries that are too complex to be molded or for parts with extensive undercuts and fine surface texture details, where molding is possible but carries high tooling costs. Cast parts from SLA patterns printed on a Form 2 in Clear Resin. Traditionally, patterns for direct investment casting are carved by hand or machined if the part is a one-off or expected to be only a handful of units. With the advent of 3D [...]
HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Shortens Time to Market
Rapid Prototyping In the mad rush to get a new product to market, every hour counts, and as time passes, competition waxes while customers wane. In recent years, technological advances have dramatically accelerated the traditional product manufacturing lifecycle. Innovations in advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and digitization are enabling companies to get new products to market faster than ever before. To keep up with increasing speed to market and shorter product lifecycles, many companies are turning to 3D printing to stay ahead of the competition. While 3D printing has long been used as a prototyping tool, new advancements have helped increase the speed, helped improved the mechanical properties, and helped lower the cost of the technology. Specifically, with the introduction of HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing, companies are reaping the benefits of rapid prototyping and easier transitions to full production. Ultimately, with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, customers are embracing a technology that enables them to move at the speed of their ideas. Accelerating design & iteration Innovation requires iteration: Designers can cycle through dozens of ideas before deciding on a final design, making iterations time consuming and expensive. Thankfully, with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, designers have the freedom to produce multiple prototypes [...]
Investment and Sand Casting Processes Part 1
Metal Casting Basics For applications where parts require fine features or complex geometries, casting remains a cost-effective and highly capable manufacturing process, producing critical components for aerospace, automotive, and medical applications. Metal casting dates back to at least 3200 B.C., progressing through many cycles of innovation to become the reliable, modernized process it is now. Today, industrial metal casting processes are used to make everything from knee implants to tractor parts. The basic process to create cast metal parts has a few steps common across different techniques: A manufacturer creates a pattern that represents the part, either as a removable element to make an impression in a material like sand, or left inside of the mold material and subsequently burned or melted out. In either case, a cavity in the shape of the pattern is left behind, and molten metal is poured in. The molten metal cools, and the mold is either opened up or broken apart to retrieve the casting. Cast parts have vestiges of the process where vents, gates, and feeders that direct gases and molten metal during casting. To finish the cast parts, a foundry worker trims away excess material, and files, grinds, machines, or sandblasts parts to achieve final [...]
HP Leads Digital Manufacturing Forward
New HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution unleashes manufacturing predictability, breakthrough economics, and new applications; Industry leaders BASF, Jaguar Land Rover, Materialise, Siemens, and Vestas lean in with HP; New HP Digital Manufacturing Network for high-quality parts at scale. HP Inc. recently unveiled a series of innovations and partnerships helping its customers accelerate their digital manufacturing journey. HP is expanding its industry-leading 3D printing portfolio with the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution, an industrial 3D printing system bringing new levels of manufacturing predictability, efficiency, repeatability, and quality to customers scaling to full production. To further enable customers digitally transforming their manufacturing, HP is also expanding its strategic alliances with industrial leaders BASF, Materialise, and Siemens, and launching the HP Digital Manufacturing Network, a new global community of proven, large-scale 3D printed parts providers. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is one of the most transformative forces in our lifetime. New technology innovations will be required, new partnership models will emerge, and new modes of doing business will unfold,” said Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc. “HP is committed to helping customers with diverse manufacturing needs turn change into opportunity by delivering the most innovative [...]