At the heart of the investment casting process is the utilization of disposable wax patterns to form a ceramic shell mold. These wax patterns are produced using injection dies. With our rapid prototyping capabilities, Niagara Investment Castings can print three-dimensional plastic patterns directly from your 3-D cad data as a FAST alternative to using wax with NO TOOLING NEEDED, and turn them into investment castings in the alloy or alloys of your choice!!!
Through the use of our exceptionally high quality SLA patterns, or one of our multiple options for filament type plastics, we can custom tailor a prototype solution that will offer you a superior way to communicate your design ideas or produce short run production projects.
Our rapid prototypes are virtual cast samples of what traditional tooling will produce, without the need to go through the time, cost, and rework constraints of hard tooling. With our rapid prototyping technology, you’ll use our service to create actual castings in the metal, or metals, that you want to evaluate or work with. The castings are EXACTLY the same castings that you would get from a wax pattern produced from a typical injection tool, and can be heat treated, machined, and finished to your requirements. Make short run production, win faster approvals, yield more precise customer feedback, enhance sales presentations, and more …. all to move you from concept to production more quickly than ever before.
Our 3D printed plastic pattern service allows you to:
- Prototype a new design, conversion, or idea, all without first having to purchase investment casting tooling…
- Provide cast samples in the desired metal or metals to evaluate function, integrity, and performance…
- Evaluate potential savings over other processes such as machined forms, weldments, and assemblies, by going to investment castings…
- Communicate designs, concepts, and ideas to other people in your organization, or your customers…
- Get casting samples into your customers’ hands right away while waiting for tooling to be manufactured…
- Utilize the benefits of investment castings for very low volume production runs…
- Let your design imagination run wild !!
Speak with one of our knowledgeable Engineers or Sales Representatives for more information on our 3D printed plastic pattern prototyping service to learn how this unique and highly flexible process can benefit you.
If you already have a design ready to go and in a suitable CAD format, please simply go to our “Request a Quote” page and send us your drawing file, as well as …
- Alloy
- Quantity
- Heat treatment required
- Any testing or certifications required
… and we would be pleased to respond with a fast quote for your prototype castings.