Find 3D Printing Suppliers for Casting & Foundry

AM-enabled casting refers to the use of additive manufacturing in the production of molds, cores, sacrificial patterns, reusable tooling, or other elements of a metal-casting process. The resulting metal components are produced by casting rather than necessarily being manufactured directly through metal additive manufacturing.

A mold defines the external geometry of a casting, while a core forms internal cavities, passages, or other features. Additive manufacturing enables the direct production of sand molds and cores, as well as selected ceramic molds and cores, from digital designs.

Sacrificial patterns are additively manufactured patterns used to form casting molds, particularly in investment casting. They may be produced from wax, castable photopolymers, or other suitable polymers and are removed during mold preparation through a process appropriate to the pattern material.

Applications include sand-casting patterns, core boxes, wax-pattern tooling, master models, and metal casting dies or inserts. Additive manufacturing may produce the tooling directly or support its manufacture through printed intermediate components. The applicable materials and processes depend on the tooling's operating requirements.

Direct metal additive manufacturing builds metal components through an additive process. In AM-enabled casting, additive manufacturing supports one or more stages of a conventional casting route, while the final metal component is formed by pouring or injecting molten metal into a mold.