Vacuum casting is basically a common method that is used in generating industrial parts and prototypes. It’s very reliable as well as a flexible process that requires a high-quality master model as the finished part, and a general model made using stereolithography. The vacuum casting process uses reusable silicone molds and casting resins in order to make the best copies of master patterns.
Let’s take a closer look at what exactly is the process of vacuum casting and what benefits does it offer to any prototyping process?
Process of Vacuum Casting:
The process of vacuum casting is mainly an innovative method that is used to create prototypes of different industrial parts. A master model of high quality is typically needed to generate more prototypes, and the model is made using stereolithography.
First of all, the mold is put in a nutshell that is of silicon rubber and is treated at a higher temperature. Upon the treatment, the mold that is hollow from the center is designed. The mold is then filled with a liquid element that gets a similar shape of the master model using a vacuum chamber. The polyethylene, as well as the polycarbonate, is further used as a filling material for different prototyping applications.
Moreover, the metallic powder is combined with the filled resin to create the desired features or properties. The master mold is eventually covered inside the vacuum chamber so that no air bubbles get created and then are taken out carefully to be reused and to produce more parts. Finally, the prototype is painted as per the needs of the industries and the finished product is ready to serve the clients.
Benefits:
1. Vacuum casting gives out a high-quality product:
The products created using the vacuum casting process are of top quality that fulfills every need of the customers. Additionally, the use of resin allows customers to choose the right material to be included in the making of the finished product. This allows customers to have a huge choice of flexibility, rigidity, and hardness that they want in their final products. Besides, this is also a great influence on the final appearance of the product.
2. It’s one of the best methods to create products to meet a deadline:
The vacuum casting method is fast and takes less time and effort to finish the completion of the final products. It requires about 7 to 10 days to make approximately 50 functioning prototypes finished products. Vacuum casting is the best method when you are making a huge lot of products and is great when you have a strict deadline to meet.
3. It gives fine details to the finished products:
When silicon is being used as the mold to the product, it ensures that the finished product has superb attention even to the smallest details, and as a result, the finished product ends up looking just as similar as the original product. Even when the original one has the most challenging geometry then also the final product ends up looking the same as the original one.
And last but not the least; vacuum casting is much more economical than molding injection and 3D printing that enables almost every industry to consider it for their product creation. The affordability of the process allows customers to produce more industrial products at less cost and at less time. Plus the process uses less electricity as compared to die casting, injection molding, and CNC machining. All these benefits when taken together, the savings on materials, tooling, and energy can be significant enough for you to consider vacuum casting for your needs.