Here are 8 steps that we take to create custom vacuum casting parts below:
Ruitai have many kinds of material for vacuum casting including rubber, similar ABS/PP/PC/PE. And the color is customizable. We will mix up the color according to your requirements.
If you are wondering how vacuum casting was developed? Well, this method was first used in the 1960s in the German lab by using silicone molds. It is considered the most cost-effective way of prototyping in which you have to maintain a correct optimum temperature while you are curing the materials.
It is a reliable method because we get high quality and fine detail finished products through this process. As it is a super-fast method, this makes it best when you have to catch your deadlines quickly.
The process in which we use a vacuum to mold a molten material is termed vacuum casting. This process is used when the material is fiber, or wire-reinforced.
In this process, a small series of functional plastics parts are produced. Polyurethanes and silicone molds are two essential components are used in this process. People tend to apply it for high-quality prototypes or end-use products.
The method in which you wait for the liquid metal to cool and solidify to obtain the part is called metal liquid casting.
Here, we have short-listed a few casting method types for you.
We can use it in different variety of near-production. The reason for this is that the casting process uses resins that can make exact replicas of main model parts. Using this casting process, we can see the life cycle of the product, starting from early design approval to testing the final model product.
An SLA model work is usually carried out to achieve the desired part finish and surface a mold split line. Risers are added to high points on the part, as well as a casting feed point. All placed strategically to ensure successful molding.
Silicone rubbers then mixed degassed. With the help of the oven, we can secure the mold filled with resins. Once set, the silicone mold is cut along a split line and the pattern carefully removed, leaving a cavity ready to cast polyurethanes resins into.
After the mold is secure by taping up, you can set it in the casting machine’s lower chamber. The PU resins are then measured, and pigment added, where specific color requirements have been outlined. The resin is then mixed and poured under a vacuum to avoid air bubbles or voids.
Once the wax has been cast, the mold is then placed into the oven to cure. When the molten material in the mold is alleviating, we can eliminate the costume from the mold. At this stage, the feed and risers are removed, and any post-production finishing is completed.
Depending on the geometry, molds will typically last for 20 to 30 runs, giving customers multiple parts exact to final production specifications within just a few days from design completion.
There are some stages in this method through which we can complete the process. Following are the production stages in vacuum casting:
A first-class master model requires for the process of vacuum casting. Additionally, you can create your master model using stereolithography, or the master model can be a part of the industry.
You should make sure about one thing that the master model should be of correct dimensions and look. When we use the acceptable quality master model, we have the warranty that we can get the product without any flows.
Resin for the master replica is encapsulated in a silicone mold. After this, silicon mold closely strengthens by high temperature and makes the silicon more durable.
After the curing process, mold is cut at the middle to reveal the hollows. The hollow space in the center has the exact dimensions like the master model. When the mold is divide into two, it becomes ready to go into the chamber. Then the required product is produced by filling up the mold.
Now at this stage, fill the mold with the selected material. The resin possesses the same properties as any industrial substance. You can easily get all kinds of functional or mechanical properties with the resin.
When the cast is filled with resin, we have put it in the chamber so that no bubbles or spaces are left out in the mold. It ensures that the product will be flawless and will not be damaged or ruined.
This technique uses a number of methods for replicating objects. You can use it for the mass production of distributable products, and this can also use it for casting or prototypes.
A wide range of textures, strength, rigidity, hardness, and softness is produced with this casting technique. This manufacturing technique is mainly used to promptly create polyurethane prototype parts as the polyurethane resins can emulate other materials’ texture, so details are usually made with it. Still, molds are made typically made from silicon.
Rubber is the most suitable material to use in the casting process. It can be considered ideal for seals and gaskets because of its tear-resistant feature. It is one of the widely available and cheapest materials for casting identical products.
When high shock resistance is required, polycarbonates are the best option for casting. It has an excellent tolerance to resist high and low temperatures. The other reason for its popularity is that it has a translucence look.
There is a two-part silicone rubber mold that keeps the master model encapsulated. Then the model cured under a high temperature to ensure that both parts stick together. Through this method, it is easy to make the mold more durable and strong.
Here are some notable disadvantages of vacuum casting,
3D printing is used to make models for professional use, but when we compare it with vacuum casting, it does not work as well as it should be. Unlike 3D printing, where the casting accuracy level is not so high and the cost increases, but it is cost-effective and works fast.
If you have a deadline to achieve, it is way better than 3D printing.
Vacuum casting provides you a wide range of materials from which you can choose your favorite ones. There are various options available for final casting like polymer resins, including stiff plastic and flexible elastomers and transparent materials.
It is also curable and cast-able resin including many well-known substances. This means that the Prototype produced by vacuum casting can have the same aesthetic and mechanical properties as a mass-produced component made from ABS polyurethane.
It makes it possible and easier to manufacture the products of high resemblance to the final products. It is because it offers high accuracy in the production of parts. With Vacuum Casting, you also get a long list of materials to choose from.
This means that due to their close resemblance to the final product, the vacuum casting prototypes are the best for functional testing and validation. Because of this capability, the product developer can carry out quality assurance.
This will make him able to determine whether the product will be feasible for a particular application before preceding the final production. Thus, vacuum casting is a beneficial prototyping process for the validation of mechanical and aesthetic properties.
The reason to opt for vacuum casting for prototyping needs is the time it requires to produce a prototype. Vacuum casting can help to speed up the product development process to save your valuable time.
It has a conventional molding process because a silicon mold can be formed within a day and using single mold casts to produce parts rapidly. Time requirements matter a lot when you need to choose a method for producing prototypes.
Many people prefer techniques that can provide valuable results in less time. But with Vacuum Casting, whether you are about to close a deal or are near to the deadline or just have begun product testing, you can get the perfect final products within no time.
For the manufacture of small plastic parts of prototypes businesses, two techniques are commonly used. These are injection molding and vacuum casting. Both of the methods have their own benefits and drawbacks.
But some of these points make the vacuum casting process worth using rather than selecting the injection molding. However, it is not always the case but sometimes, it is.
Factors that make vacuum casting more useful for businesses and other works than injection molding are as follows,
When a business does not require hundreds or thousands of parts, then vacuum casting can be a better option because the setup cost is meager.
Injection molding is a better option when it comes to producing delicate parts and complex structures. On the other hand, vacuum casting can be preferable for more specific details, particularly those needed to be produced in a smaller number.
Vacuum casting also offers an extraordinarily smooth surface finish to small parts, making them look more attractive and alluring.
The low-cost setup associated with vacuum casting is a great thing against this other technique because it costs a lot in the setup in the process of injection molding. Other than the fast speed of producing prototypes, the alteration process is easier in vacuum casting.
In injection molding, you would have to remake the molds and invest a ton of money again. While vacuum casting, it is super-easy. Not only easier but also cheaper because you don’t have to remake any molds or stuff.
