Ultra-fast moulds on demand: CASTFAST for foundries

German printed casting platform CASTFAST is inviting foundries to experience the many benefits of a patternless casting process – without having to invest in 3D sand printing equipment. Aluminium, iron and steel foundries can now buy 3D-printed moulds directly online and then pour them in-house.

Many foundries have already invested in 3D sand printing to dramatically speed up the production of castings – especially one-offs, small series or initial runs – by skipping the time-intensive and expensive pattern making process.

For those foundries who don’t yet have a 3D sand printer, CASTFAST is offering the facility to order just the moulds and/or cores through the CASTFAST platform, via a simple form with instant quote and projected delivery date. It can be accessed here: https://castfast.de 

Initially set up to offer casting buyers a better, faster, more digital way of procuring high-quality castings, the CASTFAST team have seen an unexpectedly high volume of enquiries from foundries interested in buying moulds.

Marcel Tschillaev, Product Lead at CASTFAST, explains: “Our mission at CASTFAST is to accelerate the adoption of 3D sand printing among small and medium-sized foundries and revolutionize access to great quality castings. The patternless process enabled by sand printing is exactly what the foundry industry needs – and what casting buyers want. It offers agility, flexibility and precision, and allows us to digitize parts of the foundry process that have never been digitized before.

“Ultimately, we want foundries to get a printer and become part of the CASTFAST ecosystem. But for those foundries that aren’t ready to invest in their own 3D print production, buying just the moulds offers a great way of benefitting from the speed and freedom of the patternless process. It can make the difference between being able to deliver an order or not.”

Printed casting: how does it work?
The printed casting process doesn’t need a pattern. Sand moulds are “printed” by selectively binding layers of sand. The mould is built up layer by layer, based on a 3D print file that can be created from drawings. The process is faster than traditional methods with a permanent pattern, and more precise than and superior to other fast alternatives, like full mould casting.

Foundries interested in buying a mould or cores can securely upload a 3D drawing of the required part or simply give the rough dimensions to get an instant cost indication and delivery time frame, and start the order.

The CASTFAST team then works with the foundry to plan the mould along with the gating system, risers, any other mould parts they need. The moulds are then printed (currently in Mainz, Germany) and shipped for pouring.

Marcel Tschillaev concludes: “We help foundries plan the moulds for 3D sand printing in their CAD systems, to their specifications and unique requirements. We share tools and tips with them and show them what to consider, what not to worry about. This makes a foundry’s first printed sand mould order a great learning experience and instantly gives their teams a better understanding of the possibilities of 3D sand printing.”