Vacuum
Casting -- Great Choice To Make 5-30
Copies
At Unique Prototype, we have a dedicated
team of mold makers who are experts at creating vacuum
casting molds which offer fine surface details while being
robust enough to make up to 30 copies per mold with short lead
times.
What Is Vacuum Casting?
Vacuum casting is a low-cost but reliable
method for making a small number of high-quality prototypes based on
a master model, created by CNC machining or one of ourrapid
prototyping services.
This method is ideal
for rapid prototyping used in engineering testing, proof-of-concept
and display demos.
Advantages Of Vacuum
Casting
Vacuum casting
is an ideal choice for rapid prototyping
because:
•
There is a low initial cost since it doesn’t require
investment in tooling
•
The high fidelity of the mold gives excellent surface
details
•
Many different molding polymers are available that can be
pigmented to meet your color
requirements
•
Molds can be ready soon once the master model has been
created
•
Molds are durable up to approximately 30 copies so it’s
great if you
need more than one copy
•
It is an excellent option for testing multiple variations
of a prototype design for rapid product
development
Process of Vacuum
Casting
The
process steps can be summarized as:
1. Make a solid
master model that should be able to withstand a temperature of
40° C.
2. Suspend this master model
inside of a casting box, which we half-fill with liquid
silicone rubber.
3. Place the box inside of a
curing oven until the silicone is fully cured. 4.
Fill the
casting box with additional silicone liquid which is also
heated and cured.
5.
Open up the silicone rubber mold
along the parting line and remove the master, a hollow
cavity left. 6.
Place a series of fine holes
surrounding the master
pattern. 7.
Fill the cavity with any number
of molding polymers to suit your design requirements.
8.
Place them into a vacuum chamber
which draws air out of the cavity and pulls the liquid
plastic into all of the recesses of the
mold. 9.
Put the mold into a curing oven
one more time, creating a solid and stable replica of
your original master
pattern.
Tolerances of Vacuum Casting
Parts The finished dimensions of vacuum cast parts is
dependent on the accuracy of the master model, part geometry and casting
material. In general, a shrinkage rate of 0.15% is to be
expected.
Materials
of Vacuum Casting Hundreds of casting polymers are
commercially available to reproduce any conceivable hardness and
surface texture. It is also possible to make parts that
are fully opaque, translucent or completely transparent
depending on your
application.
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