All uploads are secure and confidential.
Low-Volume Metal Casting Services
From design to manufacture, make the best vacuum casting product for your custom project needs and applications.
- 100+ Materials. Any Finish You Need.
- Parts Delivered in 5–12 Days.
- ISO 9001:2015 Certified Quality.
Get Inquiry NowAbout Great Light
Start A New CNC Quote
Start to Upload Your Files
STEP STP SLDPRT IPT PRT SAT IGES IGS CATPART X_T OBJ STL files
Advantages of Vacuum Casting
Feel free to Contact Us, provide the best solution for your custom project.
01. Fast turnaround
3ERP can provide up to 20 parts in 15 days or less, depending on part specification and volume.
02. Affordability
Silicone molds are less expensive than the tooling used for injection molding, resulting in low prices.
03. Capable of producing large parts
Depending on the type of equipment used, vacuum casting can create very large parts.
04. Superior surface finish to injection molding
The vacuum process removes air bubbles and allows the material to capture fine details.
05. Color options
Coloring pigments can be added to the resin for a variety of color options.
06. Repeatability
Silicone molds can be used around 20 times before they need replacing.
Common Vacuum Casting Applications
What is Vacuum Casting?
Vacuum casting is a manufacturing technology that uses a vacuum to draw liquid casting material into a mold. It differs significantly from injection molding, which pushes liquid material into a mold using a screw.
The process of vacuum casting offers significant advantages, and is particularly useful for parts that have undercuts or fine details. The process starts with a master model, which 3ERP creates using one of its CNC machining centers — though 3D printing can also be used. This master model is then immersed in liquid silicone, which is cured and becomes the mold.
Once it has been cut and the master model removed, the silicone mold can be put to use. This stage involves pouring casting resin into the mold, as the vacuum removes bubbles and air pockets to ensure a smooth finish.
The resin part is then cured in an oven and removed from the silicone mold after cool down, which can be reused around 20 times. Each cast part is an exact copy of the original master model. It’s a perfect solution for rapid prototyping and making small batches of quality parts.
Our Vacuum Casting Processing
Great Light specialize in providing high-quality vacuum casting services tailored to meet your specific needs. Our comprehensive process ensures precision, efficiency, and excellence at every stage.
1
2
3
4
Why Choose Us?
Customized Services for Your Project
We understand that every project is unique, and we tailor our services to meet your specific needs. From initial consultation to final production, we work closely with you to understand your requirements and deliver solutions that align with your goals. Whether you need intricate prototypes or low-volume production parts, our customized approach ensures that we meet and exceed your expectations.
Material and Finishing Selection
Our extensive range of material and finishing options allows you to achieve the exact properties and aesthetics required for your parts. We offer a variety of resins that mimic the characteristics of production-grade materials, including rigid plastics, elastomers, and transparent resins. Additionally, our finishing services, such as painting, texturing, and polishing, provide the perfect final touch, ensuring your parts look and perform exactly as intended.
Professional Vacuum Casting Specialists
Vacuum Casting Process
| Step 1: Master building | Masters are 3D solids of your CAD designs. They are usually made by CNC machining or with 3D Printing. Making Master in 40° temperature. After finish and inspect the masters, we will move to silicone mold making . |
| Step 2: Mold making | Casting molds are made from liquid silicone. Half-Fill the casting box with liquid silicone, Heat the casting box until silicone is fully cured and then allowed to cure in an oven for 16 hours. Fill with extra silicone liquid which is also heated & cured. Once dried, the mold is cut open and the master removed. |
| Step 3: Make the parts | Poured the casting resins into the empty cavity to create a highly accurate copy of the original. It’s even possible to overmold with two or more materials. Silicone molds are typically good for 20 or so copies of the master pattern. |
Vacuum Casting Technical Specifications
| Typical lead time | Up to 20 parts in 15 days or less, depends on the part specification and volumes. |
| Accurate | ± 0.3% (with lower limit on ± 0.3 mm on dimensions smaller than 100 mm) |
| Minimum wall thickness | To ensure that the mold is filled properly, a wall thickness of at least 0.75 mm is necessary. For best results, we recommend a wall thickness of at least 1.5 mm |
| Maximum part dimensions | The size of the mold is limited by the dimensions of the vacuum chamber (1900 x 900 x 750 mm) and by the volume of the product (maximum volume: 10 liters) |
| Typical quantities | Up to 25 copies per mold (depending on the mold’s complexity and the casting materials) |
| Color & Finishing | Pigment is added to the liquid polyurethane prior to casting, custom painting and texture. |
FAQ's
What Is CNC Milling And How Does It Work?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
What Is CNC Milling And How Does It Work?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
Why Choose Glproto As Your CNC Milling Supplier?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
Can You Offer CNC Milling DFM (Design for Manufacturability)?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
When Can My CNC Machining Orders Be Ready?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
What Is The Difference Between CNC Milling And CNC Turning?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
What Is The Difference Between CNC Milling And CNC Router?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
What Are The Advantages Of CNC Milling?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
What Are The Applications Of CNC Milling?
A1: The primary benefits of CNC machining for the appliance industry are speed, precision, and repeatability. It allows for the rapid production of complex and high-quality components with extremely tight tolerances, which is crucial for ensuring parts fit together perfectly and function reliably. This automated process also reduces human error, leading to consistent quality across large production runs, and minimizes material waste, which helps lower overall manufacturing costs.
Put your parts into production today.
All information and uploads are secure and confidential.
Get instant Quote