BRIGHTSTAR

PROTOTYPE CNC CO., LTD

+86 199 2656 6592

info@brightrapid.com

3D Printing & Vacuum Casting

Industrial 3D Printing is a technology that creates three-dimensional objects by stacking materials layer by layer. Combined with a one stop CNC Machining Service, it offers a complementary approach to traditional subtractive manufacturing (such as cutting and stamping), efficiently and flexibly producing complex structures and customized products.

Core Features

Core Features

Highly customizable: Any shape can be designed according to demand, without molds, suitable for small batch or personalized production.


Shortened production cycle: The time from design to prototyping is greatly compressed, suitable for rapid iteration.


Material diversity: Supports high-performance materials such as metals, ceramics, composite materials, plastics, etc.

Main Technology Types

Fused deposition modeling (FDM): Plastic filaments are extruded layer by layer through a heated nozzle, which is low-cost and suitable for prototype verification.


Selective laser sintering (SLS): Powder materials (such as nylon and metal) are sintered by laser, with high precision and support for complex structures.


Stereolithography (SLA): Ultraviolet light is used to cure photosensitive resins, with a smooth surface, and is often used for precision molds and medical models.

Case Study

Vacuum Casting

Small batch verification in the product development stage


•Functional testing: When it is necessary to verify the structure, assembly performance or function of the product (such as the smoothness of the opening and closing of the electronic product shell, the motion compatibility of mechanical parts), a small number of samples can be quickly produced through vacuum mold re-molding to avoid excessive mold opening costs.


•Appearance verification: used to display the product appearance design (such as color, texture, surface treatment effect) for customer or market research feedback to reduce the risk of subsequent large-scale production.

Iterative optimization: In product design iteration, quickly copy the modified model to shorten the R&D cycle (such as multi-version testing of automotive interior parts).


 Small batch production needs


•Customized products: For customized orders (such as medical device accessories, special parts in the aerospace field), the batch production quantity is small (usually ≤100 pieces), the cost of opening injection molds is high, and vacuum mold re-molding is more economical.


•Short-term demand: Urgent orders or seasonal products (such as exhibition samples, promotional gifts) need to be delivered quickly, and the production cycle of vacuum mold re-molding (usually 1-2 weeks) is much shorter than that of injection molds (4-8 weeks).


Complex structures or special material replication


•Complex curved parts: For parts with complex curved surfaces, hollow structures or fine textures (such as crafts, toy models), silicone molds can accurately replicate details, while traditional processing methods (such as CNC) are costly or difficult to achieve.


•Special material simulation: Polyurethane (PU) materials can be used to simulate a variety of plastic properties (such as hardness and transparency of ABS, PC, PP) and other materials to meet specific performance requirements.


Advantages of vacuum casting

  • Low production cost: Vacuum casting costs lower than CNC machining and 3D printing.

  • Fast delivery: Vacuum casting has a short production cycle from mold making to finished product. Up to 50 products can be produced in 10 to 15 days.

  • High precision replication: The products reproduced by silicone casting technology can highly restore the size, shape, accuracy and details of the prototype product, with a restoration rate of 99.8%.


How Vacuum Casting Works

The steps of vacuum casting process: prototype preparation, silicone mold making, selection of molding materials, vacuum casting molding, mold opening and sample taking.

Material selection for vacuum casting

At Brightstar, there are many optional materials for vacuum casting, such as ABS, PMMA, PC, PP, PA, POM, TPU, PVC, Nylon, TPU, Silicone, High temperature resistant materials, etc.

Vacuum Casting Technology Guide

Maximum part size: 2.0M*1.2M*1.0M


Standard accuracy: The standard tolerance is ±0.15mm/100mm, and the local accuracy can reach ±0.05mm.


Minimum wall thickness: The minimum wall thickness is 0.5mm, and the optimal is 1.5mm to 2.5mm to ensure that the mold is fully filled.

Life of silicone molds: Typical quantities per mold can reach 20-25 parts.

Vacuum casting surface finishing

Vacuum casting products' surface treatment processes include color matching, sandblasting, polishing, texturing, painting, coating, etc.

Case Study

On Demand Manufacturing Service by Brightstar

Let’s connect today to start your production journey