Although the cost of 3DP process is slightly higher than that of traditional casting, the 3D printing process has low requirements for workers’ skills, good sand mold quality, high dimensional accuracy of castings, good surface quality and low scrap rate; 3D printing can realize three shifts with high efficiency. It takes only 2.5 days to complete 8 sets of sand molds of a product using 3DP; The traditional casting only needs 30 days for mold production cycle; Therefore, the comprehensive cost of 3D printing is lower than that of traditional casting.
As the foundation of traditional manufacturing industry, casting must also consider sustainable development. The future development of casting will present the characteristics of “variety diversity, complexity of structure, rapid renewal” in terms of product demand, and require high-quality, reliable, efficient, intelligent, green and low-carbon in terms of casting production, which puts forward higher requirements for casting technology. As one of the core technologies for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, 3D printing technology has made breakthroughs in the field of casting, making it possible for the industrial application of “3D printing, robotics and other technologies” in the casting industry+green intelligent factories.