Traditional sand casting has high labor intensity and poor working conditions, leading to recruitment and retention difficulties. The emergence of 3D printing technology can improve this situation.
Customized Production Demand
The market trend is towards customized and personalized production, with a shift from large-scale unified production to single-item or even single-piece customization. Traditional casting molds face challenges in this context.
Environmental Protection Requirements
Stricter environmental protection policies require the foundry industry to pursue clean and sustainable development. Traditional pollution control methods are costly and ineffective in the long term.
Advantages of 3D Printing in Sand Casting
Advantage
Explanation
Improved Working Environment
3D printing of sand molds reduces labor intensity and environmental pollution as the process occurs in a closed chamber, minimizing dust emissions.
Cost and Time Savings
Eliminates the need for mold production, reducing costs and accelerating product development. Saves on mold storage and maintenance expenses.
Enhanced Precision and Quality
Improves product dimensional accuracy, reduces reliance on highly skilled workers, and minimizes the risk of product rejection due to size issues.
Design Flexibility
Allows for easy parameter changes during production, facilitating rapid prototyping and design validation.
Application Examples of 3D Printing in Sand Casting
Case
Product Description
Traditional Process
3D Printing Process
Advantage
Case 1: Automotive Steering Gear Component
Complex structure, many machining and assembly holes, 34 kg casting weight
Long process including wax injection, wax repair, tree assembly, dipping, wax melting, pouring, and post-treatment. Shell-making requires 3 – 5 repetitions.
Simplified to sand mold design (computer), sand mold printing, metal pouring, and post-treatment.
Significantly shortens production cycle. Digital sand mold files are easy to modify, enabling rapid response to design changes.
Case 2: Automotive Engine Component
High dimensional accuracy requirements, complex structure, many weight reduction features
Metal model with hot box core-making. High production cost (200,000 – 500,000 yuan per set), long production cycle (about 2 months), and difficult to modify after finalization.
3D printing offers fast response, high precision, and low cost for single-piece and small-batch production.
Saves significant R & D costs, accelerates R & D progress, and enhances product competitiveness.
Case 3: Motor Housing Component
Many heat sinks with specific dimensions, complex traditional assembly process
Traditional production requires making each heat sink as a separate module, assembling, filling sand, curing, and then disassembling, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to damage.
3D printing combines complex structures, prints heat sinks in large areas, ensuring accurate dimensions and relative positions.
Avoids mold damage during traditional molding, significantly improves product quality.
Conclusion
3D printing technology in sand casting simplifies the molding process, shortens the production cycle, reduces casting costs, and improves new product development efficiency. It is suitable for complex structures, high-quality requirements, and single-piece small-batch casting production, with broad application prospects.
