The traditional pattern of sand mold casting is to form products by mold and sand mold combination casting. For multi variety and small batch products, the manufacturing cost of mold is generally high. Because the product is small batch, the cost of a single product will be very high, thus affecting the sales profit of the product. In addition, a significant feature of multi variety and small batch products is the purchase mode of project order. Products of the same model are only purchased for one or several same projects. After the project is completed, it is difficult to have the same product demand. This typical purchase mode makes the new mold lose value after the production is completed, The traditional wooden mold can not be recycled, and it will form a backlog in the enterprise. With the passage of time, more and more molds, occupy more and more space. For the enterprise, there is a waste of intangible assets. With the development of society, customization and personalization tend to be normal, and the production demand of large batch and unification will be less and less. Instead, customization will be the demand. Single customization, even single customization mode, will become the common problem faced by all enterprises. This kind of procurement demand makes the traditional foundry enterprises have to change. How to face the existing difficulties, how to ensure the rapid prototyping of products, how to transform and upgrade is the same problem faced by each foundry. The emergence of 3D printing technology just caters to the needs of the current casting industry.
1. Self development
Foundry is a basic industry of industry, which has an irreplaceable position. As far as high-end industrial machinery and equipment, aerospace aircraft, marine equipment, as small as auto parts, engineering machinery, and even household goods, many are related to casting [5]. However, the traditional casting method is an industry with high labor intensity, bad working environment and great impact on environmental pollution. In recent years, with the rapid development of China’s economy, in order to ensure the basic material needs, it began to prefer the pursuit of spiritual needs, began to pay attention to whether the working environment is conducive to physical health, whether the work has a certain technical content. Young people pay more attention to the working environment when they choose a career. As a result, the traditional foundries are generally short of personnel, difficult to recruit and retain. It has become one of the common problems in foundry industry to change the traditional foundry environment and improve the working environment of employees.
2. Product structure
At present, the customized and personalized demand has become the mainstream of social development. The production mode of multi variety and small batch has become more and more normalized. The mode of demand driven supply has become the main way for enterprises to take the road of sustainable development. With the rising of management cost, a large number of overstocking and inventory will form a huge burden on enterprises, resulting in a significant decline in capital utilization and flexibility of enterprises. Therefore, it is urgent to use emerging technology to promote the transformation and upgrading of enterprises. As the basis of industry, foundry enterprises must transform rapidly and enhance their vitality and competitiveness.
3. Environmental protection policy
With the increasing awareness of ecological environment protection and the introduction of relevant environmental protection policies, foundry industry has become one of the major industries of national and local attention. In response to the national policy, many foundry enterprises have invested a lot of environmental protection equipment to deal with the existing pollution, and this rectification method costs a lot of money, and belongs to the mode of pollution first and then treatment. For the traditional foundry industry, it only plays the role of treating the symptoms and not the root. The pursuit of clean casting and sustainable development is also the road that the foundry industry must take.