Have voxeljet found a way to make sand casting more economical for a wider slice of industry? Print volume may be making a huge difference.
VoxelJet are well-known for their massively-sized industrial 3D printers. But the size actually enables lower cost manufacturing.
VoxelJet’s 3D printers are designed for producing molds for investment casting, and they do that very well. That’s not a unique feature, as many other industrial 3D printers also provide similar capabilities. The difference is in the size.
All of VoxelJet’s machines have large build volumes, the smallest being their VX200, with a volume of 300 x 200 x 150mm. From there they just get bigger, such as the massive VX1000, which has a build volume of 1060 x 600 x 500mm, or their flagship model, the VX4000, whose build volume is measured in meters: 4 x 2 x 1m (pictured at top; note the size of the human doorway!)
But here’s the thing: If 3D printers are used for investment casting, the printing is only one part of the process. Casting takes place after the mold is printed, and the casting process does take time and effort.
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