Low-Volume Manufacturing Goes Mainstream--- Urethane
casting
Low volume manufacturing is a specialized service offering full production-quality parts but in volumes
usually limited to 100,000 pieces or fewer, depending on the process used. Low-volume manufacturing
services provided by Leecheer Prototype Company include plastic injection molding, pressure die casting,
CNC machining, urethane casting (Vacuum casting). Today, Leecheer will focus on urethane casting,
also called vacuum casting, to let you know more detail about Urethane casting.
Urethane casting provides end-use, rigid or flexible plastic parts with production-level quality.
Built without expensive and time-consuming hard tooling, our urethane casting process uses
a 3D printed master pattern and silicone molds to deliver high-quality, short-run parts up to 30” long.
The finished dimensions of urethane cast parts depends on the accuracy of the master model,
part geometry and casting material. In general, a shrinkage rate of + 0.15% is expected.
The benefits of Urethane Casting
1.Highly Accurate Production
Our typical tolerance on Urethanes is +/- 0.1cm. Irregular or overly-thick geometries may cause
deviances to normal tolerances due to shrinkage. A shrinkage rate of +0.15% can be expected
due to thermal expansion of the liquid, and the response of the flexible mold.
2.A Wide Variety of Finish OptionsUrethane-Casted parts can be either rigid, flexible, or even rubber-like depending on the
composition of the Urethane used. We offer Urethane in a wide variety of color options such as:
transparent (standard), black, blue, yellow, red, and green. Parts may also be applied with a standard,
smooth finish, or a custom finish, which includes adding hardware installations and painting.
3. Rapid Turnaround on Parts
Urethane parts have great end-use applications and can often bring a project to its next level
for end-user testing or short run production. Urethane cast parts typically ship in 2-4 weeks.
The advantages of Urethane Casting
1. DURABILITY
Polyurethane cast materials are available in rigid or flexible end-use plastics. Urethane cast parts are generally
as tough or tougher than injection molded pieces, and are significantly stronger than 3D printed counterparts.
2. SCALABILITY
Our casting process is optimal for low-volume production for quantities of one to several hundred.
On average, a silicone mold can accurately cast about 20-50 parts. The maximum quantity varies based
on part design and material cast.
3. MATERIAL SELECTION
We offer a wide range of rigid and flexible urethane cast materials, from very soft and flexible (Shore A)
to extremely rigid and impact resistant (Shore D). Parts are cast in a color that is blended to your specifications.
4. COLOR MATCHING & FINISHES
The urethane casting process is capable of reproducing small details. Little to no finishing is required,
because the desired textures and finish levels are applied to the master pattern.
5. RAPID TURNAROUND
Urethane cast parts are shipped within 15 business days, depending on order specifications and volume.
By contrast, injection molded parts can take months to build.
The applications of Urethane Casting
1.LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION
Urethane cast parts are perfect for low-quantity production — when volumes do not justify investment
in injection mold tooling — as well as for first run production parts, which can be completed weeks
before production tooling is ready.
2. ADVANCED PROTOTYPING
The urethane casting process and relatively inexpensive tooling involved makes it easy and economical
to make any necessary design changes. Additionally, different materials can be used with the same mold,
making it possible to test designs with a variety of materials.
3. MARKET TESTING
End-user functionality and a high-quality finish makes urethane cast parts ideal for consumer testing,
user evaluation and concept models. Using the cast urethane process means that changes can be
incorporated quickly for either further testing or market launch.
