Vacuum Casting - Urethane Casting

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Our Vacuum Casting Services

Vacuum casting is a manufacturing process used to produce detailed and accurate prototypes or small production runs of parts. It involves creating a silicone mold from a master pattern, then casting a liquid resin into the mold under vacuum. This process helps to ensure that the resin fills all the mold details without trapping air bubbles, resulting in high-quality, precise parts. It's commonly used for prototyping and small-batch production in industries like automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods.

IDEAL is fully capable of handling your vacuum casting and silicone molding needs.With years of expertise in the feld, we can fabricate your plastic parts to the highest standard. as well as cost-efficient and with fast turnarounds.

Advantages of Vacuum Casting

01
Material Variety

It supports various casting resins and elastomers, allowing for a broad spectrum of physical properties (e.g., rigidity, flexibility, impact resistance). You can use materials that closely mimic the properties of the final production materials, which is valuable for testing performance and fit.
02
Cost-Effectiveness & Quick Turnaround

Compared to other methods like injection molding, vacuum casting involves lower tooling costs, as it uses silicone molds that are less expensive to produce. Silicone molds are faster to produce than metal molds, allowing for quicker changes and adjustments. It is cost-effective for small to medium production runs, making it suitable for prototyping and low-volume manufacturing. The process allows for quick production of prototypes, which accelerates design iterations and reduces time to market.
03
Versatility in Design & Minimal Waste

Vacuum casting can handle complex geometries and detailed designs that may be challenging for other manufacturing methods, and you can adjust the physical properties of the cast parts by choosing different resins or by modifying the casting process. The process typically generates minimal waste compared to subtractive manufacturing methods.
04
Suitable for Low-Volume Production

Vacuum casting is ideal for low-volume production due to its cost-effectiveness and speed. It involves creating silicone molds from a master model, which allows for quick production of high-quality parts. Compared to methods like injection molding, which require expensive tooling, vacuum casting is more affordable for small runs and offers flexibility for rapid prototyping and material experimentation.

What is Vacuum Casting or Urethane Casting?

Vacuum casting, also known as urethane casting or polyurethane casting, is a casting process used to produce production-quality parts from a range of thermoplastics, rubbers and resins without the cost or lead time required for production tooling or “hard tooling.”

Where injection mould tools are made from metal (steel, aluminium etc), vacuum casting uses soft silicone moulds. The process is ideal for creating a small series of parts and is often used in the early stage of product development before committing to injection moulding.

In this introductory guide, we give you an overview of the vacuum casting process, materials used, considerations, and key benefits and limitations of this form of manufacturing.

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Why Choose Vacuum Casting From IDEAL ?

Expert Project Management. IDEAL offers a number of fabrication processes, and meeting ISO 9001:2008 standards. Our skilled engineers and technicians provide timely communication and updates, ensuring project management from initial design for manufacturability (DFM) to shipment.

Wide range of capabilities.Whether you need a prototype to verify a design or mass manufacturing end products, IDEAL has the best solution for you.

24/7 Operation and Flexibility. IDEAL often willing to work closely with clients to customized machining solutions according to specific design requirements. We always offer flexibility in terms of design modifications, prototyping, and iterative improvements.

Integrated Supply Chain and Global Logistics. With access to a comprehensive supply chain network facilitates sourcing of materials and components streamlining the production process. Our location in Guangdong Province( Shenzhen) enable effcient shipping of finished parts worldwide.

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Have any Questions or Suggestions? We would love to help you! Talk to us!

How Vacuum Casting Works?

Vacuum casting is a manufacturing process used to produce high-quality, precise prototypes and small production runs of parts. It's particularly useful for creating complex geometries and detailed features. Here's a broad overview of how it works:

Create a Master Pattern: The process begins with a master pattern, often made from a material like wax, plastic, or metal. This pattern is a replica of the part you want to produce.

Make a Mold: The master pattern is encased in a silicone rubber to create a mold. Silicone is favored for its flexibility and ability to capture fine details. The silicone is poured over the master pattern and allowed to cure, forming a mold cavity.

Prepare the Mold: Once cured, the silicone mold is removed from the master pattern. The mold is then reinforced with a hard outer shell, usually made from fiberglass or a similar material, to maintain its shape during casting.

Vacuum Casting Material Preparation: A casting resin (often polyurethane) is mixed and degassed to remove any air bubbles that could cause imperfections in the final part.

Pouring Resin: The liquid resin is poured into the silicone mold under vacuum conditions. The vacuum helps to pull the resin into all the mold's intricate details and prevent air bubbles from forming.

De-Molding: After the resin has cured, the mold is carefully removed to reveal the cast part. The silicone mold is flexible, allowing for easy removal of the part without damaging it.

Post-Processing: The cast part might undergo additional finishing processes like trimming, sanding, or painting to achieve the desired final appearance and functionality.

Curing: The resin-filled mold is then heated or left at room temperature to cure. This step solidifies the resin, forming the final part.

Vacuum Casting Materials

Urethane resins are polymers with a wide range of properties and uses. IDEAL offers various urethane materials to meet your applications, including Hei-Cast from Japan and Axson from France. Materials with certain properties are similar to engineering production plastics, such as ABS, PMMA, PC, PP, PA, and so on. Casting parts can be varied from transparent, translucent to colored, and from soft rubber to hard plastic. Various materials contain those impact-resistant, high-temperature resistant (120℃) or fire-resistant (UL94-V0), and glass-filled resins, and different hardness silicone.

Hei-Cast-T0387 (Rubber Like)	Hei-Cast-8160E-ABS-Like	Hei-Cast-8263-Polyurethane-UL-94V-0
Hei-Cast-8550-Polyurethane-PP-PE-Like	Hei-Cast-8570-Polyurethane-PP-PE-Like	Hei-Cast-8744E-Acrylic-like
Hei-Cast-8150-Polyurethane-ABS-POM-Like	AXSON-UPX-8400-Polyurethane-Rubber-like	AXSON-UPX-5210-Polyurethane-PMMA-like
AXSON-UP-4280-Polyurethane-ABS-like	AXSON-PX330-Polyurethane-ABS-Like	AXSON-PX-522-HT-Polyurethane-PMMA
AXSON-PX-521HT-Polyurethane-PMMA-like	AXSON-PX-245-Polyurethane-POM-NYLON-like	AXSON-PX-225-Polyurethane-ABS-Like
AXSON-PX-223-HT-Polyurethane-ABS-like	AXSON-PX-100	Axson-UP5690 Polyurethane-PP-HDPE-Like
PT-PT8952-Urethane-UL-94V-0

Our Maximum Size Range of Machine Ability

Maximum Dimensions: 800*600*500 mm

Vacuum Casting Technical Specifications

Typical lead time	Up to 20 parts in 15 days or less, depends on the part specification and volumes.
Accurate	±0.3% (with lower limit on ±0.3mm on dimensions smaller than 100mm)
Minimum wall thickness	To ensure that the mold is filled properly, a wall thickness of at least 0.75 mm is necessary.For best results, we recommend a wall thickness of at least 1.5mm.
Maximum part dimensions	The size of the mold is limited by the dimensions of the vacuum chamber (1900 x 900 x750 mm) and by the volume of the product (maximum volume: 10 liters)
Typical quantities	Up to 25 copies per mold (depending on the mold's complexity and the casting materials)
Color & Finishing	Pigment is added to the liquid polyurethane prior to casting, custom painting and texture.

Limitations of Vacuum Casting

Vacuum casting offers many advantages, but it also has several limitations:

Production Volume

Not ideal for large-scale production runs. It's generally used for low to medium volumes due to the limited lifespan of the molds and slower production rates
Material Range

Limited to specific types of resins, which may not offer the same range of mechanical properties or material choices as other methods.
Tooling Durability

Silicone molds used in vacuum casting have a finite lifespan and can wear out or degrade over time, impacting the quality of subsequent casts.
Cost Efficiency for Large Runs

The cost per part can become less favorable compared to methods like injection molding for high-volume production.
Detail Limitations

While it provides good surface finish and detail, extremely fine details or very complex geometries might be challenging to achieve compared to some other manufacturing techniques.
Post-Processing Needs

Parts often require additional finishing steps to achieve the desired surface quality and final appearance.

Vacuum Casting vs. Injection Molding

Feature	Vacuum Casting	Injection Molding
Tooling Costs	Lower; silicone molds are less expensive	High; steel or aluminum molds are costly
Production Volume	Best for low to medium volumes	Ideal for high volumes
Lead Time	Shorter; faster setup and modifications	Longer; more time required for mold creation
Material Options	Limited; typically resins	Extensive; various plastics and metals
Surface Finish	High quality; suitable for fine details	High quality; can achieve excellent surface finishes
Cycle Time	Slower; generally slower production	Faster; high-speed production possible
Design Flexibility	High; easy to change designs	Lower; mold modifications are complex and costly

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How IDEAL Improve The Tolerance And Precision In Vacuum Casting?

By focusing on these strategies—master pattern quality, mold design, curing conditions, resin selection, vacuum techniques, post-processing and production techniques in vacuum casting, IDEAL resulting in high-quality parts that meet our clients specifications.

Master Pattern Quality

By using high-precision master patterns made from materials like aluminum, or high-quality 3D-printed plastics to ensure dimensional accuracy, IDEAL make sure the master pattern has a smooth surface finish to minimize defects in the mold.
Mold Design and Material

IDEAL choose high-quality silicone mold materials that maintain dimensional stability and have minimal shrinkage during curing.Design the mold to avoid complex features that can cause inaccuracies, such as sharp corners or intricate details that are hard to reproduce.

Curing Conditions & Resin Selection

We Maintain consistent temperature and humidity during the curing process to minimize thermal expansion and shrinkage, and allow sufficient curing time as recommended by the resin manufacturer to achieve optimal hardness and stability. IDEAL using resins that have low shrinkage rates and good dimensional stability.
Vacuum Techniques

IDEAL ensure proper vacuum pressure is applied to remove air bubbles and voids during the casting process, which can affect dimensional accuracy. Degas the liquid resin before pouring to eliminate trapped air that could lead to defects and dimensional variations.
Post-Processing & Inspection

Employ precise finishing techniques such as sanding or machining to refine dimensions and achieve tighter tolerances on critical features. We would also Implement inspection processes, such as dimensional checks, to monitor the accuracy of produced parts.

Vacuum Casting FAQS

Q: Why would I choose vacuum casting over injection molding?

A:

Vacuum casting is a more affordable alternative to IM, especially in low volumes. It also offers unique advantages like an excellent surface finish.
Q: Can I make production-quality parts using vacuum casting?

A:

Vacuum casting is best for making visually impressive prototypes, but it can also be used for non-mechanical end-use parts like cases and covers.
Q: What happens to the silicone mold(s)? Can I keep them?

A:

The silicone molds used in vacuum casting have a short lifespan, typically around 20 moldings, so we dispose of them after use. If you wish to keep the 3D printed or CNC machined master model, talk to us directly.
Q: Can Vacuum Casting parts machined in color & texture?

A:

The casting urethane part can be a full set aesthetic model with various colors, textures and finishes under the same design idea. If having no idea about what color would be the most suitable for a product, you can make a silicone mold to produce 10-15 castings and paint each with your design colors and textures to discuss internally during meeting among design departments or even management meetings.

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Vacuum Casting Cases

Vacuum casting is a prototype manufacturing process that uses silicone molds to quickly create urethane casting parts for the production of small series of functional plastic parts.

See What Our Custom Say

My experience working with Fay was great.
Clear communication that put me at ease. Very easy to order these parts. Great quality and we recieved exactly what we were expecting - Followed the engineered drawings precisely. The product arrived well packaged, and precisely to spec.

Thank you very much for your consideration and problem solving. It says a lot about your company and I feel comfortable working with you moving forward.

Chris

R&D Manager