Metal casting on demand

Looking for cast metal parts?  3Diligent has you covered with a range of material options and casting techniques.

3Diligent works with dozens of metal foundries across a range of materials.  Whether you're seeking sand castings or investment castings, precious metals or industrial metals, we can meet your need.

Read an introduction to Metal Casting and learn more about 3Diligent's Metal Casting capabilities below.

Introduction to Metal Casting

Casting is one of the world's oldest metal fabrication methods.  In brief, metal is heated to the point that it reaches a molten, liquid state.  Then that material is poured into a mold that has been designed with the appropriate negative space and gating to allow for the molten metal to effectively fill entirely.  Once the metal has time to cool off and set, the metal part can be removed from the mold for finishing.

3Diligent's primary metal casting methodology leverages our expertise with 3D Printing.  We offer two primary casting methods...


investment casting

Investment Casting

With investment casting, highly accurate 3D prints of "master patterns" in wax or resin are fabricated.  These 3D prints are replicas of the exact geometry of the final part, and is coated with a refractory ceramic material.  The pattern covered in ceramic is then placed in a furnace, where the master pattern melts and drips out, leaving an empty ceramic shell.  This shell - a mold of the desired part - can then have molten metal poured into it to create the final product.

sand casting

Sand Casting

With sand casting, the material used to create the mold is sand rather than ceramic.  Given sand's more coarse texture, this technique is most commonly used for larger scale castings that generally require less detail accuracy and tolerances.  While sand molds can be created in various ways, at 3Diligent, the most common method we use is to actually 3D print the sand molds and cores.  This approach can allow for a higher degree of complexity than typically permitted by more traditional approaches to sand mold fabrication.  Additionally, because these complex patterns are printed rather than manually fabricated, it offers a much faster path to creating complex castings.


3Diligent Material Options

3Diligent offers a range of cast metal options.  A range of non-precious and precious metals are available for casting.  As a general rule, precious metals such as gold, sterling silver, and brass are cast using the investment casting approach.  Sand casting more heavily utilizes non-precious materials like iron, steel, and aluminum.


Beyond Metal Casting

In addition to Metal Casting, 3Diligent offers fabrication via other technologies such as 3D PrintingCNC Machining, and Injection Molding.


Interested in getting a quote for cast metal parts?  Sign up and create an RFQ for a free quote.