Vacuum Casting - Urethane Casting

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

Vacuum casting is a great method to make rigid or flexible parts, and is ideal for high quality prototypes, function testing, concept proofing and display demos. Urethane casting parts can be made from a few to hundreds as required.

Contact us today for more information about our casting services.

    Vacuum casting is a manufacturing technology that uses a vacuum to draw liquid casting material into a mold. It differs significantly from injection molding, which pushes liquid material into a mold using a screw.

The process of vacuum casting offers significant advantages, and is particularly useful for parts that have undercuts or fine details.

The process starts with a master model, which 3ERP creates using one of its

CNC machining centers — though 3D printing can also be used. This master

model is then immersed in liquid silicone, which is cured and becomes the 

mold.

Once it has been cut and the master model removed, the silicone mold can 

be put to use. This stage involves pouring casting resin into the mold, as the

vacuum removes bubbles and air pockets to ensure a smooth finish.

The resin part is then cured in an oven and removed from the silicone mold 

after cool down, which can be reused around 20 times.

Each cast part is an exact copy of the original master model. It’s a perfect 

solution for rapid prototyping and making small batches of quality parts.

Vacuum Casting Process

Vacuum Casting Technical Specifications

When is vacuum casting used?

Vacuum casting is suitable for prototype and end-use parts. It can be used for concept models, visual models, pre-production prototypes, functional test prototypes, models for thermal and air flow testing, and for assembly line trials.

For functional prototypes, vacuum casting is excellent for adding elastomeric sealing features to parts produced by other prototyping technologies, or for overmoulding metal components.

Polyurethane is sufficiently robust for end-use parts – for elastomeric seals, for example, or overmoulded ergonomic grips or complex geometries.

Vacuum casting is used in industries as diverse as  Medical, Life Science, Automotive, Aerospace and general manufacturing.

Vacuum casting capabilities

Our vacuum casting chambers and ovens achieve excellent quality and repeatability thanks to electronic differential pressure control systems and automatic silicone degassing.

The maximum cast weight is 1400g and the maximum mould size is 450 x 470 x 400 mm.

Depending on the part geometry and polyurethane grade, moulds are reusable up to 25 times.

Vacuum Casting FAQ

Why would I choose vacuum casting over injection molding?

Vacuum casting is a more affordable alternative to IM, especially in low volumes. It also offers unique advantages like an excellent surface finish.

Can I make production-quality parts using vacuum casting?

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.

What happens to the silicone mold(s)? Can I keep them?

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.