Urethane casting and 3D printing are known for cheap cost for small volume parts and prototype making in Various industries such as medical devices, Automotive, and Consumer products. However, how to choose between urethane casting and 3D printing for your project? Today, in this article, KUSLA will explain the full comparison to help you decide which one is the best for you.
How does Urethane Casting work?
Urethane casting uses a Silicone mold to cast urethane material to obtain the plastic parts that have the same shape as the cavity of the silicone mold. the silicone mold is created in a vacuum state based on a master pattern and the urethane casting parts are the replicas of the master pattern.
Read more about our article: Guide to Urethane Casting Process
Advantages of Urethane casting
- Cost-effective: the cost of the Urethane casting process is low because of the low cost of urethane material.
- Perfect for small-batch production: After creating a master pattern, Urethane casting can create many copies of the master pattern in a short time.
- Good Consistency: The silicone used for mold has good fluidity before curing, and when combined with vacuum deaeration, the detailed structure and decoration of the model can be accurately maintained.
How does 3D printing work?
3D printing Create plastic parts on a 3D printer that create layer by layer of the plastic resin and then form the part according to the 3D model. it includes different methods such as FDM 3D Printing, SLS 3D printing, SLA 3D printing, DMLS 3D printing.
Advantages of 3D Printing
- Design Flexibility: 3D printing can make parts with any complex mechanical structures that can not be machined by other processes such as CNC machining and injection molding.
- Cost Efficiency: Due to the low cost of the 3D printing material and 3D printing machines, 3D printing can make parts at a low cost.
- Fast lead time: Without a complex setup, 3D printing can create parts as fast as hours.
Comparison of Urethane Casting Vs 3D printing
Production Volume
Urethane casting is perfect for creating small batches of parts with the silicone mold especially when the quantity is over 10 pieces, 3D printing is good for creating parts one by one because of the fast lead time.
Lead time
Urethane casting needs time to make the silicone mold and the casting process needs hours to cure the parts, So in terms of Lead time, 3D printing is faster than urethane casting. Generally, 3D printing takes less than 1 day while urethane casting takes less than 3 days.
Cost
Both Urethane casting and 3D printing are low-cost solutions for creating plastic parts. However, the Urethane casting material is cheaper than the 3D printing material, Generally, after considering the silicone mold cost, when the volume is over 10 pieces, Urethane casting will be more cost-effective than 3D printing. when the volume is less than 10 pieces, 3D printing will be more cost-effective.
Strength
Generally, Urethane casting parts are stronger than 3D printing parts when using similar materials. This is because urethane casting creates parts in one piece at a time, while 3D printing creates parts layers by layers.
Temperature resistance
Generally, Urethane casting parts have better temperature resistance than 3D printing. One reason is explained above, Urethane casting parts have better strength. the other reason is that there are wider choices of high-temperature materials for urethane casting than for 3D printing.
Precision
In terms of Precision, 3D printing is better than urethane casting. 3D printing parts can achieve a tolerance of 0.15 mm while urethane casting parts can achieve a tolerance of 0.2mm. this is because of the deformation of silicone mold during the casting process in high temperature.
Appearance
Regarding the appearance, Urethane casting parts are better. this is because urethane casting creates a smoother surface just like the injection molding process. and 3D printing parts can not have smooth surfaces which need a post-finishing process like polishing.
Alternatives for Urethane casting and 3D printing
Injection molding prototyping
Injection molding prototyping can also create small batches of plastic parts in a short time with rapid injection mold tooling. However, it is more cost-effective for a production volume ranging from 100 to 10000 Pieces.
CNC prototyping
CNC prototyping creates plastic parts with a computer-controlled process that uses a precise cutter to remove the material from a block and then form the shape of the parts same as the 3D data. it is perfect for creating high-precision parts.
Conclusion
When choosing the process between urethane casting and 3D printing, you may need a comprehensive consideration of cost, lead time, and quality of parts. KUSLA, which specializes in both Urethane casting Service and 3D printing prototyping services, can help you make the right decision for your projects. Contact us now if you have any questions about the rapid prototyping process and part manufacturing process.
You may also interested in other plastic parts manufacturing process comparisons
- Urethane casting vs injection molding
- CNC machining vs 3D Printing
- CNC Machining vs Injection Molding
- CNC Machining vs Urethane Casting
FAQ
Is Urethane casting cheaper than 3D printing?
Generally, the answer depends on the volume of your parts. if only one part, 3D printing will be cheaper without a mold cost. when over a certain volume, around 10 pieces, the Urethane casting parts will be cheaper than 3d printing.
What is the difference between 3D printing and Urethane casting?
The main difference is that Urethane casting is perfect for low-volume pre-production whereas 3D printing is great for a few rapid prototypes.
