What are Urethane Castings?
Find Providers For RTVCheap urethane parts are cast in a silicone mold (based on an SLA pattern). Moderate prices.
Urethane castings allow designers to make affordable low-volume prototypes using a wide variety of materials.
How It Works
Urethane Castings start with a master pattern, usually made using SLA. The pattern is
then placed in a box where silicone RTV is poured in to create a negative mold. Silicone provides a flexible, detailed
surface that does not stick to most casting materials.
There is a wide variety of materials available to make castings, including urethanes, polyurethanes, epoxies, and others. They can be cheap or expensive, hard or flexible, or simulate injection molding plastic, for example. It just depends on the budget and testing requirements of the designer.
- Rapid Prototypes
- Production Parts
Example quotes for a 2-inch sphere:
| Process | Qty 1 | Qty 10 |
|---|---|---|
| SLA | $376 each | $109 each |
| SLS | $501 each | $121 each |
| FDM | $182 each | $154 each |
| PolyJet | $479 each | $139 each |
| Machined Plastic | $458 each | $139 each |
| Urethane Castings | N/A | $120 each |
For More Information
Wikipedia article
See the Next Article: Machined Plastic Parts