Vacuum Casting

Best Vacuum Casting Services supplier in China

At Plus Proto, we supply vacuum casting services to customers. Our Vacuum casting service is a complete solution including creating master models, casting copies as per your CAD drawings, and making surface treatments as per your requests.

When you need plastic prototypes or low-volume plastic parts, you can choose Plus Proto’s vacuum casting service. It’s a cost-effective technique. It can help clients produce plastic parts that are almost the same as injection-molded high-quality. But with less cost time and money than Injection molding.

As a leading prototyping supplier in China, Plus Proto makes tens of thousands of vacuum casting parts for customers from all over the world every year. Send your drawings now. Our professional team will give you the best solutions and competitive prices.

What Is Vacuum Casting

Vacuum casting is also called Urethane casting in the USA and other North American areas. Some people call it Polyurethane casting as well. Vacuum casting is a low-volume manufacturing technology that utilizes a vacuum chamber to produce high-quality, accurate replicas of master patterns, typically made from silicone molds. This technique is widely used for rapid prototyping and small-scale production due to its cost-effectiveness, speed, and ability to replicate intricate details.

Vacuum Casting Process Introduction

There are mainly 5 steps to make polyurethane vacuum casting. They are the following:

1. Master Pattern Creation: A master pattern, usually made from a 3D printed or CNC machined model, is created with the desired shape and features.

2. Silicone Mold Production: The master pattern is encased in a liquid silicone rubber, which is then cured to form a flexible mold. Once cured, the mold is carefully cut open to remove the master pattern, leaving a cavity that replicates the original design.

3. Material Casting: A casting material, typically a two-part polyurethane resin, is prepared by mixing the components according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Once casting materials ready, they will be poured into the empty cavity.

4. Oven Heating: Depending on the sizes of the parts, it can take 12~24 hours to fully cure inside an oven.

5. Casting Copies: Once the part is dried, the mold can be cut and opened. You will be got an accurate copy.

When Do You Need Vacuum Casting?

• Low volume production
• Visual prototypes
• launch events or trade shows
• Market test
• Investor pitches

Vacuum Casting Materials

There are many material choices for vacuum casting. You can choose them depending on the requests of the projects.

At Plus Proto, we usually use two-part resins as the Urethane casting material. These resins are similar to common plastic injection molding materials and their appearance and performance.

Now here you can find the list of our regular casting resins that we use. If you have special requests that are not listed here, just contact us and we can special order any commercially available materials.

Shore Hardness Scales

1. ABS-Like: It’s a thermoplastic material. Hard, rigid, and impact resistant, it is suited for many products.

• Hardness: Shore D 78-82
• Applications: General items

2. Acrylic-Like: It’s a hard, transparent urethane resin. Medium to high strength and good light-admitting quality.

• Hardness: Shore D 87
• Applications: Light tube, see-through parts

3. PMMA: It’s a stable material anti-UV with good clarity.  a classic substitute for acrylic-like.

• Hardness: Shore D 90-99
• Applications: Great for glossy, clear parts, like lighting, and display items.

4. PS:  It’s a low-cost resin with high-impact strength.

• Hardness:  Shore D 85-90
• Applications: Disposable items, display parts.

5. Elastomer: It’s Polyurethane plastic resin(PU), rubber-like materials like TPU, TPE, and silicone.

• Hardness:  Shore A 20 to 90
• Applications: O rings, wearables bands, gaskets