Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 8

Contact: PRABH GOWRISANKARAN [email protected] 3. In-House 3D Printing Control Increasingly, foundries are taking control of their 3D printing processes after getting more accustomed to 3D printed sand molds and cores from service bureaus over the years. The benefits of taking 3D printing in-house include saving money on the service bureau and shipping, as well as tighter control on the final product. Not to mention complete design confidentiality with customers, who many not want their CAD files being shared with service bureaus. Many foundries also find the technology to be fairly plug-and-play, without excessive site requirements. 4. No Inventory! Meet your new Virtual Digital Warehouse. When a foundry goes digital, it no longer need to store all of its sand molds and cores, freeing up substantial space at some foundries. Today’s digital designs can easily be saved on a hard drive or in the cloud for future use. Some foundries have even begun to scan their current inventory to eliminate it from their warehouses and do other things with the space they save. Less physical stuff equals less cost and work. 5. Attracts New Talent It’s not just the fact 3D printing makes everything cooler and more attractive. Ask yourself: How difficult is it to find a pattern maker today? The pattern maker of today and tomorrow uses Computer Aided Design software. Finding talent to design on a computer, many companies find, is easier than finding a worker skilled in the traditional metalcasting craft. What’s more, many customers are prepared to send a digital file to foundry already, reducing the need for pattern makers altogether in many cases and simplifying workflow. 25