Advantages of Large-Format 3D Scanning for Investment Casting
Prototyping gives you a chance to fine-tune a part’s form, fit, and function before moving into full production. When you work with an investment casting supplier that can quickly create and evaluate accurate prototypes, you can catch potential issues early, save time and money, and get your finished parts to market faster.
The faster and more accurately a prototype can be developed and evaluated, the sooner you can finalize your design and move forward with production. That’s where advanced technologies like large-format 3D scanning can make a real difference.
At Lamothermic, we combine rapid prototyping with advanced scanning technology to help customers develop, inspect, and refine components throughout the product development process. Read on to learn how large-format 3D scanning can improve accuracy, efficiency, and quality in investment casting.
Benefits of Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping uses additive manufacturing to produce 3D patterns, giving you a faster and more flexible way to test and refine a design before investing in production tooling.
Some of the biggest advantages include:
- Meet tight turnaround times – A prototype can be created in just a few weeks, giving you an early opportunity to test and validate your design. Getting through this step faster can help reduce lead times and shorten production timelines by as much as 8 weeks.
- Get more value from your investment – Because prototypes don’t require hard tooling, design changes can be made quickly and cost-effectively. You can refine the design to meet your specifications before committing to final tooling.
- Test your design with confidence – 3D-printed prototype castings provide the quality needed for testing and evaluation. This gives you an opportunity to identify and address potential issues before moving into full-scale production.
Large-Format 3D Scanning for High-Resolution Prototyping
Accurate measurements are an important part of developing and producing precision investment castings. Large-format 3D scanning makes it possible to quickly capture detailed measurements across an entire component, including parts with complex or freeform geometries.
At Lamothermic, we use the Keyence VL-800 large-format scanner to provide high-precision, 360-degree measurements with micron-level resolution. The scanner can evaluate highly specific dimensions and tolerances without the need for fixtures, making it a flexible solution for a wide range of components.
The automated scanning and data-processing capabilities can also speed up inspection compared with traditional coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). That means faster inspection, higher throughput, and fewer inspection bottlenecks – all of which can help reduce scrap and costly rework.
Additional Advantages of Large-Format 3D Scanning
Large-format 3D scanning offers several other benefits throughout the prototyping, inspection, and production process:
- Consistent results – Statistically consistent measurement data is especially useful for capability studies and evaluating manufacturing processes.
- Reverse engineering – Our engineering and quality teams can use scanning data to reverse-engineer components and create detailed three-dimensional models. These models can then be easily shared to help with design reviews, root-cause analysis, and collaboration.
- Simplified quality documentation – Measurement data can be exported into CAD and quality management systems, making it easier to create detailed documentation for PPAP, FAIR, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
Move from Prototype to Production with Confidence
From developing and testing prototypes to inspecting finished components, large-format 3D scanning gives investment casting customers another tool for improving speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
At Lamothermic, we combine advanced technology with decades of investment casting experience to help customers identify potential issues earlier, refine their designs, and move into production with confidence.
Contact us today to learn more about Lamothermic’s rapid prototyping and large-format 3D scanning capabilities.