Using a complexity factor to calculate cost benefits of 3-D sand printing

Three-dimensional sand printing provides a means to fabricate molds and cores without the need to make patterns and coreboxes. Metalcasters and end-users would benefit from learning more about when to use this evolving advanced technology over conventional patternmaking. Researchers examined the cost of molds and cores as a function of part design complexity quantified by a complexity factor. Additive manufacturing in the form of 3-D sand printing is complementary to the traditional approach of moldmaking in sand casting. 3-D sand printers can directly print a mold from computer-aided design (CAD) models of the desired part design in a matter of a few hours without the need for patterns or coreboxes. 3 -D sand printing provides unique advantages in moldmaking such as significantly reduced lead-time and flexibility without the need for tooling. It also offers additional geometric freedom to produce complex designs not otherwise feasible or affordable using the traditional approach.