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Voxeljet sand casting
A Voxeljet 3D printed sand mould being prepared for casting.
Voxeljet has secured a three-year volume contract with Tooling and Equipment International (TEI) which will see them purchase 3D printed sand moulds and cores.
TEI is a developer of prototype, pre-production and mass production equipment for the casting sector. It has moved to partner with Voxeljet to take advantage of the 3D printing company’s technological proficiencies in the area of 3D printed sand. It is estimated through the duration of the contract, TEI will purchase more than 500,000 litres of 3D printed sand from Voxeljet.
TEI will also install Voxeljet 3D printing equipment at its facility in Canton, MI, supplementing the heat treatment and CNC machining equipment it already possesses. The company supplies machined prototype and low volume components in aluminium, iron and steel, to customers operating in such fields as automotive, aerospace and defence. Now with Voxeljet on-board, TEI is confident it can offer its customers a more comprehensive service, boasting 3D sand printing, casting, heat treatment, machining and inspection capabilities.
Voxeljet’s 3D printing sand process is said to bring time and money saving benefits. From a 3D CAD file, Voxeljet’s 3D printing systems applies sand to the build space a layer at a time, with the print head selectively dosing the resin where applicable, to build the mould. Once built, the mould can be unpacked and excess powder removed, and are ready for casting almost immediately. As one of the largest users of 3D printed sand in the States, it made sense for TEI to align itself with one of the leading technology suppliers in this area.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for both companies to further capitalise on the benefits of large scale 3D sand printing for engineered aluminium castings,” Oliver Johnson, President of TEI. “With Voxeljet working alongside us to supply moulds and cores, we will be able to compress lead times even further for our customers while setting new records in terms of the size and weight of parts we can cast.”
“The 3D printing industry is at an inflection point, and this marks another milestone in our mission to push 3D printing into industrial production,” added David Tait, Managing Director of Voxeljet America Inc. “We are very proud to support TEI’s growth strategy with our unique 3D printing technology.”
