The QuickCast build style is an SLA print methodology developed by 3D Systems to answer a pressing need of the investment casting industry. The speed advantages and the high accuracy and quality of 3D Systems’ SLA technology have made QuickCast one of the most popular and effective methods for 3D printed casting patterns in North America, as well as the preferred method for medical, aerospace and defense casting applications.
The QuickCast build style consists of a hollow SLA pattern with internal hexagonal supports that add strength to the pattern. This structure also facilitates the collapse of the pattern during thermal expansion, which helps to prevent the shell from cracking.
In addition to hexagonal support, 3D Systems offers a diamond-shaped support pattern, QuickCast Diamond. This unique structure offers up to 30% lighter patterns, single value shell thickness and improved, consistent pattern strength in any orientation, including better support of down facing geometries. The benefits for foundries and manufacturers include increased casting yields and reduced material costs as well as reduced skilled manual work. QuickCast Diamond allows for superior control and positioning of vents and drains on any surface, resulting in faster parts in hand. When used together with the low-viscosity Accura Fidelity 3D printing material, pattern draining is both fast and effective.
The internal design of a QuickCast pattern minimizes the amount of material used, creating an almost ash-free burnout that reduces manual steps and can deliver a higher quality cast. The QuickCast method improves upon other 3D printing-based methods for creating investment casting patterns, offering advantages such as lower moisture absorption, smooth surfaces, high dimensional stability, and the ability to produce large pattern sizes to bypass or limit the need for assemblies.
With QuickCast patterns, castings can be created at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional tooling to produce wax patterns. This allows designs to be evaluated in days instead of weeks or months. The use of QuickCast patterns can also provide the user with invaluable gating and shrinking information prior to hard tooling.
