Casting Design & CAD Development
Casting Development from Prototyping to Production
Engineering effective casting prototypes is crucial before beginning any high-volume production or manufacturing processes. With proprietary casting design development methods from Pentz Cast, we can help you transform your design into high-quality casting solutions at competitive prices. Knowledgeable engineers work with you step by step to ensure the validity of the casting design and determine product development processes capable of meeting requirements. Our expertise can help assess potential design modifications to reduce costs, enhance part functionality, and improve quality.
Learn more about the casting process, receive a quote for your next project, or contact Pentz Cast to begin developing a custom casting solution to specifications.
Our Casting Design Development Process
Custom Casting Solutions Designed to Your Specifications
Working in collaboration with customers, our expert design and engineering team aims to simplify complex casting development processes. Together, we can quickly identify an optimal design configuration, casting process, material alloy, and tooling approach for cost savings and high-performance manufacturing plans to yield desirable results.
Casting Prototyping & Development
We take the time to assess the proper methods to build your parts and explore all options in engineering, CAD development, prototyping, production casting tooling, CNC machined parts, and complete manufacturing. With extensive casting development knowledge and technical expertise, we can incorporate complex geometries, intricate coring, conversions from CNC billet, and weld fabricated assemblies into one casting to reduce cost.
CAD/CAM/CNC Software & Development
Using state-of-the-art technology, CAD offers an advanced method for designing and modeling castings before manufacturing. CAD development software creates accurate, complete 3D models of the proposed casting design, providing a multifaceted design solution that saves time and reduces associated costs. With CAD models existing in a file format, implementing CAM for precision-automated manufacturing streamlines product development. Our high-accuracy CNC machining capabilities assist fabrication, offering solutions for casting tooling and other products.
CAD/CAM/CNC software provides detailed capabilities for designing and producing components with tight tolerances and complex geometries. Utilizing tooling software, we can machine almost any casting with improved accuracy and shortened lead times. Our software offerings include:
- Cimatron Programming Software w/ 5th Axis
- Vericut Software
- Solidworks
- Stereolithography (STL)
- Rapid Casting Technology (ProMetal RCT™)
Our casting design and development process follows thorough quality assurance practices using the latest software and technology. We apply comprehensive product testing methods to ensure the delivered product meets requirements and high-quality standards. In addition, we can conduct further quality testing with a complete sand testing laboratory for optimal production.
Advanced CAD Design & Capabilities
Highly-trained CAD engineers can reverse engineer parts utilizing laser scanning of external surfaces, as well as CT x-ray scanning for interior and negative spaces. Our team of experts collects the necessary data to create 3D CAD models of part geometry and produce drawings and documentation. Upon client approval of 3D models and drawn designs, engineers design casting tooling in CAD. Then, the approved tooling designs are fabricated by CNC machining casting tooling.
Casting Design Development for Industries
With advanced casting capabilities and high-quality processes using the latest technology, we have experience creating complex and mission-critical components for applications across several industries. Our knowledgeable engineers understand the importance of developing individualized parts for industrial applications that meet requirements. Always eager to create unique and innovative mold components, we commonly work with high and low-volume production for parts in the following industries:
- Aerospace
- Medical/Robotics/Life Sciences
- Railroad/Positive Train Control Electronic Cases
- Defense/Military/Homeland Security
- Transportation/Automotive/Truck/Vehicle
Explore our case studies to see application-specific casting solutions designed and engineered to address manufacturing challenges. Our casting development processes have produced high-quality electronic enclosures, safety and construction equipment, semiconductors, engines, gearboxes, and more. Discover high-quality casting design and development for applications in your industry.
Product Development Materials Used
While we specialize in aluminum castings, our unique CNC machining capabilities provide a range of numerically controlled machining options. CNC machining capabilities allow for versatility in production, enabling us to form precise, complex parts from many materials. We produce low- to high-volume plastic, hardwood, and pattern pine castings. Castings use popular aluminum alloys and the following:
- Aluminum 535 AlMag
- Aluminum grade A356 alloy
- Aluminum grade 357 alloy
- Aluminum grade 206 alloy
- Alcoa 351 SuperaCast
- Alcoa A354 VersaCast
- CNC-machined aluminum billet
- Plastic
- Hardwood
- Prototype materials for quick tooling revisions
In casting tooling production, Pentz Cast engineers and assembles CNC-machined sand-casting tooling elements for automated sand-cast aluminum production and client foundries. Casting tooling processes can work with the following materials:
- Gray iron
- Ductile iron
- Bronze alloys
- Plastic and hardwood
- Prototype materials
Prototyping Considerations for Product Development
Prior to designing a casting configuration for your application, there are a few considerations for engineering and development. Various factors will impact the casting process, production time, and overall cost, like material, casting quantity, design, and value-added services for complete components. Other casting development considerations include:
- Functionality requirements
- Industry and government standards
- Part size and complexity
- Dimensional tolerances
- Tooling and machining allowances
- Inspection and testing requirements
- Process capabilities
Advantages of Pentz Casting Design & Development Solutions
Often, many castings start as prototypes. Pentz Cast Solutions is geared toward assisting in rapid prototype product development. Using the latest in computer-aided-design (CAD), computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM), stereolithography (STL), and rapid casting technologies (ProMetal RCT™), we have the capabilities to produce fully functional cast aluminum prototypes with swift turnarounds in as little as a few days, or even hours. Additionally, the capabilities at Pentz Cast support the ability to create “real castings real fast,” which enhances the sales and marketing of new products more quickly and effectively than standard casting methods.
Why Choose Pentz for Casting & CAD Development
Skilled engineers at Pentz Cast utilize industry expertise and the Pentz streamlined casting creation process to manufacture lightweight castings with increased performance at cost-effective prices. Our experience in product and CAD development across multiple industries means we can identify the appropriate casting process and individualized tooling approaches with extensive solutions.
CAD software and CNC machining abilities available from Pentz allow us to determine intricate design features and incorporate tight tolerances with unique shapes into custom casting geometry. Our knowledge and experience offer the advantage of exploring many design options in CAD with minimal risk to cost and schedule. Every casting is unique, and we look for opportunities to improve products and development processes for increased efficiency and quality.
