Comparing Our Proprietary Technologies:

In recent years, metal manufacturing technologies have advanced significantly. Among them, mold-free casting methods and metal additive manufacturing (AM) have gained increasing attention for their ability to produce complex metal components efficiently.

At our company, we offer two proprietary technologies in this category:
Digital Cast®, a mold-free precision casting technology, and Digital Sinter, our metal 3D printing solution.

Each process provides unique advantages depending on the application, required specifications, and production conditions.
Below is an overview of the key characteristics and benefits of each technology to help you select the most suitable manufacturing method.

Digital Cast® (Mold-Free Casting)　Features and Advantages

Short Lead Time

Digital Cast® enables delivery in approximately two weeks (fastest record: within five days).
Conventional casting processes typically require one to several months due to tooling and pattern production.
By eliminating the need for molds, Digital Cast® significantly shortens development timelines and helps accelerate product development.

Wide Range of Metal Materials

Digital Cast® supports more than 70 different alloys, offering extensive flexibility in material selection.

Available materials include commonly used metals such as:

・Carbon steels
・Stainless steels
・Aluminum alloys
・Copper and pure copper

In addition, more specialized materials are also available, including:

・Duralumin (A7075)
・Inconel alloys
・Heat-resistant steels
・Tool steels
・High-speed steels

This broad material compatibility provides engineers with greater design flexibility.

Suitable for Small to Large Components

Digital Cast® supports part sizes of up to approximately 500 mm cube, making it suitable for small, medium, and large components.

This capability allows the production of:

・Large industrial machine components
・Complex geometries
・Hollow structures

It also enables the integration of multiple parts into a single casting, reducing assembly requirements.

Ideal for Prototyping Prior to Mass Production

When moving toward mass production, parts can be produced using our core technology, lost-wax precision casting.

Using Digital Cast® for prototyping allows evaluation of actual cast material properties, including mechanical characteristics such as strength.
This makes it a practical and reliable approach for validating designs before transitioning to full-scale production.

Note: Feasibility and lead time may vary depending on size, geometry, specifications, and quantity.

Digital Sinter (Metal 3D Printing) 　Features and Advantages

Exceptional Speed

Digital Sinter offers an extremely short lead time of approximately one week (fastest record: two days).

This makes it highly advantageous for urgent prototyping and small-lot production where rapid turnaround is critical.

Strong Capability for Complex Small Parts

The maximum build size is approximately 80 mm cube, but the technology excels at producing small, highly complex components.

Typical applications include:

・Medical device components

・Electronics parts

・Prototype components produced in very small quantities

Limited but Specialized Material Options

Available materials are limited to specific alloys, including:

・SINTER T (SUS316L)
・SINTER D (Pure Copper / SUS316L / SUS630)

While the material selection is more limited, the process enables rapid production of complex geometries that are difficult to manufacture by conventional methods.

Note: Maximum size and material availability refer specifically to the metal 3D printing services supported by our proprietary technologies.

Selecting the Optimal Manufacturing Method

Depending on the project objectives—QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery) and technical requirements—we provide Value Engineering (VE) proposals to recommend the most suitable manufacturing method.

Our engineering team will help identify the optimal process for your project.

For consultation or quotation requests, please contact us via the inquiry form on this website.

https://www.castem.co.jp/en/inquiry/