Rapid Protoype Casting - Franklin Precision Castings

Bring Your Concepts to Life

Franklin’s in-house capabilities allow us to handle proof-of-concept parts and 3D drawings seamlessly, working closely with your team to optimize casting designs for ideal metallurgy and geometry.

From rapid prototyping to first-article approval, our process delivers swift turnaround times, precise results, and lasting confidence in your casting designs.

Many customers come to us with specific requirements that rapid prototype casting can address, such as:

Requirement for a physical casting to test a prototype assembly.
The volume demand for castings does not justify the cost to manufacture tooling.
Limited time (wax patterns can be cast quickly) .
Need to optimize part design in coordination with foundry friendly geometries to ensure lower manufacturing cost without sacrificing quality.

The Rapid Prototype Casting Process

Rapid prototype casting is a streamlined manufacturing process designed to quickly produce functional prototypes of metal components, allowing for rapid iteration and validation of designs before full-scale production.

Step 1: Design and Optimization

Franklin engineers collaborate with customer's engineers to optimize the casting design for manufacturability, leveraging CAD software to create 3D models.

Step 2: 3D Wax Printing

Utilizing 3D wax printing technology, prototype patterns are rapidly produced within two days directly from digital designs, reducing lead times significantly. Prototype patterns are visually and dimensionally inspected to customer's specifications.

Step 3: Investment Casting

A sample production order is created. The wax prototype patterns are then used to create ceramic molds through the investment casting process, allowing for the production of metal prototypes with intricate geometries.

Step 4: Metal Casting

Molten metal is then poured, creating a metal prototype casting. The metal casting is processed and delivered to Quality Control for inspection.

Step 5: Finishing and Evaluation

The cast prototypes then undergo finishing processes as needed, ensuring the highest-quality standards are met. They are then evaluated for functionality, fit, and performance. Castings are shipped within two to four weeks depending on non-destructive testing (NDT) requirements, machining, and quantities.

Step 1: Design and Optimization

Franklin engineers collaborate with customer's engineers to optimize the casting design for manufacturability, leveraging CAD software to create 3D models.

Step 2: 3D Wax Printing

Step 3: Investment Casting

Step 4: Metal Casting

Molten metal is then poured, creating a metal prototype casting. The metal casting is processed and delivered to Quality Control for inspection.

Step 5: Finishing and Evaluation

Advantages of Rapid Prototype Casting

Significant reduction in lead times
Accelerated product development cycle
Minimized costs associated with design changes later in the production process
Creation of highly detailed and accurate prototypes that closely match the final parts
Material flexibility that allows for testing of various alloys and properties
Ability to quickly produce and test multiple iterations of prototypes
Enables rapid design refinements that ultimately lead to superior final products

Why Franklin for Rapid Prototype Casting?

Franklin's rapid prototype casting process provides fast, cost-effective, and precise metal prototypes, empowering engineers to innovate with confidence and efficiency.

Efficiency and Speed

Franklin prides itself on efficiency and speed in both design and production, helping achieve rapid turnaround times for your prototypes.

In-house Expertise

With in-house capabilities for handling proof-of-concept parts, 3D drawings, and optimized casting designs, we offer a complete solution under one roof at our U.S.-based facility.

Collaborative Approach

We work closely with your engineering team to obtain optimized casting designs, resulting in prototypes tailored to your exact specifications.

Advanced Technology

Leveraging cutting-edge 3D wax printing technology, we bring your designs to life with unparalleled precision and detail.

Smooth Transition to Production

Our end-to-end capabilities, including in-house tool-making and modern machine shops, ensure a seamless transition from prototype to full-scale production.

Alloys We Pour

We pour over 120 alloys in our U.S.-based facility, including standard and custom stainless steel, nickel, cobalt, brass, bronze, and Ni-Hard alloys to suit the requirements of complex cast subassemblies or assemblies.

Stainless Steels