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Rapid Prototyping

Product development with ceramic parts is often difficult.  Typically it takes significant time to make or change a part configuration.  The time is lessened by machining the part from a ceramic block.  However mechanical reliability can only be assessed if the part is formed by the production process.  Typically the traditional ceramic fabrication methods require expensive dies or molds and take weeks or months to make.  Often tolerances can only be provided by post firing machining which impacts strength reliability.

Pressing of engineered ceramics can be done with inexpensive, in time and dollars, plaster molds.  Conversion to durable ceramic production molds is easy and does not affect performance reliability of the ceramic part.

Typically an end item master is prepared.  Depending on the material design, allowance may be needed to accommodate drying and firing shrinkage.  A plaster mold is fabricated based on the end item master.  This takes several days and no expensive metal substrates or machining time.  Change the design and the process is repeated with a new end item master and plaster molds in days time.  Plaster molds can easily provide 1- 500 parts; this usually provides adequate reliability testing statistics.

The above image is a core for investment casting that was delivered in five weeks including material development.