Kimura Foundry America in Shelbyville, IN, will install a third ExOne additive manufacturing system this year to print sand molds and cores, according to an announcement by Desktop Metal Inc., parent company to ExOne. It will be the tenth ExOne sand-binder jet printer installed by the Kimura Foundry Group worldwide, qualifying it as the largest operator of ExOne S-Max systems in the world.
“When we started with this technology, we researched digital sand-casting printers from around the world and chose ExOne for their high-end technology that delivered top-quality prints,” stated Dr. Yoya Fukuda, president of Kimura Foundry America.
Kimura Foundry Group is a Japanese manufacturer of ferrous castings, with three foundries in Japan producing castings for dies for stamping and diecasting, machine tool beds and frame structures, automotive engine parts, pumps, compressors and energy industry components. It also operates three pattern shops and three specialty-machining operations.
Kimura started up the U.S. plant in 2018, and expanded melting capacity there last year. The operation has four induction furnaces melting gray and ductile iron, and also are capable of melting steel, stainless steel, heat-resistant steel, and compact graphite iron.
Kimura Foundry America relies entirely on 3D-printed sand patterns and molds to produce rapid prototypes and small-lot castings, for automakers and their suppliers; manufacturers of engines, industrial pumps, and machine tools; suppliers of agricultural, mining, and off-road equipment; and oil-and-gas and renewable energy projects.
Currently, the Indiana plant operates an ExOne S-Max machine for printing cores and molds with furan or CHP binders, and an ExOne S-Print for printing sand cores and molds with phenolic binder.
S-Max sand printers have a build plate measuring 1,800x1,000x700 mm (70.9x39.4x27.6 in.), for fully automated printing of molds and cores, for prototypes or series casting.
“We are honored that Kimura, a foundry company with such high-quality standards, continues to make us their choice for digital casting solutions,” stated Ric Fulop, co-founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “Kimura Foundry Group is truly leading the way in production use of additive manufacturing, and they are an important partner in our mission to demonstrate the benefits of Additive Manufacturing 2.0 across all industries.”