Green-sand foundry Bremen Castings Inc. formed a new-product development venture with Eaton Corp., aiming to apply 3D printing technology to the process of casting parts for hydraulics systems. An ExOne Corp. additive manufacturing system installed at the Bremen, IN< foundry “will give both companies access to print 3D sand molds and cores used in the iron casting process,” according to statement.
ExOne Corp.’s S-Max machines were developed for sand-casting foundries to produce cores and molds in bonded sand directly from CAD data. The furan binder system makes it possible to produce cores and molds that do not require curing, so the finished forms can be used immediately upon completion.
ExOne also develops and supplies phenolic binders for casting high-temperature alloys.
Bremen Castings casts gray iron and ductile iron parts for numerous industrial applications. It also operates a CNC machine shop that processes ferrous and nonferrous components.
Eaton is a global conglomerate manufacturing electrical and industrial parts. Its hydraulic products are systems and components used in mobile and industrial applications, including parts for agriculture, construction, mining, material handling, machine tools, power generation, and oil-and-gas industries. Eaton’s Hydraulics group also includes the Filtration, Golf Grip and Airflex industrial clutch and brake businesses.
"Utilizing 3D printing in this way lays the groundwork for both companies to save time in material, tooling, engineering, inventory, transportation, and startup cost for new projects," stated Bremen Castings president JB Brown. "The addition of this 3D printer allows BCI to produce cores and molds for low-volume work and prototypes without producing expensive and time-consuming tooling for customers."