Casting vs Sintering Metals
Highball's Pros & Cons
On the various social platforms I've shared my content and posted to, I've consistently been asked "why don't you just cast instead of doing it that way?"
So... why do I choose such a non-standard way of producing metal parts (especially from a home workshop) when other methods are so readily documented and proven?
To get all of my new readers on the same page, heres my quick workflow:
💻 model or obtain an STL for printing
🖨 3D print your part (I used a dual extruding idex FDM printer)
🔥 debind the PLA
⚙️ sinter the piece
💄 "post process" for aesthetic appeal
⚠️ Well, to answer that I'd first like to throw my disclaimer that "I personally like the lost investment casting technique" but it's not without its downsides.
A few being:
more dangerous due to physical pouring of molten metal
very tedious to get the mould set and a vacuum system is recommended (more tools = more money)
investment is very messy to work with and time consuming to mix and dry
But it's hard to ignore the benefits...
lots of resources to get the process down
battle tested (it just works)
many different forms of casting so lots of options to choose from (lost investment, sand casting etc...)
can be done with minimal resources (although better results seem to come with more)
With all of that out of the way, it really comes down to a few basic reasons that stand out to me as a big positive for this technology.
First, it's just really cool being a pioneer in uncharted territory. The creative freedom to try and fail without the overbearing weight of the experts (armchair experts too) judging every deviation to the norm as a crime against the craft is very freeing. To be honest, this point alone is probably enough of a reason for my personal choice, but it certainly isn't the only one.
fewer, more general toolset required
many makers already have 3D Printers and some have kilns which checks almost all boxes
very simple workflow that doesn't involve a lot of space or mess
affordable and reproducible results (with printer and everything I'm still under 2k usd)
interesting potential of mixing different materials during sintering (metal & ceramic... why not?)
Anyways, when it comes down to it, I do this as a hobby, so I'm following what puts a smile on my face... and without a doubt, 3D printing & sintering virtual foundry filament does just that 🙂
Cheers 🍻
-Highball
For more on the topic, here's a video of me doing both techniques to make metal battletech minis
