Complex, Mission-Critical Metalcastings Aided by 3D Printed Sand Molds and Cores

Federal Bronze supports the U.S. Navy with binder jet 3D printed molds and cores for complex metalcastings 

When the Navy rolled out the new Columbia class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, Federal Bronze knew the production flexibility of 3D printing was the best option to service the wide range of projects for this new class of submarines.

Today, when the team designs new parts, 80-90% of those projects plan for just a pattern, no core boxes. With binder jetting, the foundry 3D prints directly from a digital model, eliminating tooling and many traditional manufacturability constraints while producing a product with improved dimensional accuracy and dimensional tolerancing

And with lights-out production, the S-Max produces a day’s worth of cores overnight, replacing the hard-to-find labor of two employees.

"The time savings that comes with these 3D printers is tremendous. It opens new doors and new markets and makes you very competitive.”

Doug Reichard, Owner and President of Federal Bronze

Download the case study to learn about the mission-critical castings Federal Bronze produces for the Columbia Class submarine with prints off the S-Max binder jetting platform.