Vacuum Casting Service
Custom urethane parts from prototyping to small production runs. ±0.2mm tolerance. 5 days delivery.
Request for Urethane Casting Quote
SHBD Metal Vacuum Casting Capabilities
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| Tolerance | At SHBD Metal, replicated casts follow ISO-2768-CL standards. Local tolerances can reach ±0.15mm, and small holes can achieve up to ±0.10mm precision. For nylon-based cast parts, we also align with ISO 2768-d tolerance specifications. |
| Color and Finishing | Supports a wide range of colors, transparency levels, and surface finishes. |
| Maximum Part Size | Up to 2.3 × 1.3 × 0.6 meters. |
| Daily Capacity | Up to 200 pieces per day. |
| Lead Time | Lead time varies based on part complexity and order volume. The full process includes prototype making, silicone mold creation, casting, and finishing. Simple single parts can ship in under 5 days, but larger batches may require more time depending on the project. |
From Prototyping to Production
Moving from initial concepts to market-ready products, SHBD Metal’s vacuum casting services offer cost-effective solutions for your product development.
Concept Validation
Quickly turn early designs into real parts using 3D printing. Great for checking size, shape, and surface finish before moving forward. No need for hard tooling at this stage.
Prototyping
Make 1 to 100 functional vacuum cast prototypes for testing fit, strength, and usability. Materials and tolerances are close to final production.
Low Volume Production
Perfect for low-volume runs, product launches, or bridge production. Cast 20 to 200+ parts with consistent quality and quick turnaround—skip the wait for injection molds.
Mass Production
For larger production needs, we offer injection molding to create high-volume plastic parts with consistent quality and lower unit cost.
Vacuum Casting Materials, Finish, Colors
Choose from silicone and polyurethane casting materials that match your final product’s look, feel, and function below. Contact our team for custom material requirements.
Cast Silicone Materials
- Shore A 10-60 Silicone: commonly used for vacuum casting molds. Soft enough to handle complex shapes, tough enough to last through multiple castings. Shore A 10-20 very soft and flexible; 30-40 balanced; 50-60 stiffer molds for rigid parts.
- RTV-2 Tin-cure Silicone: room-temperature vulcanizing mold rubber with good tear strength for production molds.
- RTV-2 Platinum-cure Silicone: superior detail reproduction and longer mold life, ideal for high-precision master patterns.
Cast Urethane Materials
- Soft Rubber: tough, rubbery parts for impact-resistant or flexible housings; transparent soft rubber for protective covers.
- ABS-like: rigid, impact-resistant parts with excellent surface reproduction for housings and enclosures.
- PMMA-like: clear, glass-like parts for lenses, windows, and display components.
- PC-like: high-impact, heat-resistant parts with excellent clarity.
- Nylon-like: durable, wear-resistant parts with good dimensional stability.
- PP-like / POM-like / PE-like: engineering-grade options for functional testing and production.
- ABS+PC-like: the strength of PC with the surface quality of ABS for demanding enclosures.
Color matching is available for any cast urethane part. We can match Pantone, RAL, and custom brand colors with consistent batch-to-batch accuracy.
Custom Colors
Pantone & RAL matching
Transparent
Clear, translucent & smoked
Brand Colors
Exact match to your brand
Pearlescent
Metallic & pearl effects
Fluorescent
High-visibility colors
Multi-tone
Two-tone & custom effects
SHBD Metal offers standard SPI and VDI mold finish standards for cast urethane parts. Hover each finish to see its details.
Certified Quality Control and Testing
SHBD Metal operates as an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485, ISO14001:2015, and IATF 16949:2016 certified vacuum casting manufacturer. Our quality control covers three critical areas:
Dimensional Testing
Dimensional testing uses CMM, digital calipers, height gauges, and micrometers to verify tolerances, geometric positioning, hole diameters, wall thickness, and fit dimensions.
Visual Inspection
Visual inspection employs magnifiers, roughness testers, and color charts to detect surface defects including bubbles, scratches, dents while ensuring color consistency and surface finish quality.
Paint Adhesion Testing
Paint adhesion testing validates coating bond strength, durability, and thickness uniformity for all finishing requirements.
Assembly & Fit Validation
Verifies cast parts’ mating compatibility and functional fit with paired components. Conducts precision fit tests to ensure seamless groove, joint and structure matching, meeting assembly requirements and eliminating fit gaps or interference.
Why Choose SHBD Metal Urethane Casting Services
Guaranteed Precision & Quality
Achieve tight tolerances from ±0.2 to 0.8mm. Excellent surface finishes. Expert mold-making ensures consistent quality.
Comprehensive Material Solutions
Choose from soft, rigid, clear, and flame-retardant polyurethane materials. We help you pick the right material, finish and color. Support custom needs.
Rapid Turnaround
Get parts delivered in 5-15 days. Cost-effective low-volume production. Flexible order sizes from 20-200+ parts.
Ready to Get Urethane Casting Quote?
Upload your design files to start. Approve samples with adjustments, then move to production.
Simple parts ready in 5 days through our cast urethane process.
What’s Urethane Casting Process?
Urethane casting, also called vacuum casting, draws liquid urethane into a mold to create plastic and rubber parts with intricate geometries. Here are the 3 steps.
Master Patterns
The master pattern replicates the final casting parts, determining product quality. Create it via CNC machining or 3D printing. 3D printing is faster and cheaper, but CNC offers tighter tolerances. Design considerations include draft angles and wall thickness.
Silicone Mold Casting
Pour liquid silicone rubber around the master pattern. Most cure in ovens, while RTV molds cure at room temperature. After a few hours, cut along the parting line to remove the master, creating a silicone mold ready for casting.
Urethane Pouring and Finishing
Mix liquid polyurethane resin and pour into molds under vacuum to prevent air bubbles and defects. Curing takes 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on material and size. One mold produces 1-10 copies daily. Cast urethane parts may require post-processing.
Vacuum Casting Applications Across Industries
Urethane casting is good for prototypes and small production runs where injection mold tooling isn’t practical. Cast parts perform well and can be used for testing or as finished products.
Automotive
Interior trim panels, dashboard components, and functional prototypes for fit-and-finish testing.
Medical & Healthcare
Biocompatible device housings, surgical instrument prototypes, and diagnostic equipment.
Electronics & Consumer Products
Product enclosures, keypads, and decorative elements for smartphones, tablets, and home appliances.
Aerospace
Lightweight interior panels, control housings, and specialized components requiring flame-retardant properties.
Industrial Equipment
Machine guards, control panels, and custom tooling fixtures.
3D Printing vs Vacuum Casting vs Injection Molding
Your project’s stage, quantity, and part function will guide the right manufacturing choice. Different methods work best at different points in development.
| Metric | 3D Printing | Vacuum Molding | Injection Molding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooling Cost | $0 (no tooling) | $500-2,000 (silicone molds) | $5,000-50,000+ (aluminum or steel molds) |
| Lead Time | 1-3 days | 5-15 days | 4-12 weeks |
| Part Quantity | 1-20 parts | 20-200 parts optimal | 1,000+ parts optimal |
| Tolerance | ±0.1-0.3mm | ±0.1-0.8mm | ±0.05-0.1mm |
| Surface Finish | Layer lines, requires post-processing | Smooth, minimal finishing | Superior, production-ready |
| Complex Geometry | Excellent, any shape | Handles undercuts, fine details | Limited by mold design |
| Material Options | Limited to print resins/filaments | Urethane varieties (flexible to rigid) | Wide range of thermoplastics |
| Design Changes | Instant, no cost penalty | Easy and cost-effective | Expensive mold modifications |