For the past two decades, Astech, Alloy Steel Technologies Inc. has been leveraging new technologies – including pellet-extrusion additive manufacturing – to transform its business. The range of business challenges for U.S. foundries include increased foreign competition, price and lead-time pressures, supply chain issues, and scarcity of skilled laborers, but the Vassar, MI, steel and iron foundry has taken the challenges head-on, as demonstrated by its investment in additive manufacturing (AM) to achieve a competitive advantage.
Founded in 1987, Astech turned a technological corner with a push for more forward-thinking solutions with the appointment of Alan Bukach as president in 2005. Bukach and his team have worked to transform the business into a truly modern metalcasting operation focused on innovation, safety, and profitability.
Embracing change
The team identified business advantages of bringing pattern production in-house by adopting additive manufacturing, and in 2018 Astech invested in a series of three medium-format filament extrusion (FFF) 3D printers. While the printers quickly proved their value for small and medium-format patterns, the company lacked an in-house AM solution for patterns larger than 24-inches in any dimension.
Tasked with finding a large-format printer that would address that size requirement, Astech’s engineering manager Bob Helwer conducted extensive online research and attended several AM tradeshows. None of the systems he considered seemed like a great fit until he attended a presentation at the American Foundry Society’s Additive Manufacturing conference in 2018. The presenter was Clay Guillory, founder of Titan Robotics, a maker of large-format, industrial pellet-extrusion 3D printers. (Following an acquisition in 2022, Titan Robotics now operates as a business unit of 3D System.)
“I couldn’t believe how fast [the printer] was and was sure that the video had been sped up until Clay mentioned in his presentation that the video was recorded in real-time,” recalled Helwer. The speed and economy of printing directly from pellets represented a clear advantage over competing filament-based systems he had researched.
Helwer requested samples from several large-format 3D-printer manufacturers to compare quality and performance. After validating two sample pattern prints and visiting the Titan manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Astech purchased a Titan Robotics Atlas (now called EXT 1070 Titan Pellet) 3D printer, which was installed in August 2020. Thanks to its large print volume, industrial heated print chamber and proven pellet extrusion system, it rapidly became a critical part of the pattern production process at Astech.
Traditional patternmaking for sand casting involves cutting the desired shape from wood, red board, or aluminum. Typically, the design is cut using CNC equipment, though some patternmakers still use paper drawings and manual cutting tools. Astech once relied on specialty pattern shops using traditional methods, generally waiting four to six weeks for delivery of a pattern.
By bringing pattern production in-house with AM, Astech has cut that time to just three to 10 days.
Leading the way
Astech achieved positive ROI within 18 months of installing the Titan printer, and four years later the printer is still going strong. The company relies on carbon fiber-filled ABS pellets for its patterns, a proven material for foundry applications with excellent durability. Helwer reported some of his 3D-printed patterns have created thousands of impressions with no signs of wear.
Using a 1-mm nozzle at relatively fine resolution settings allows the operators to maintain reasonably high print speeds while minimizing necessary post processing before use.
Today, Astech 3D-prints roughly 90% of its patterns. “In-house additive manufacturing has become our ‘secret sauce,’” Helwer reported. “It gives us the advantage over our competitors when it comes to tooling price, accuracy, speed of production, and the ability to modify existing jobs with lightning-fast turnaround times.” Indeed, the speed and cost advantages of additive manufacturing have enabled Astech to grow, boost profitability, and continue delivering high-quality cast products to its customers.