3D printed casting patterns for investment casting, lost-wax, and jewelry.
Investment casting and lost-wax processes require sacrificial patterns with fine detail, smooth surfaces, and clean burnout characteristics. Our 3D printing service produces casting patterns in Castable Resin on SLA — eliminating the need for traditional wax injection tooling and enabling complex geometries that would be impossible to mold conventionally.
Challenges we solve
What casting patterns teams need from a 3D printing service
Eliminating wax injection tooling
Traditional casting patterns require wax injection molds — $2K–$15K per mold and 2–4 weeks lead time. 3D printed patterns eliminate the mold entirely. Upload your CAD file and receive casting-ready patterns in 2–3 business days. For one-off pieces and short runs, this saves thousands of dollars and weeks of time.
Capturing fine detail in cast surfaces
Jewelry filigree, dental margin lines, and industrial precision features require patterns with sub-50 μm resolution. Castable Resin on SLA prints at 25 μm layer height with 1 Ra μm surface roughness — detail that transfers directly to the cast metal surface with minimal finishing.
Clean burnout without casting defects
Residual ash from pattern burnout causes porosity and surface defects in the casting. Castable Resin is formulated for clean burnout at standard investment casting temperatures (700–730°C) with minimal residue. Follow our recommended burnout schedule for best results.
Complex geometries impossible to mold
Undercuts, internal channels, interlocking features, and organic shapes that cannot be produced with traditional wax injection molds are standard for 3D printed patterns. If your CAD model is watertight, we can print it — regardless of geometric complexity.
Technologies
Best technologies for casting patterns
Materials
Materials for casting patterns
Castable Resin on SLA is purpose-built for investment casting — clean burnout at 700-730°C with minimal ash residue, 1 Ra μm surface finish for smooth cast surfaces, and 25 μm layer height for capturing fine detail like filigree, prong settings, and micro-textures. For larger casting patterns or master patterns that will be used to create silicone molds, Standard Resin provides excellent surface quality at lower cost. For functional cast-metal prototype validation before committing to the casting process, Tough 2K provides a durable stand-in for handling and fit-checking.
Common parts
What we build for casting patterns
Built in our factory
Brooklyn, NY
How it works
Your project, step by step
Upload pattern file
Upload your STL or STEP. Include sprue and gate geometry if you want patterns ready to mount on a tree, or we can print the pattern body only for your casting house to gate.
File review
We verify wall thickness, feature resolution, and orientation for optimal surface quality on visible cast surfaces.
Patterns printed on SLA in Castable Resin at 25 μm layer height. Support placement is optimized to avoid marks on critical surfaces.
QA & clean
Patterns are post-cured, supports removed, and surfaces inspected. Dimensional verification on critical features.
Ship
Patterns shipped in protective packaging to prevent damage. Ready for investment, burnout, and casting on arrival.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What resin do you use for casting patterns?
Castable Resin on our SLA platform — formulated specifically for investment casting. Clean burnout at 700–730°C, 1 Ra μm surface finish, and 25 μm layer resolution.
Can you print patterns with sprues and gates attached?
Yes — include sprue and gate geometry in your CAD file and we print them as part of the pattern. Or we print the pattern body only for your casting house to gate and tree according to their process.
What metals can be cast from your patterns?
Our Castable Resin patterns are compatible with standard investment casting processes for gold, silver, platinum, bronze, brass, stainless steel, and other alloys. Consult your casting house for specific alloy compatibility with resin burnout.
How many patterns can I order?
One pattern or hundreds. No minimum order. For jewelry production runs, we can produce dozens of unique patterns in a single build.
Do you offer casting services?
No — we produce the patterns only. We can recommend casting houses in the NYC area if you need a referral.
Other applications
Rapid Prototyping
Functional prototypes in 2–3 business days. Test form, fit, and function before committing to tooling.
Production Parts
Production-grade 3D printed parts at volume — without tooling investment.
Hardware Development
One vendor from first prototype to production parts — no retooling, no requalifying.
Large Format 3D Printing
Single pieces up to 1200mm — or seamless multi-part assemblies at any scale.
Tooling & Fixtures
Custom jigs, fixtures, and assembly aids — delivered in days, not weeks.
Bridge Manufacturing
Ship real product now. Transition to injection molding when you are ready.
Replacement & Spare Parts
Reproduce legacy parts, replace obsolete components, and eliminate spare parts inventory.
Custom Enclosures
Custom enclosures with snap-fits, bosses, and ventilation — production-grade, no tooling.
Low Volume Manufacturing
Manufacture 10 to 5,000 parts without tooling — scale up or down order by order.
Presentation Models & Props
Presentation-quality models, trade show props, and display pieces — finished and delivered on time.
Medical & Anatomical Models
Anatomical models, surgical planning aids, and medical training tools — dimensionally accurate.
End-Use Consumer Products
Ship real products to real customers — without injection mold tooling.
Design Verification & Testing
DVT and EVT builds in production-representative materials — validate before you tool.
Product Design Validation
Test form, fit, and function with production-grade materials before committing to tooling.
Investor Samples
Presentation-quality parts that look and feel like the final product — built for boardrooms, pitch decks, and demo days.
Pre-Production Testing
Validate tolerances, material behavior, and assembly flow at low volume before committing to production.
Jigs and Fixtures
Custom tooling for your production line — printed and delivered in days, not weeks.
End-Use Production Parts
Parts that go directly into products your customers buy and use — not prototypes, not samples.
Supply Chain Supplementation
Fill gaps in your supply chain without retooling or waiting months for overseas shipments.
Low-Volume Serial Production
Hundreds to thousands of identical parts — no MOQ from a mold shop, no tooling investment.
Replacement Parts Programs
On-demand spares for legacy and current products — without warehousing inventory.
Architectural Models
Site models, facade studies, and presentation pieces at true scale — printed whole or assembled seamless.
Trade Show Builds
Oversized displays and product replicas built to withstand transport and handling — show-ready finish.
Industrial Housings and Enclosures
Full-size prototypes of panels, covers, and housings — validate before committing to sheet metal or tooling.
Tooling and Molds
Large-format mold masters and lay-up tools — printed faster than machined.
Props and Set Pieces
Camera-ready props for film, TV, and commercial production — on tight timelines.
Wind Tunnel Models
Dimensionally accurate aerodynamic test models at scale — smooth surfaces, tight tolerances.
Legacy Part Replacement
Reverse-engineer and reproduce discontinued parts from scans or drawings — no original tooling needed.
Part Consolidation
Combine multi-part assemblies into single printed components — fewer parts, fewer failure points.
Lightweighting
Topology optimization and lattice structures — cut weight without cutting strength.
Manufacturability Analysis
Evaluate your design for printability before committing to a production run.
Scan-to-CAD
Point cloud in, watertight solid out — production-ready CAD from any 3D scan.
Tooling Design
Custom jigs, fixtures, and mold masters — designed from scratch for additive manufacturing.
Fixture Optimization
Redesign production fixtures to reduce weight, improve ergonomics, and speed up assembly.
Insights
Related reading
Technology
What You Can Do With Resin 3D Printing
An overview of what you can achieve with resin 3D printing, from versatile Standard Resin for prototypes and mold positives to specialized engineering resins.
About
3D Printing Materials 101 - A Lecture in NYU
A comprehensive lecture on 3D printing materials delivered by Makelab CEO Christina Perla at NYU, covering PLA, Standard Resin, Grey Pro, Durable Resin, and Flexible Resin.
Plan Your Project
Tools to plan your build
Check shipping transit times, estimate lead times by technology, and review design guidelines before you upload — so your parts print right the first time.
Check Transit Time
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Ready to start your casting patterns project?
Upload your CAD file and get a quote in minutes — or talk to our engineers about your next production run.