The Evolution of Making
Patternmaking and sand castings have been around for thousands of years. Many of the same traditional techniques that were in use over the millennia are still being used today. However, as technology advances, so must the industry. Now North Georgia Pattern has harnessed the power of Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) to improve every aspect of the patternmaking industry.
Not only do our printers allow us to produce tooling with computer aided pin-point accuracy, they also cut cost and speed up turn around. All positives that we are able to pass on to our customers.
Bigger and Better
Here at North Georgia Pattern, our printers range from small to massive, allowing us to print unsegmented parts up to 12 feet long! Our printable tooling plastics outperform traditional construction materials in most every way. With an increased strength to weight ratio, printed tooling is now stronger and lighter than ever. Lighter tooling means less heavy lifting in the foundry as well as easier sand mold release. With the added benefits of weather and UV resistant material, its easy to see how 3D printing is revolutionizing the tooling industry.
Versatility with Detail
Additive Manufacturing is extremely versatile. North Georgia Pattern offers both permanent tooling and temporary “lost patterns”. “Lost pattern” is a term used to describe a pattern that is burnt away during the casting process. Generally, these are highly detailed or complicated patterns made from wax for one time use. Now with material advancements, lost patterns can be made with environmentally friendly plastics that are gas-less and leave little or no residue during burn off. NGP has the ability to 3D print these lost patterns with intricate details, otherwise not attainable through normal patternmaking methods.
24/7 PRODUCTION
Our 3D printers labor tirelessly day and night to get your job done. They work weekends, don’t get sick and never complain about the pay.
Post Processing
Depending on the application, most 3D printed parts will require a certain level of TLC after they are removed from the printers. These parts have visible layer lines that need smoothing or may have extra material that needs to be removed. North Georgia Pattern does all the work for you. Every part is inspected and hand processed to insure that surfaces are smooth, clean and ready for easy sand mold release. All necessary metal pulls and rapping plates are added during this stage to guarantee your parts are ready for molding when they arrive on site.