Design Basics for Vacuum Casting
Learn about draft angles, wall thickness, and other design considerations.
Rapid Casting Services
Rapid casting fuses traditional casting techniques with 3D-printed molds. This approach combines intricate designs with low costs for one-off parts.
How Rapid Casting Works
Rapid casting combines the speed of additive manufacturing with the reliability of metal casting. It’s ideal for producing metal parts quickly, especially prototypes or low-volume production runs.
The rapid casting process begins by 3D printing a sand mold directly from your CAD file. At MakerVerse, we handle the mould design, so you only need to submit the part geometry. Once the mold is ready, molten metal is poured into it, allowing the material to flow into every internal cavity and detail.
After the metal cools and solidifies, the sand mold is broken away, leaving behind the fully formed metal part. Finally, our quality engineers inspect the finished part to ensure it meets your exact specifications.
Why Choose Rapid Casting?
Fast turnaround for metal prototypes
Suitable for intricate internal cavities
No tooling costs like in traditional casting
Compatible with a wide range of alloys
Whether you’re developing a prototype or transitioning to mass production, rapid casting offers a reliable and cost-effective solution for complex metal parts.
Rapid Casting Use Cases
Vacuum casting is ideal for low-volume production runs that demand high-quality finishes and material precision. It’s widely used to produce plastic parts, rubber components, and functional prototypes where speed, cost-efficiency, and surface quality matter.
This process is especially beneficial for:
Functional prototypes that closely replicate the mechanical properties of injection-molded plastics like ABS, nylon, or polypropylene
Engineering validation samples for automotive, aerospace, and medical device applications
End-use parts for consumer electronics and specialty equipment, where appearance and performance are critical
Small-batch production where traditional tooling would be too costly or slow
Display models and showroom parts with production-level surface finish and color accuracy
Thanks to the use of polyurethane resins, vacuum casting delivers parts with excellent strength, flexibility, and thermal resistance, making it a powerful alternative to injection molding for short runs and rapid iteration.
Rapid Casting by the Numbers
Max Build Size
1000 mm x 540 mm x 400 mm (Standard)
Minimum Wall Thickness
In accordance with ISO 8062
Lead Times
Starting at 20 days
Key Feature: Oversized Parts
Looking for bigger parts? You’re in the right place.
While the standard size for rapid casting parts is typically 1000 mm in the longest dimension, we offer larger sizes on request for specific geometries and parts.
With these capabilities, you can explore all-new applications.
Just upload your part and specify your requirements – our team of experts will help you see your project through.
Working with MakerVerse and leveraging their extensive eco-system to support on demand parts requirements has allowed us to be more responsive and agile.
Quan Lac
Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at Siemens Energy
Source Industrial-Grade Rapid Casted Parts
MakerVerse gives you the flexibility to source parts however you need. Get instant quotes and quickly order parts with on-demand manufacturing. Our team of experts will work with you for large or complex orders to develop, align, and supervise a manufacturing quality plan from start to finish.
On-Demand Manufacturing
- Fast quoting and DFM checks
- Short lead times
- Easy and intuitive order placement
Production Orders
- Expert support from end-to-end
- Comprehensive manufacturing and quality plan
- Guaranteed quality meeting advanced specifications
Popular Rapid Casting Materials
Cast Aluminum Cast Iron Grey Cast Iron Cast Magnesium (AZ91D) Cast AluminumCast Aluminum
- Cast Aluminum (AlSi10Mg)
- Cast Aluminum (AlSi7Mg)
Main characteristics
Cast aluminum offers strength, hardness, and dynamic properties. AlSi10Mg has good thermal as well as good electrical conductivity, while AlSi7Mg has an impressive combination of strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance.Use cases
Cast aluminum is used for a range of applications, from heat exchangers to automotive parts requiring high strength. Cast IronCast Iron
- Cast Iron (EN-GJS-400)
- Cast Iron (EN-GJS-500)
Main characteristics
Cast iron is known for its high tensile strength combined with elasticity and toughness. EN-GJS-500 is the strongest of the two cast iron options.Use cases
Commonly used in mechanical engineering components where strength and resilience are critical. It’s also widely used for high-stress components. Grey Cast IronGrey Cast Iron
- Grey Cast Iron (EN-GJL 150)
- Grey Cast Iron (EN-GJL 200)
Main characteristics
Grey cast iron has a graphitic microstructure that gives it its grey color. While the tensile strength is generally lower than cast iron, this material has higher damping capacity and is less brittle.Use cases
Ideal for load-bearing machinery parts and other applications where high tensile strength is not a primary requirement. Cast Magnesium (AZ91D)Cast Magnesium (AZ91D)
Main characteristics
This light-weight material also contains amounts of aluminum and zinc. It has a high strength-to-weight ratio.Use cases
Due to its light weight, cast magnesium is often used by the automotive and space industries for non-structural components where weight reduction is essential. It’s also used for different types of casings.Didn't find the material you are looking for?
We are constantly expanding and you can request specific materials going beyond our current standardized offering. Select “Other Material” in the order process and provide us with your desired specifications in the comment section. You can also reach out to us with your specific material requests
Rapid Casting Resources
Vacuum Casting: Everything You Need to Know
Learn all about the applications, materials, costs, and more for vacuum casting.
Single-Source vs. Multi-Source Strategy for Custom Parts: A Procurement Decision Framework
A precision CNC bracket is three weeks late, the sole supplier blames a machine failure, and production downstream is stalling. At that moment, many procurement managers ask the same question: is the sourcing strategy protecting the operation, or quietly creating the problem? This article moves past generic single-versus-multi pros and cons to address supply chain risk, hidden coordination costs, and the realities of CNC, additive manufacturing, and injection moulding procurement, including the platform-based third path that MakerVerse represents. The Topic in a Nutshell A spectrum, not a binary: Single and multi-sourcing exist on a continuum, with dual sourcing and platform-based models as practical middle paths. Hidden costs beyond unit price: Multi-sourcing custom parts adds supplier qualification, tolerance alignment, and coordination overhead that rarely appears in cost-per-part calculations. Disruption is driving dual-sourcing adoption: The 38% YoY rise in disruptions has pushed procurement teams toward supply chain diversification as a structural risk
The Biggest Trends in Vacuum Casting for 2025
See the innovations reshaping this technology.
Let’s build together
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