Vacuum casting pricing explained
How a Vacuum casting price is assembled, setting by setting, with a worked example priced by the engine itself.
These are the settings that decide how the work is priced, as opposed to the machine that does it or the material it is made from. They are stored with the configuration.
Every one of them shows up in the breakdown when it affects a price, so if a number surprises you, the answer is on the screen.
A worked example
These numbers were computed by the pricing engine against the shipped Short-run vacuum casting configuration - the one you get if you start from the template. They are regenerated whenever the engine changes, so they cannot drift away from what your own console would show for the same part.
| Line | One part | Ten parts |
|---|---|---|
| Material | €3.37 | €33.90 |
| Production | €386.73 | €703.10 |
| Total, incl. shipping and VAT | €485.52 | €882.98 |
Note how the price per part falls with quantity: a batch shares what is done once - a set-up, a program, a whole build on a powder process, the tool in moulding. That is where the quantity break comes from. It is not a discount you are giving away; it is your cost structure, passed on.
Every setting on this page
These are in the same order as the editor, with the same help text. Each one has an anchor, and the ? beside a field in your console links straight to it - so if you are reading this because you clicked one, the setting you were looking at is highlighted.
Master pattern
Master finishes offeredmaster_finishesbasic
How finely the master pattern is finished, the first being the default. Every casting copies the master's surface. Leave it empty to offer no choice.
Price: The labour factor scales the master-finishing time below.
Typical: satin 1.0 / high gloss 2.5.
Ididyou must set this
Buyer seeslabelyou must set this
What they getnote
Labourlabour_factoryou must set this
Master finishing: fixedmaster_finish_base_min
Fixed time to finish one master pattern: support removal, filling, priming.
Price: Charged once per line, so it weighs most on a short run.
Typical: 20-45 min.
Master finishing per 100 cm²master_finish_min_per_100cm2calibratable
Sanding and finishing the master, per 100 cm² of its surface.
Price: Bigger masters take longer to finish; charged once per line.
Typical: 10-20 min.
This is one of the numbers the calibration tool can fit from jobs you have already run, so you do not have to guess it.
File preparation per linefile_prep_min
Preparing the file, the master's build and the gating plan.
Price: Charged once per line.
Typical: 10-30 min.
Silicone mould
Silicone around the partmould_wall_mm
Silicone between the part and the mould box on every side.
Price: The mould box, and so the silicone in it, grows with this on all six sides.
Typical: 20-30 mm.
Silicone densitysilicone_density_g_cm3
Density of the cured mould silicone.
Price: Turns the mould's volume into kilograms of silicone.
Typical: 1.1-1.2 g/cm³.
Silicone wastesilicone_waste_pct
Silicone mixed but left in the cup or poured over.
Price: Added to every mould's silicone.
Typical: 5-15 %.
Mould makingmould_base_minbasiccalibratable
Making one mould: building the box, fixing gates and vents, pouring and cutting it open.
Price: Charged per mould, so once every mould life of castings.
Typical: 90-180 min.
This is one of the numbers the calibration tool can fit from jobs you have already run, so you do not have to guess it.
Per extra mould piecemould_min_per_piece
Extra time for each mould piece beyond the two halves, where undercuts need loose pieces.
Price: Parts that cannot be pulled from two halves cost more per mould.
Typical: 30-60 min.
Parting line per 100 cm²mould_min_per_100cm2
Cutting the mould open along the parting line, per 100 cm² of part surface.
Price: Bigger parts take longer to cut out.
Typical: 5-15 min.
Undercut that needs a mould pieceundercut_area_mm2
Area no opening direction reaches above which one more mould piece is assumed.
Price: Each piece adds mould-making time.
Typical: 20-50 mm².
Casting & fettling
Demoulding per castingdemould_min
Opening the mould, taking the casting out and closing it again.
Price: Operator time on every casting.
Typical: 3-8 min.
Fettling per castingfettle_base_min
Cutting off gates and risers and trimming the parting line, fixed per casting.
Price: Finisher time on every casting.
Typical: 3-10 min.
Fettling per 100 cm²fettle_min_per_100cm2calibratable
Fettling time per 100 cm² of casting surface.
Price: Bigger castings have longer parting lines to clean.
Typical: 2-5 min.
This is one of the numbers the calibration tool can fit from jobs you have already run, so you do not have to guess it.