Case Study: Tech Cast LLC achieves rapid, low-cost pump-impeller iterations with 3D Systems QuickCast SLA patterns

Comparing Cost and Quality of a Complex Pump Impeller Casting Made from 3D Printed SLA QuickCast Patterns

Tech Cast LLC, a leading supplier of large, complex investment castings (pump impellers up to 350 lb and 30" diameter), faced a common industry problem: achieving optimum impeller performance requires multiple design-test iterations, but conventional tooling is expensive and slow (example tool cost $40,000 and 7–9 week lead time), which made repeated refinement impractical.

To solve this, Tech Cast and 3D Systems used SLA QuickCast 3D‑printed patterns to eliminate traditional tooling: QuickCast patterns cost roughly $3,150 and are available in about one week, enabling finished impellers in ~3 weeks versus many months by the conventional route. The approach cut costs by about 90%, made patterns available ~66% faster, lowered labor content, allowed multiple design variants to be evaluated simultaneously, and accelerated time‑to‑market while providing bridge production before tooling is completed.

Tech Cast LLC