Case Study: Decco Castings achieves faster lead times and reduced labor for complex aerospace castings with ExOne binder-jet 3D printing

Beyond Prototyping. Sand 3D Printing Becomes a Production Strategy

Decco Castings, a precision aluminum foundry serving aerospace and defense, needed to deliver increasingly complex, high‑quality castings faster and with lower upfront tooling costs while reducing skilled labor assembly. To meet those demands the company adopted sand 3D printing supplied through Hoosier Pattern’s service using ExOne S‑Max binder jetting systems (ExOne technology) to produce molds and cores that conventional tooling and dry‑sand methods could not easily achieve.

By integrating ExOne binder‑jet sand printing into its workflow, Decco consolidated multiple cores into single printed cores (often replacing two to five assembled pieces), eliminated hard‑tooling steps, and produced zero‑parting‑line and intricate internal geometries. The ExOne S‑Max–based solution cut traditional tooling lead times measured in 26–36 weeks down to weeks for production startup, reduced manual labor and alignment errors, improved repeatability, and enabled faster iteration and lower upfront costs for aerospace castings such as a fuel transfer pump.

Decco Castings

Chris Moakes

Managing Director