Case Study: Leading German Automotive Manufacturer achieves over 50% cost savings and faster, more flexible castings with ExOne

Achieve Faster Castings with Lower Costs

Leading German Automotive Manufacturer needed a faster, more economical way to produce complex prototypes — specifically a Formula 1 transmission housing — and partnered with ExOne to try its digital sand-printing service. ExOne used CAD-driven 3D printing to produce silica-sand molds and cores (furan binder) for aluminum alloy 356 castings, replacing traditional pattern and lost-foam tooling.

ExOne delivered a complete printed mold package (200 L) for a batch of five parts in about 4 hours, at roughly €1,500 per part versus €15,000–20,000 per lot for conventional methods, yielding over 50% cost savings, much shorter lead times and ±0.011 in (±0.3 mm) accuracy. ExOne’s process also provided greater design flexibility and faster iteration for the automaker’s castings.