Case Study: Koiwai achieves 90% reduction in casting lead time with Materialise

Japan’s Metal 3D Printing Pioneer Reduces Casting Lead Time by 90%

Koiwai, a Japanese foundry and early adopter of metal 3D printing, faced long lead times and limitations producing high‑precision, complex sand molds using traditional wooden molds (a process that took about 10 days). They also needed robust traceability and quality-control for scaling metal additive production of medical implants, engine parts and other precision components. To address these challenges they partnered with Materialise, leveraging Materialise Streamics for production management and Materialise 3‑matic for design and topology optimization.

Materialise implemented Streamics to supervise and trace Koiwai’s additive workflows and 3‑matic to optimize and texture complex designs, enabling direct digital sand mold production without labor‑intensive wooden masters. The change cut casting construction time by about 90% (to one tenth of the original method), opened the door to previously unmakeable complex geometries and strengthened quality control for scaled metal production. Materialise’s solutions thus helped Koiwai accelerate delivery, expand precision metal part production, and support mass customization.

Koiwai