Formative · Live
Vacuum casting quote software: silicone mould and part pricing
Price vacuum casting from a master, silicone moulds with a short life, and resin per casting. The price steps up each time a run needs another mould.
- Process
- Casting
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- Formative
- Input
- Mesh, STEP
- Status
- Live
The price follows the physics.
A vacuum casting price has three parts: a master, a mould and the castings. The master is usually an SLA print, a one-off cost per design, finished to the surface the castings should have. The silicone mould is cast around it and priced by the volume of its box and how complex the parting is, and it wears out after a limited number of shots, typically 15 to 25. Each casting then costs its resin and the labour to mix, pour, cure and demould. For runs of tens of parts in production-like materials, the arithmetic often beats both printing and a steel tool.
- 01
Master pattern
Usually a high-resolution SLA print, finished to the surface the castings should have.
- 02
Silicone mould
Priced by the volume of the mould box and how complex the parting is.
- 03
Mould life
A silicone mould gives a limited number of castings, so a longer run needs another mould.
- 04
Casting resin
Polyurethane resins that imitate ABS, PP, rubber or clear plastics, per casting.
- 05
Labour per casting
Mixing, degassing, pouring, curing and demoulding.
- 06
Finishing
Painting, colour matching and inserts.
Measured from the file. Priced on your machines.
Measured from the geometry
- Volume and bounding box. Give resin per casting and the mould box: the part’s box plus your silicone wall.
- Surface area. Drives master finishing, the parting line and fettling per casting.
- Undercuts. Directions a two-part mould cannot release add mould pieces, and the buyer sees a note.
- Wall thickness. Thin walls warn; thick sections are reported.
- Quantity against mould life. Decides how many moulds the run needs.
Configured by you
- Master finishes offered. Satin and high gloss in the shipped configuration, each with its own labour factor.
- The master pattern. Priced as a resource per cubic centimetre at the rate you set, whether you print it in house or buy it in, with master finishing fixed and per 100 cm².
- Silicone around the part, silicone density and waste, and mould making. The silicone and the hours in each mould.
- Mould life. Castings per mould, for each resin.
- Casting cycle, oven cure, demoulding and fettling per casting. The time each casting takes.
What your buyer sees
- Resin choices named by the material they imitate, and a satin or high-gloss master.
- Painting, soft-touch coating, threaded inserts and first article inspection as options in the shipped configuration.
- The price per part falling over the first castings, and stepping up when the run needs another mould.
The master and the first mould are paid once, so the price per part falls quickly over the first castings. When the run exceeds one mould’s life another mould is added, so the curve steps rather than falling smoothly.
Typical materials
- ABS-like polyurethane
- PP-like polyurethane
- Rubber-like polyurethane in several Shore A hardnesses
- Clear polyurethane
- Heat-resistant grades
Typical parts
- Pre-production runs
- Marketing samples and trade-show units
- Bridge production before a steel tool
- Soft-touch and rubber-like parts
- Clear covers and light pipes
Both priced by the real engine for the sample bracket against the Short-run vacuum casting template that ships with Quotometry.
Pricing casting, in depth
Injection moulding cost: tooling, cycle time, resin and the break-even
How an injection moulded part is priced: the tool, the cycle, the resin and the setup, with a worked example of tool amortisation across four batch sizes.
Knowledge baseResin printing cost: how to price SLA, DLP and MSLA prints
How to price resin prints: layer-based machine time, resin and supports, wash and cure labour, and the tank and screen wear most quotes leave out.
Knowledge baseVacuum casting vs injection moulding for low volumes
Silicone moulds or a hard tool? How vacuum casting and injection moulding compare on cost, lead time and quality for tens to hundreds of parts, with a worked break-even.
Casting quoting, answered
Can I quote vacuum casting with Quotometry today?
Yes. Vacuum casting prices end to end in the widget: the master and its finishing once per line, a silicone mould for every mould life, and resin, chamber time, oven cure, demoulding and fettling per casting. The shipped configuration quotes from 1 to 250 parts and sends runs of more than 100 to your review.
How many parts does a silicone mould make?
Typically 15 to 25 castings, depending on the resin, the geometry and how carefully it is demoulded. Mould life is a setting for each resin, so the quote adds a new mould when a run needs one instead of pretending one mould lasts forever.
When is vacuum casting better than injection moulding?
For runs of tens of parts, or when the design may still change. The tooling is a silicone mould rather than machined steel, so the fixed cost is small, but the piece price is higher. Pricing both for the same part shows where the cross-over sits.
Is the master priced through SLA?
No. The master is its own priced resource, per cubic centimetre, whether you print it in house or buy it in, plus master finishing by area. That keeps the casting configuration independent of any resin configuration. One master is charged per line, whatever the quantity.
Other formative processes
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