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On March 21, 2007, buyCASTINGS' president Bob Dzugan made the titled presentation to the International 3D Stereolithography Users Group (3D SUG) in Daytona, Florida.

Bob has been involved in the 3D SUG conference since 1995 and has made many presentations in the past. In addition, Bob has worked with many of the companies involved in the Rapid Prototyping community to assist them with procurement of castings using the best prototype and casting combination for given applications.

The presentation that was given to the full conference entailed a look at what types of prototyping processes should be used for specific applications. The process for selecting the correct prototyping process starts with a somewhat different approach, looking at what metal is needed and beginning the down-select from there. Bob stated: "It's the same process we use at buyCASTINGS to determine what casting process and foundry we want to go to. We always start with the metal needed." When you start with the metal needed you automatically eliminate several processes and foundries that you can work with on the project.

The presentation included weighing factors such as quantity, complexity, cost and rapid prototyping process including Stereolithography (SLA), Quickcast, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), ThermoJet (TJ) as well as ProMetal and FOPAT. FOPAT is a new investment casting pattern material replacing wax patterns and can be used in the prototyping process or limited production runs when more than a few castings are needed.

If you have any questions about the presentation or would like a copy, please email Bob Dzugan at rdzugan@buyCASTINGS.com