RAMPF Group, Inc., a leading provider of modeling and mold engineering materials based in Wixom, Michigan, is introducing the ground-breaking RAKU-TOOL^® Close Contour Casting technology in the U.S. market. Using vacuum casting equipment, close contour models are casted seamlessly smooth with fine surface structure and high dimensional stability. These castings are produced without the need for conventional, time-consuming model construction.

With RAKU-TOOL^® Close Contour Casting, RAMPF customers in the aerospace, automotive, marine, motorsports, railway, and wind energy sectors in the NAFTA market now have access to an innovative technology for producing master models cubing models, molds, and fixtures.

RAKU-TOOL^® Close Contour Castings, made of cast polyurethane with a density of 0.8 g/cm3, are supplied to the customer as a near net shape of the customer’s CAD data. The production process takes place in-house at RAMPF Group, Inc. using the customer‘s areal data. A lightweight close contour mold is constructed using RAKU-TOOL^® board material or a combination of board material and EPS.

The mold is then machined, a release agent applied, and then the mold is filled using a special casting process with a 2-component mixing and dispensing system. After demolding and post cure of the casting, it is returned to the customer for finish machining.

“With our close contour technology, conventional and time-consuming model construction is no longer required, as there is no need to bond board material,” explains Mark Davidson, Sales Manager for Tooling Material at RAMPF Group, Inc. “There is no handling of liquid chemistry required, so customers can concentrate solely on milling. Furthermore, less manual finishing is required as the surface is seamless, smooth, very dense, and free from bubbles due to our vacuum casting process.”

RAKU-TOOL^® Close Contour Castings are of similar quality to the renowned range of RAKU-TOOL^® modeling boards, but without the bonding lines. The material has good dimensional stability, fine surface structure, and is isotropic similar to the board material. Furthermore, there are ecological advantages – the close-contour shape of the casting uses less material, causes less waste, and requires less time and energy for milling.

The introduction of RAKU-TOOL^® Close Contour Casting technology is a further milestone in the ongoing technology transfer between RAMPF Group, Inc. and German-based RAMPF Tooling Solutions, a leading developer and producer of board, liquid materials, and semi-finished products for modeling and mold engineering. “With first-class modeling and styling boards, the entire range of Close Contour products – castings, blocks, and pastes –, as well as liquid systems for various manufacturing processes, construction methods, and applications we can offer our customers a unique and encompassing product and service portfolio for innovative modeling and mold engineering,” Mark Davidson emphasizes. “In the near future, we will also be setting up our own tooling chemistry laboratory, which will enable us to serve our customers even better and faster.”