The third of the three new spaces is the Cat MicroFoundry, established within the existing larger Caterpillar foundry in nearby Mapleton, Illinois. The new MicroFoundry will be used for the rapid creation of low-volume castings using sand 3D printing technology. Castings—machine parts that created by pouring liquid material into a mold—are used in a number of Caterpillar products, and the new MicroFoundry could drastically reduce costs involved in the production of certain prototypes and slow-moving parts. “Our 3D printing future is exciting—from castings to parts to other larger possibilities," said Hasit Vibhakar at the grand opening of the innovation suite. "The Accelerator is going to move us farther even faster with so many innovations. I can't wait to see the results—for Caterpillar and for our customers.”Read More..
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