Xaar’s Nitrox Print Heat Lets ZCZH 3D Print Wax for Casting

Xaar has been quietly enabling more and more 3D printing firms to use novel materials and processes through its print heads. The company provides application support and knowledge to unlock new ways of depositing material accurately. Rather than sell a plethora of devices using its print heads, Xaar wants to enable others. Its Nitrox heads are high-laydown heads that let you use a lot of materials in them due to the higher viscosities of its Ultra High Viscosity tech. With 1,000 nozzles in a 70mm head, they are designed to be reliable and used in a wide array of industrial applications.

Now Chinese firm ZCZH is using them to make a wax jetting system for casting. 3D Systems MJP heads are already used for this, as is Flashforge’s WaxJet solution. This brings some competition to the wax casting segment. The same technology will also compete with Vat Polymerization casting solutions, binder jet and binder jet for PMMA and sand, as well as Lithoz’s ceramic casting cores. Low-cost processes such as Skuld’s approach will also compete with this to some degree, as would people casting using Phrozen and Elegoo machines.

Effectively, solutions’ applicability will depend a lot on the workflow and needs of a customer. BMW’s million-a-year casting core setup is a little different from your local jewelry firm’s setup. Part size, the types of casting processes, part geometry, and more will also matter. Do you need wax, or can you deal with a resin? Or how much do you hate supports exactly? Installation space, tolerances, and throughput also matter. But casting and forging are some of the oldest and most prevalent industrial processes on earth. So it’s nice that we’re seeing a lot of 3D printing solutions gain traction there, from small jewelry shops to large users, from tiny parts to huge ones.

ZCZH is hardly a household name, even in 3D printing, and how could it be with an unpronounceable name? The firm is also called Foshan Zhongcheng Wisdom Technology and also goes under the name Cprint. The company was previously known as China’s ExOne, essentially making large casting-targeted machines that made things like guns and ship propellers. Moving into wax is therefore adjacent to what they’re doing but would see them target a new customer group and new applications.

Like everyone else, they’re targeting time to market, lead times, and efficiency with the new systems. The system is meant for wax patterns for investment casting. The new process should be faster, with less manual labor, less post-processing, and shorter overall manufacturing times.

Samual Tam, General Manager at Xaar Asia, said,

“Wax pattern production places very specific demands on accuracy, repeatability and production stability. This project demonstrates how industrial inkjet can be used as a reliable manufacturing process rather than a prototyping tool. By combining precise droplet control with stable, long‑duration jetting, inkjet enables manufacturers to digitise complex workflows and achieve consistent results at industrial scale.”

The company thinks it will find customers for the system in automotive, machine tool manufacturing, aerospace, and medical devices. A lot of casting has moved to China. So this digitization push will find a lot of customers there. Through more efficient production and lower costs, firms could be persuaded to switch to wax casting. This seems like a solid push into a new product by Cprint. It could find itself in a very different business because of it. Or it could simply spread out to produce any and all intermediates for many casting processes at many scales. The market for wax 3D printing seems to be heating up. More competition here should see the technology grow as it gains wider acceptance. Investment casting is used far and wide, and just having a small number of casting processes switch to 3D printing will have an immense impact on our industry.