Don't quote steel tooling yet
At 50 pieces, the reflex is "time for injection tooling." But at that volume, hardened steel tooling is usually the wrong math — weeks of lead time and a large upfront cost for parts you may still tweak. For 20–100, vacuum casting normally wins.
| Process | Best volume | Tooling | Material feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D printing | 1–5 | None | Resin / nylon, slight batch variance |
| Vacuum casting | 20–100 | Silicone mold, days | ABS-like / PP-like / rubber-like |
| CNC | 1–20 or large/metal | None, but setup per part | Real metal & engineering plastic |
See the full trade-off in our vacuum casting vs CNC guide.
From one part to a pilot
1. Freeze the design
Lock the CAD. Casting and CNC both assume the geometry will not change — a change means new tooling.
2. Count what you need
20–100 identical parts is the sweet spot for vacuum casting. Below 20, printing may win; above 100, re-evaluate CNC or molding.
3. Pick the material behaviour
ABS-like, PP-like or rubber-like for cast urethanes; metal or tight tolerance means CNC.
4. Request a batch quote
Send quantity, material and finish, and ask for a print-vs-cast-vs-CNC comparison so you pay the least for the result you need. See our pricing reference.
Why casting gets you to "production feel" fast
Low tooling cost
A silicone mold is days and a fraction of steel tooling cost, so pilot runs stay affordable.
Production-like materials
Cast urethanes mimic ABS, PP and rubber — useful for fit, feel and functional tests. See our vacuum casting service.
CNC when it must
For metal, large parts or ±0.05 mm, CNC remains the answer. We will tell you straight which fits.
Common questions
Usually yes. The silicone mold costs a fraction of hardened steel tooling and is ready in days, so per-part cost drops sharply versus machining each copy. Above ~100 parts, re-evaluate CNC or injection molding.
Cast urethanes cover ABS-like, PP-like and rubber-like grades, plus clear and high-heat variants. Metal parts require CNC.
Better than 3D printing across a run, because every copy comes from the same master. Expect ±0.2–0.5 mm typical.