Trumbull Foundry and Alloy's "Something from Nothing" Custom Castings Service

Ever had a critical piece of machinery break down, only to find out the replacement part is impossible to get? Maybe the OEM is long gone, or the tooling for that specific custom metal casting no longer exists. It's a frustrating, costly, and all-too-common problem for businesses relying on traditional equipment.

Here at Trumbull Foundry and Alloy, we combine the latest in 3D printing technology with the precision of our traditional casting process, allowing us to reverse engineer problems into powerful solutions. That's why we've spent the last couple of years perfecting a service that's truly a game-changer: our advanced 3D scanning and rebuilding for high-quality custom castings in nearly any cast metal alloy. We're talking about bringing those "impossible to find" custom metal castings back to life, from start to finish, with precision and efficiency.

"No Information" for Your Metal Casting? No Problem!

You see, sometimes a customer comes to us with an existing drawing or a 3D model, and we can jump straight to making the tooling. But the real magic, and where we provide immense value in our 3D Scanning and rebuilding capabilities, is when there's no existing information for a part. In these instances, our skilled team reverse engineers the essential replacement metal casting from merely a worn-out physical component.

A Glimpse into the Customer Journey

That's precisely what happened with a recent 2025 Impeller Casting Project. This was an older part that the OEM had permanently discontinued, and there were zero drawings or digital models available. The client was stuck, needing a reliable metal casting solution fast.

Our Solution: From Absolutely Nothing to A Perfect Metal Casting

So, how did we tackle it? In a streamlined process that we handle entirely in-house, designed to save our customer significant time and money (potentially tens of thousands of dollars saved in tooling costs alone!).

3D Scanning the Original

The client came to us with a significant and frustrating problem: they had no tooling and no data for the critical part they needed. After our initial meeting, our team then used cutting-edge technology to 3D scan the existing part they sent us, creating an exact 1:1 digital replica. Think of it as taking super detailed digital "pictures" of every curve and dimension of the part, essential for precise rebuilding.

Digital Reconstruction

Here's where our expertise truly shined for our customer. While the scan gives us the raw data, we can’t just print that, as a scan is merely a picture. Our engineers then meticulously reverse engineered, rebuilt, and refined the digital model into a workable, printable file optimized specifically for the metal casting prototyping process.

Client Collaboration & Verification

We then send this refined 3D model to the customer for their review and approval. It's crucial that they verify every detail before we move forward with the casting process.

In-House Tooling Production for Custom Metal Casting

Once approved, we made final adjustments to the model to account for the casting process. This included designing and 3D printing all parts needed for the tooling. In this particular case, these 3D printed components were then sent out to be mounted into flasks. Once completed, they were given to the foundry to begin production in our no-bake sand process. The castings were subsequently poured in our coreless induction furnace and then hand-finished in our dedicated finishing department.

The Real Impact: Saving Time and Money on Custom Metal Castings

Being able to take an old, physical casting with no other information available, create the precise 3D model, and then produce and print the tooling right here at Trumbull Foundry and Alloy, is an enormous advantage for the companies we work with. Experience simple, affordable, and fast results with enhanced design flexibility.

For the impeller project, our team put in numerous hours of engineering time and print time for the tooling. While that might seem like a significant investment, consider the traditional alternative for an OEM replacement part when no original data exists: months of waiting and a huge financial outlay for conventional tooling when no original data exists. Our method gets your critical machinery back up and running faster and more affordably.

We are incredibly proud of this capability and how it exemplifies our commitment to quality, innovation, and solving real-world problems for our customers needing reliable custom metal casting solutions. If you're facing a similar challenge with your metal casting parts, know there is no need to stress and call Trumbull.

Visit our website to learn more about our reverse engineering process, or request a quote to get your next project moving.

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