ARTICLE
ProtoCAM Provides Investment Casting Industry with Additive Manufacturing Solutions ProtoCAM, a 3D additive manufacturing service provider located in Allentown, PA, was founded by Ron Belknap and Ray Biery in 1994. As longtime employees of Ingersoll Rand Company (IR), they were asked to relocate when the company moved its facilities to Virginia. Belknap and Biery ultimately made the decision to leave IR and venture out on their own to grow a new business that would support the prototyping needs of the industrial, medical, and consumer markets. The location, history, and opportunities in the Lehigh Valley were attractive to the two entrepreneurs and a new company was born. ProtoCAM, the company’s first offerings included stereolithography (SLA), RTV molds, and urethane castings, which Belknap and Biery utilized and first learned of at IR. Though their initial focus was on rapid prototyping, over the years, they expanded their capabilities to include many methods of 3D additive manufacturing, including SLA, urethane casting, selective laser sintering (SLS), PolyJet printing, fused deposition modeling (FDM), metal prototyping, and advanced finishing. For the investment casting industry, ProtoCAM specifically supplies an SLA 3D printed pattern called QuickCast. QuickCast is an SLA build style that allows ProtoCAM to make prototypes and short-run foundry patterns without construction of production tooling. The QuickCast build style consists of a honeycombed SLA pattern that imparts strength to the pattern, allows for easy resin drainage, and facilitates burn-out of the pattern, with typical lead times of two to three days. These QuickCast patterns are highly accurate and can print wall thicknesses down to 0.012 inches. ProtoCAM continues to grow, and plans to expand their existing 14,000 square foot building by adding an additional 5,000 square feet in April 2017. This expanded space will allow them to add a new production center and learning center. Today, ProtoCAM provides value-added additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and industrial 3D printing for customers in the fields of defense, aerospace, automotive, medical, architecture, consumer goods, and more. For more than two decades, product designers and engineers have turned to ProtoCAM for the company’s collaborative process, commitment to service, and engineering expertise. With decades of experience and a commitment to service, ProtoCAM works with customers every step of the way, ensuring that the finished product they receive meets their exact specifications. ProtoCAM offers customers direct access to its team of engineers and specialists, who are fluent in all aspects of additive manufacturing and who understand the particular needs of traditional manufacturers. This collaboration results in consistently high-quality prototypes and market-ready goods produced quickly (as little as one day) and as cost-effectively as possible.