Large Pump Housing Sand Mold
A full pump housing mold printed as one piece on the J2500 — complex cored passages with no pattern tooling.
National Foundry Equipment Innovation Award
3DPTEK-J2500 — Production-Scale Sand 3D Printer for High-Volume Foundries
Stop waiting 4–12 weeks and paying $5,000–$50,000+ per pattern. The J2500 prints production molds and cores from CAD overnight — no pattern, no waiting, up to 15–30 finished molds a day from one machine.
2.500 × 1.500 × 1.000 mm Volumen de construcción
$150–250K Estimated yearly tooling savings
16–20 s/layer Speed per Layer
10–14 mo Typical payback on tooling savings
Three Bottlenecks the J2500 Removes — Before You Buy
If your foundry runs 200–2,000 molds a month, these three limits decide how many jobs you can quote and how fast you can pour. The J2500 removes all three.
Pattern Tooling: Cost & Lead Time
Every new part means a machined pattern — a 4–12 week wait and a $5,000–$50,000+ investment before your first casting is poured.
Before 4–12 weeks and $5,000–$50,000+ per pattern
With J2500 Print molds & cores from CAD — overnight, no pattern
Mold Capacity Caps Your Quoting
When pattern-making is the bottleneck, you turn away jobs even while melting and pouring capacity sits idle.
Before Mold output limited by the pattern shop
With J2500 15–30 finished molds/day — dual boxes run 24/7
Small Batches & Engineering Changes
Every revision or short run re-opens the pattern investment, making design changes and low-volume work uneconomical.
Before New pattern cost on every change or short run
With J2500 Edit the CAD, reprint in hours — no tooling to amortize
One Machine, or a Full Production Line
The J2500 was designed as a production cell, not a standalone printer. Build boxes move automatically from printing to depowdering to curing on an RGV transfer cart — so the next job starts while the previous one finishes.
01
Print Station
12 printheads print at 400 dpi, 16–20 s per layer, with bidirectional follow-up printing and automatic sand feeding.
02
RGV Transfer
An RGV cart (12 t capacity, up to 80 mm/s) moves each passive build box between stations automatically.
03
Depowdering
One-stop cleaning station with four synchronized lifts; loose sand is recovered and recycled back to the system.
04
Curing Station
A dedicated curing position lets cores and molds reach handling strength before they leave the cell.
05
Ready to Pour
Finished molds exit the line at pouring-floor quality — assembled, coated and ready for metal.
Dual Build Boxes. Printing Never Stops.
Instead of waiting for one job to finish, the J2500 alternates two build boxes: while box A is printing, box B is being transferred, de-powdered and cured. The result is continuous, shift-efficient mold production.
Printing Build Box A 2,550 × 1,550 × 1,030 mm
RGV swap · minutes
Depowdering / Curing Build Box B Cleaned, cured, back to the queue
Each build box is a passive, self-contained unit — lifted, sealed and transported without interrupting the print station.
Continuous production, by design
The J2500's dual-box architecture removes the biggest source of downtime in sand printing — waiting for one job to complete before starting the next.
- Alternating build boxes
Two boxes alternate between printing and post-processing, so print time is never wasted.
- Passive, swappable build boxes
Boxes are unpowered units that transfer and interchange freely — no cabling, no disassembly.
- Precision side lift
Servo-driven side lifting positions the piston accurately for every layer of every job.
- Auto feed & sand recovery
Pressurized feeding delivers sand on demand; depowdering recovers loose sand back into the loop.
Especificaciones técnicas
The numbers foundry engineers ask about first — build capability, footprint, and the utilities your facility must provide.
Molding Capability
Max. Build Volume 2.500 × 1.500 × 1.000 mm
Build Tank 2,550 × 1,550 × 1,030 mm
Cabezales de impresión 12
Resolution 400 dpi
Espesor de la capa 0,2–0,5 mm
Speed per Layer 16–20 s
Precisión de conformado ±0.3 mm (≤300 mm)
±0.5 mm (>300 mm)
±0.5 mm (>300 mm)
Machine & Site
Main Unit 5,290 × 3,180 × 3,900 mm
Total Line Footprint 11,400 × 8,900 × 3,900 mm
Peso del equipo ≈34 t (total)
≈15 t (main unit)
≈15 t (main unit)
Carga sobre el suelo ≥3 t/m² (per foundation plan)
Altura del edificio ≥4,5 m
Operating Requirements
Potencia 380 VAC / 50 Hz / 15 kW
Trifásico, de 5 hilos
Trifásico, de 5 hilos
Aire comprimido 0.6–0.8 MPa, ≥1.2 m³/min
Temperatura ambiente 22–28 °C
Humedad 30–50% RH
Software / Datos AFSWin3DP-L V1.0 · STL
Silica / Ceramsite / Chromite Mold & core sands
Furan / Phenolic Binder systems
1,5–2,5 MPa Sand tensile strength
8–15 ml/g (850 °C) Gas evolution
Production Economics — The Payback Story
For foundries at the 200–2,000 molds-per-month scale, the J2500 pays for itself on tooling savings alone — before throughput gains are counted.
$150–250K Annual pattern tooling savings potential
10–14 mo Typical equipment payback on tooling savings
15–30 Finished molds per day, per machine
−60% Core assembly labor reported by an automotive foundry
Kill the pattern shop bottleneck
A machined pattern typically takes 4–12 weeks and $5,000–$50,000+. The J2500 prints the complete mold and core package from CAD in hours — no pattern, no waiting.
More molds per build
Layer time is 16–20 s regardless of how many parts are in the build. Nest multiple molds and cores on the 2.5 m bed and throughput scales with your part mix.
Less labor per mold
RGV transfer, one-stop depowdering and recovered sand remove the manual handling that eats operator hours — one line runs 24/7 with a small team.
Want your numbers? Send us your castings and we'll model mold counts, tooling savings and payback for your part mix — free.
Get a Production Cost AnalysisBuilt for Large & High-Volume Castings
From single-piece marine blocks to nested automotive cores, the J2500 produces the molds and cores foundries pour every day.
Marine Diesel Engine Block
Intricate water-jacket cores for a large diesel engine block, printed to tight tolerance in a fraction of the traditional lead time.
Turbine Housing Casting
Aerodynamically optimized internal passages that would be impossible to machine — cast directly from a 3D printed sand mold.
Hydropower Runner Mold
Large turbine runner tooling consolidated from dozens of loose patterns into a few printed assemblies.
Trusted by Foundries That Can't Afford Downtime
3DPTEK is the industrial 3D printing brand behind LONGYUAN AFS — building sand printers since 1994. When you put a J2500 on your floor, you're buying from the company that has shipped more than 500 industrial printers and served 500+ foundries and OEMs around the world.
30+ years Building industrial 3D printers since 1994
500+ Industrial 3D printers installed
500+ Foundries & OEM customers served
300+ Patents & IP applications
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 45001
CE & EAC
National Foundry Equipment Innovation Award
MIIT High-Quality Additive Manufacturing Supplier
“Pattern tooling used to be our bottleneck — 4 to 12 weeks and thousands of dollars per pattern. With the J2500 we print molds overnight and pour the next day.”
“RGV transfer and one-stop depowdering cut our core assembly labor by roughly 40% — one line runs 24/7 with a small team.”
See a J2500 Production Line Running
Visit our smart manufacturing centers to inspect mold quality and talk with our production team — or join a live online demo from your office.
From Delivery to Full Production
Every J2500 ships as a project, not a box. Our team commissions the machine, trains your people and tunes the workflow until the line runs your parts.
- On-site installation & line commissioning
Factory engineers install the machine, RGV track and stations, and run acceptance tests on your molds.
- Operator & production training — 5 days
Hands-on training in printing, depowdering, curing and line workflow, on your shop floor.
- 12-month warranty + priority support
Remote diagnostics, spare-parts stocking and a response commitment matched to production uptime.
- Site preparation engineering
Foundation, layout and utility drawings delivered before installation so your facility is ready on day one.
- Production workflow optimization
We help you design job nesting, sand logistics and shift patterns to hit your target mold output.
- Guaranteed consumables supply
Long-term supply of coated sand and furan/phenolic binders — with published specs for alternative supplier qualification.
From Order to Poured Castings: A Timeline You Can Plan Around
Every J2500 is delivered as a managed project with a written schedule — foundation work runs in parallel with manufacturing, and installation, training and acceptance are completed on your shop floor. You know the target pour date before you sign.
01
Production Test on Your Parts
3–5 business daysWe print your molds on a production J2500 and return parts with a detailed cost and ROI analysis before you commit.
02
Foundation Drawings & Site Survey
4–8 weeks • parallelFoundation, layout and utility drawings plus a pre-installation site survey — run in parallel so they never add to lead time.
03
Machine Manufacturing
12–16 weeksStandard manufacturing lead time for the complete cell: printer, RGV transfer cart, depowdering and curing stations.
04
Shipping & Customs
WorldwideMachines ship fully crated from Beijing with installation scheduling agreed in advance — your crew and facility are ready on arrival.
05
Installation & Commissioning
3-4 semanasFactory engineers install the machine, RGV track and stations, and run acceptance tests on your own molds.
06
Training & Acceptance
3–5 daysOperator and production training on your shop floor, then handover with signed acceptance — from print to pour.
Total from order to first production castings: typically 4–5 months, with foundation work overlapping manufacturing.
Standard Scope of Supply
Everything needed to go from crate to continuous production — included in the base project.
- Complete printing cell: J2500 printer, RGV transfer cart and dual build boxes
- One-stop depowdering station and curing station
- Site preparation engineering — foundation, layout and utility drawings
- On-site installation, line commissioning and acceptance tests on your molds
- Operator & production training (3–5 days) on your shop floor
- 12-month warranty with priority support
Optional Add-ons
Scale the line and protect uptime with options matched to your production plan.
- Extended warranty and service-level agreements for production-critical lines
- Remote monitoring and smart-factory line integration
- Spare parts and consumables starter stock
- Production workflow optimization — nesting, sand logistics and shift design
12-Month Warranty Full coverage with a priority response commitment matched to production uptime.
Remote Diagnostics Secure remote access for first-line troubleshooting and fast escalation.
Spare-Parts Stocking Critical spares stocked and dispatched so repairs never wait on parts.
Production Support After acceptance, engineers stay on call for process tuning and optimization.
Get a Delivery Timeline for Your Facility
Tell us your target production start date and we’ll map the full schedule — manufacturing, foundation work, shipping, installation and training — before you sign.
3DPTEK-J2500 FAQ
Answers to the questions foundry owners ask before committing to a production-scale sand printer.
The J2500 delivers a 2,500 × 1,500 × 1,000 mm build volume versus 1,800 × 1,000 × 700 mm on the J1800, with 12 printheads (vs 8) and a faster 16–20 s per layer cycle. It also adds RGV build-box transfer and a one-stop depowdering station that make continuous dual-box production possible. Choose the J1800 for single-machine flexibility; choose the J2500 when you plan to scale to serial mold production.
The J4000 targets very large, single-piece molds — 3,800 × 1,850 × 1,000 mm actual build with 16 printheads at 130–360 L/h. The J2500 is optimized for high-volume mid-to-large mold production with the best price-performance in its class: 2,500 × 1,500 × 1,000 mm, 12 printheads, 16–20 s per layer. If parts exceed 2.5 m or you need to nest very large molds, the J4000 is the step up.
Multiple J2500 units can be linked with automated material handling, centralized job queuing and remote monitoring. The RGV transfer cart moves build boxes automatically between printing, depowdering and curing stations, enabling continuous 24/7 operation with minimal operators. We provide complete line design, simulation and commissioning support.
Total line footprint 11,400 × 8,900 × 3,900 mm; main unit 5,290 × 3,180 × 3,900 mm. Floor load ≥ 3 t/m² (refer to the foundation plan), building height ≥ 4.5 m, power 380 VAC/50 Hz/15 kW three-phase five-wire, compressed air 0.6–0.8 MPa at ≥ 1.2 m³/min, ambient 22–28 °C, humidity 30–50%. We provide site-preparation drawings before delivery.
A single J2500 consumes roughly 200–500 kg of sand per day and typically produces 15–30 finished molds per day, depending on part size and nesting. Because layer time (16–20 s) is independent of the number of parts, multi-part nesting per build maximizes throughput.
Yes. Visit our smart manufacturing centers to see J2500 units operating in production lines — inspect mold quality, understand the automated workflow and talk with our production team. Contact us to schedule a site visit or a live online demo.
Compare with other sand 3D printers
If your part size or batch volume is different, compare the build volumes across the range: 3DPTEK J1800, 3DPTEK J1800S, 3DPTEK J4000. Or browse the full sand 3D printers range.