DDM Systems has announced the commercial launch of its Digital Foundry platform, an advanced manufacturing solution designed to address critical capacity constraints in the United States investment casting industry. The new platform combines ceramic 3D printing, digital production workflows, and advanced metal manufacturing technologies to significantly reduce casting lead times while eliminating traditional tooling requirements.
The launch comes at a time when manufacturers across aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial sectors face growing challenges securing cast components. Industry consolidation, workforce shortages, and limited investment in new foundry capacity have contributed to extended production timelines, with some critical castings requiring delivery schedules measured in months rather than weeks.
DDM Systems’ Digital Foundry has been developed to address these structural challenges by replacing several conventional steps in the investment casting process with a fully digital workflow. The platform integrates the company’s proprietary Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization (LAMP) technology, DirectPour casting services, and Scanning Laser Epitaxy (SLE) capabilities into a single manufacturing ecosystem.
By eliminating traditional tooling and wax pattern production, the process allows ceramic molds to be manufactured directly from digital designs. This streamlined approach significantly accelerates production while reducing cost and material waste. According to the company, initial castings can be delivered in as few as ten days, compared with lead times that often extend beyond a year through conventional methods.
The platform supports a broad range of materials, including stainless steels, aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys, directionally solidified alloys, and single-crystal materials used in demanding aerospace and energy applications. The technology has been developed to meet industry quality standards while supporting production requirements for both prototype and production-scale components.
Dr Suman Das, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of DDM Systems, said, “The challenges facing the domestic casting industry require practical manufacturing solutions that can be deployed today. The Digital Foundry has been engineered to remove bottlenecks associated with tooling, accelerate production timelines, and strengthen supply chain responsiveness for industries that depend on critical cast components.”
The company’s technology platform has been supported through collaborations with federal agencies and research organizations, including programs involving defense, energy, and advanced manufacturing initiatives. DDM Systems holds an extensive intellectual property portfolio covering ceramic additive manufacturing and advanced metal production technologies.
Founded in Atlanta, DDM Systems specializes in ceramic 3D printing solutions for investment casting applications. The company serves customers across aerospace, defense, energy, industrial equipment, automotive, medical device, and fluid systems markets. Through the launch of the Digital Foundry, DDM aims to provide manufacturers with a scalable pathway to accelerate production, reduce supply chain risk, and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities.
