Just out of intrest,if you google Up creek garage here in Australia and go to our work you can see how a 1909 Grand Prix engine block was created using 3d printing/pattern making etc.There is a video from the 730 report on how it was done.I can find out roughly how much is was to do one a mate has the same problem and knows the owner,it would have been expensive but they had patterns made,so i can be done but obviously it costs.The CSIRO also do printed titanium rapid prototyping,last time i spoke to them it was $750 aussie dollars per kilo for "stuff"u send the cad program.
CSIRO has a Voxeljet printer that prints the sand cores. If you are doing one or two castings, it can be more economical than making patterns. Ex One make a machine that does the same thing. They also make a machine that prints metal parts using a similar process (Metal powder with a binder). The part has to be fired afterwards, and is very similar to a casting once done.
https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/MF/Areas/Metals/Lab22/DelageCSIRO use an electron beam 3D printer, not sure how they arrive at the $750 a kilo price tag, their machine must be more expensive to run than the SLM printers we have at my work.
