What is Investment Casting & How Will it Change Manufacturing?

Ever since the start of the Industrial Revolution, we have dedicated unlimited resources to discover new materials and innovative ways to make things. Investment casting has been used in many ways for thousands of years, using a form of wax to create the form and when ready, the wax is melted, leaving the cast.

Refined alloys

Special alloys are used and this enables very precise casting with no tolerance, which is ideal for devices that are becoming smaller; take a look at a state-of-the-art investment casting foundry and you can see the process step by step. Also known as precision casting, this process offers a cost-effective way to create molds and there is minimal finishing work to do.

Lower costs mean lower prices

Appliances and devices made with investment casting are likely to be very reasonably priced when compared to similar products that are injection molded. Developing technology leads to finer alloys and composite materials are being created to replace traditional metals; this is part of the digital revolution, while 3D printing offers unlimited potential.

One stop solution

Once you have finished your blueprints and you know your tolerances, you can contact a leading US casting foundry that uses investment casting. They handle everything and once the final mold is approved, a run would be set up and QC would report findings; this is normally followed by a bulk run, as you are sure of the parameters. Click here for how to set up your business for success in 2025.

Benefits of investment casting

The following advantages come with investment casting;

• Superior surface finish
• Minimum casting rejects
• Low-cost tooling
• Minimal waste
• High tolerance over large batches

The foundry specialists work with you to provide castings that tick all the boxes and they treat every project as a challenge.

Six step process

There is a 6-step process with investment casting, which are as follows:

1. Mold design – The wax injection mold is engineered to precise measurements.
2. Wax injection – The mold is injected with wax.
3. Dipped in ceramic – The mold is dipped in a ceramic slurry, then removed, coated in sand and left to dry. The process is repeated to produce the shell.
4. Drying – The shell is dried for 24-36 hours, then the wax is removed.
5. Heating – The mold is placed in a special oven to cure it for molten metal.
6. Removal – Once the metal has cooled down, the shell is removed and finishing touches are applied.

Metals that can be used include iron, white iron, bronze and stainless steel, as well as other special alloys.

If you would like to work with an experienced foundry, start with a Google search to find a leading US investment casting foundry and make an enquiry via their website. Whatever your project, you can work with top engineers to find the ideal solution and with their wealth of hands-on experience, the perfect mold can be created and production can begin.

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