Investment Casting

Components requiring complex form and surface finish requirements are produced by the investment casting process. The high precision of investment cast parts can reduce or eliminate some machining operations. This process is commonly used for the production of high batch quantities but can also be economical for low runs or complex shapes where fabrication is eliminated or reduced. The investment casting process uses wax patterns assembled on to a wax tree. The completed assembly is coated with ceramic slurry and allowed to dry and then heated to melt out the wax and fired leaving a ceramic mould into which the molten alloy is poured. The ceramic is then removed and the castings cut out from the tree, the components are then inspected before delivering to the customer in the as cast condition or into our machine shop, for final machining.

Advantages

There are many advantages to using the investment casting process. Designers often specify investment castings because of the design flexibility it gives them and the close dimensional control (+/- 0.12mm per 25mm is typical), which the process makes available. In addition, alloys which are often difficult or impossible to machine can be investment cast with a high degree of consistency and repeatability, that minimizes or eliminates costly machining operation.

Cost Reduction

Substantial cost savings can be made when comparing with other manufacturing methods which have expensive additional machining or fabrication costs.

Design Flexibility

Almost any shape, simple or complex, can be investment cast. Complex assemblies can be cast as a unit. Holes, slots, bevels, serrations, thin sections, knife edges and other configurations can be produced by the process.

The Investment Casting Process

Wax & Mould Production

Investment Casting Process

For more information please contact us.