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Aluminum Investment CastingsSteel Investment Castings - Lost Wax Castings - All Popular Metal Casting Alloys |
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Aluminum investment castings are used to create a wide variety of products, parts and components used in the electronics, defense, aerospace, avionics, pump, engine, and valve industries. The term "investment casting" sounds expensive but it actually refers to a process where wax is injected (invested) into a die as part of the process of producing an exact pattern of the item that is to be manufactured. Aluminum is a very versatile metal with high thermal conductivity properties as well as high corrosion resistance. Although it is not as conductive as copper, it is used in long distance electric transmission lines because it is so lightweight. Aluminum is highly malleable and ductile and it is well known for its ability to reflect visible light and radiant heat. | |||||||||
Unlike most metals, the properties of aluminum enable it to be cast using any of the available metal casting processes including die casting, permanent mold casting, green and dry sand casting, plaster casting, continuous casting and investment casting. Aluminum also lends itself to lost foam and squeeze casting as well as hot isostatic pressing. Size, cost, quality and detail are all important factors that need to be considered when determining the best casting process to use. When precision results are required, aluminum investment castings are the only real solution because of the ability of the process to duplicate complex shapes and intricate designs. A good example of the design flexibility available to the investment casting manufacturer is the use of aluminum as a heat sink. Heat sinks have very intricate fin designs, hollow heat pipes, cut outs and mounting holes yet nearly 100% of the heat sinks manufactured today are the result of aluminum investment castings. The most commonly used alloys used in aluminum investment castings are 208.0, 295.0, 308.0, 355.0, 356.0, 443,0, 514.0, 535.0 and 712.0. Using these alloys, the investment casting manufacturer is capable of producing parts that are as thin as 0.40 to 0.75 mm. And while aluminum precision products are typically small, some of the stronger alloys are being cast for robust applications including airframes, missile bodies and weapons systems. | |||||||||
For more information about Aluminum Investment Castings |
Aluminum investment castings are one of the most expensive manufacturing processes. However, those costs can be greatly reduced in a production environment when you consider that aluminum precision products, including miniature and intricate ones, require little or no milling, turning, drilling or grinding after they are produced. This is because the lost wax method produces smoother finishes than other processes do and components with tighter tolerances can be built. The resulting cost and time savings can be enormous in a production environment. Because of the relative ease of creating aluminum investment castings, the investment casting manufacturer also offers the ability to get a product to market faster and at lower costs than other processes allow. Another cost saving resulting from using aluminum investment castings is the reduction in the overall weight and bulk of an item. This is particularly important for components used in transportation, aerospace and defense. |
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Request A Casting Quote | Ask The Investment Castings Experts | Short Run Precision Casting Specialists |
| PO Box 95 · 550 County Highway G · Wild Rose, WI 54984 · Phone: 888-263-3344 |
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