Investment Casting Castings

The roots of modern investment casting castings date back 5,000 years, to the ancient Egyptian art of jewelry making. The ability to cast thin wall parts with high levels of tolerance and stability is one advantage of investment casting. Castings have smooth surface finish and need little further finishing and machining. Investment castings can produce components of complex structures that are difficult, if not impossible for other metal casting methods.

The process involves the designing of the component with wax, and then covering it with plaster slurry, which is then allowed to set and harden. When heat is applied, the wax inside melts away leaving a cavity, into which molten metal is poured. The cooling time can be adjusted to get the desired metallurgical properties for the cast part. The casting is retrieved by simply removing it from the plaster mold.

Saves Casting Time and Labor

Castings that need any kind of surface finish, with details can be produced immediately without the need of further detailing and finishing. Hot isostatic pressing after the casting process helps to increase the fatigue strength. Investment casting saves casting time and labor costs over many other metal casting methods. The end product exhibits high mechanical and metallurgical properties.

This process gives a stable, single continuous structure and reduces the need of joining several parts by welding. It helps to reduce weight, improves accuracy, enhances stability and lowers cost.

Applications

Investment castings have applications in a variety of fields from golf clubs to high-end airframe components. During the World War II, investment-casting components found applications in airplanes. But the demand from military applications subsided and investment-casting manufacturers leveraged their existing foundry capabilities to serve the commercial market. Thus investment casting found applications in cars, telecommunication instruments, and surgical implants.

Refined rapid solidification techniques and fine alloy microstructure improved the static properties of castings that demanded extreme thin wall capabilities. The unique properties of investment castings and its reliability make it the preferred choice for an unending range of applications.

Call us toll-free at 1-888-263-3344 to discuss your needs or FAX us at 1-920-622-4049.

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