Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS AN "INVESTMENT CASTING"? - The term "investment" may bring dollar signs before the eyes of those who are not familiar with the process. Actually, it refers to the ceramic materials that are used to build a hollow shell into which molten metal is poured to make the castings. The origin of the term investment comes from the solid mold process where a plaster type material is poured or "invested" into a container that holds a clustered tree of small plastic patterns that are identical to the casting being produced. After the plaster has set, the disposable patterns are burned out leaving a hollow cavity into which the metal is poured.

The same holds true for the investment or "lost wax" casting process. Wax is injected into an aluminum die to produce a pattern that is an exact replica of the part to be produced. For every casting, a wax pattern must be manufactured. The patterns are then clustered around a coated sprue and repeatedly dipped in to an agitated vat of ceramic and allowed to dry. After a shell thickness of approximately 3/8" has been built; the molds are dewaxed by either flash firing at high heat (1400 degrees F) or autoclaving (pressure and steam). The hollow shells are then preheated to 1800-2000 degrees F depending on the alloy to be poured and the molten metal cast immediately into the hot shell. After cooling, the ceramic is vibrated and blasted off the metal parts and discarded. The balance of the cleaning operations (cut off, grind, heat treat, straightening, blast) are straight forward and quite similar to the other casting processes.

WHAT ALLOYS CAN BE POURED AS AN INVESTMENT CASTING? - Generally all ferrous and non-ferrous materials can be investment cast. On the ferrous side, carbon, tool and alloy steel along with the 300 400, 15-5PH and 17-4PH stainless steels are most commonly poured. Most aluminum, copper base, and other non-ferrous materials can be cast. (see our list of common alloys)

In addition, there are the "exotic" alloys used primarily in the aircraft engine industry to produce blades and vanes. These alloys are primarily composed of nickel and cobalt with a variety of secondary elements added to achieve specific strength, corrosion and temperature resistant properties.

WHAT SIZE RANGE OF PARTS CAN BE PRODUCED BY THE INVESTMENT CASTING PROCESS? - Investment castings can be produced in all alloys from a fraction of an ounce (such as a dental brace for a tooth) to over 1,000 pounds (complex aircraft engine parts). Of the approximately three hundred investment casting foundries nationwide, most cast parts in the ounces to 15 pound range.

WHAT ARE THE "AS CAST" DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES I CAN EXPECT? - Typically, a linear tolerance of +/- .010 for the first inch of geometry and +/-.005 for each inch thereafter is standard for investment casting. This varies depending on the size and complexity of the part. Subsequent straightening or coining procedures often enable even tighter tolerances to be held on one or two specific dimensions.

A concerted initial effort between the customers and the foundry's engineering staff can often result in an investment casting drawing for a part that substantially reduces or completely eliminates the previous machining requirements to produce an acceptable part.

WHAT TYPE OF SURFACE FINISH CAN I EXPECT FROM AN INVESTMENT CASTING? - Because the ceramic shell is built around smooth patterns produced by injecting wax into a polished aluminum die, the resultant casting finish is excellent. A 125 microfinish is standard and even finer finishes (63 or 32) are not uncommon on aircraft engine castings.

AREN'T INVESTMENT CASTINGS EXPENSIVE? AND IF SO, HOW CAN THEY SAVE ME MONEY? - While investment castings are generally more expensive than forged parts or those produced by other casting methods, they make up for the higher cost through the reduction of machining achieved through the near net shape tight tolerances that can be held as cast. Many parts that require milling, turning, drilling, and grinding to finish can be investment cast with only .020 - .020 finish stock.

WHAT TYPE OF TOOLING OR PATTERN EQUIPMENT IS NECESSARY? - Typically, a split cavity aluminum die is manufactured that is the "female" mold from which the "male" wax patterns are produced. Depending on the complexity of the casting, various combinations of aluminum, ceramic or soluble cores may be employed to yield the desired configuration. Most tooling for investment castings fall in the $1,000 - $10,000 category. "Prototype" patterns can be produced in just one day without hard tooling to provide rapid preliminary shapes.

WHAT ARE THE LEAD TIMES I CAN EXPECT WHEN ORDERING AN INVESTMENT CASTING? - Nothing varies more than lead times depending on part complexity and foundry capacity. Generally 8-10 weeks is typical for tooling and sample casting and 8-10 weeks for production.