Selecting the appropriate precision casting and machining company to make components relies on understanding the needs of the application, your budget, and your time to market deadlines. Another important factor depends on the type of production process that will be required. You may select from investment casting, sand casting, CNC precision machining and other processes. When debating whether investment casting is right for your components, take these factors into consideration.
Investment casting involves creating a wax pattern of the component and building a ceramic shell around the wax pattern to make a mold. Then the wax is melted from the mold and molten metal is poured into it to create the part. Investment casting is repeatable as the process is designed to run consistently to make a certain volume of parts. Investment casting is ideal for production runs regardless of volumes. While it could be used to make a prototype, other cost-effective measures may be chosen if you are looking to make only one component for a single time.
Since the wax pattern will be the exact replica of the metal component when it is created, investment casting is often used when you need design consistency. This benefit is especially important for parts that can be used in varying applications and industries. The metal component needs to have the same dimensions, geometries and intricacies whether you are making low to high volumes. With investment casting, that dimensional accuracy can be maintained for every casted mold and metal product.
Another advantage to selecting investment casting for the creation of components is that you are not limited by what base metals or metal alloys that can be used. The ceramic molds can handle the melting temperatures and molten characteristics of a wide selection of metals. If the part needs to be made from copper, steel, titanium or a specialty alloy, investment casting processes can typically handle the production process. Both ferrous and nonferrous metals work well with this process.