FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(FAQs)
General FAQs
Finding the right answers to your initial questions helps you understand how we operate and how we can support your business. This section provides a clear overview of our company, the industries we serve, and our standard procedures for starting new projects and managing large orders. If you cannot find the information you are seeking, please contact our team and we will provide you with an answer as soon as possible.
Can I visit your factory to see manufacturing processes?
Yes absolutely, we are more than happy to welcome you to visit our facilities. To do this, simply book a tour with us via email or WhatsApp.
What drawing formats do you accept?
We accept most commonly used drawing formats. For 2D drawings, we accept Solidworks, JPEG, PDF, DWG, and DXF. For 3D drawings, we accept Solidworks, STEP, IGES, STL, and Parasolid.
We encourage you to include as much information as possible in your drawings and requirements to receive an accurate quotation quickly.
What is the typical lead time from tooling design to finished casting?
Although lead times depend on several factors such as quantity, tolerance requirements, material, and complexity, the typical lead time for a new project usually ranges from 8 to 12 weeks. This timeline depends on part complexity and required secondary processes.
This timeline begins with the tooling design and fabrication phase, which generally takes 4 to 8 weeks to complete. Once the molds and tooling are ready, we move into the initial sample production and testing stage, which typically requires an additional 2 to 4 weeks.
After you have reviewed and approved the initial samples, mass production can begin. Standard production runs usually take between 4 and 6 weeks, although this can vary based on order volume and any specialized heat treatment or surface finishing requirements.
We coordinate every step of the manufacturing process to maintain a predictable schedule and ensure timely delivery of your finished castings.
How long does it take to receive a formal quotation?
Once we receive all necessary technical details and drawings, our engineering team typically provides a detailed quote within two to three business days. For complex projects or specialized secondary processes, the quotation process may take slightly longer.
However, if all requirements such as material grades and testing needs are readily available for us to analyze, we can often provide a formal quotation within 48 hours.
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for custom casting runs?
For custom casting runs, we do not set a rigid minimum order quantity, as we understand that every project has unique requirements.
For new developments, we can produce small batches or even single units to support your functional testing and design validation. As your project moves into mass production, we provide the capacity to handle larger orders while maintaining consistent quality across every part.
While lower quantities are possible for specialized projects, increasing the order volume significantly reduces the unit price of each casting.
Do you support blanket orders with scheduled deliveries?
Yes, we accommodate blanket purchase orders for high-volume projects. We can manufacture the total quantity to ensure price stability and then arrange for staggered deliveries based on your inventory needs. In these cases, payments are typically made upon the dispatch or receipt of each scheduled shipment.
What international shipping terms do you provide?
We provide various shipping terms for our customers to choose from. The most common terms we use include FOB, EXW, CIF, CFR, and DDP. Customers can use either our freight forwarder or their own.
Our logistics team coordinates with reliable freight forwarders to handle both sea and air shipments, ensuring that all necessary customs documentation and certificates are accurately prepared.
What information is required to provide an accurate quote?
To provide an accurate and competitive price quote, our engineering team needs a complete technical overview of your project. Having these details ready allows us to calculate material costs, production time, and any specialized processing requirements without needing multiple rounds of clarification.
Customers should provide us with both detailed 3D drawings and 2D drawings, along with important specifications such as material grades, expected mechanical properties, chemical compositions, machining tolerances, surface roughness requirements, heat treatment requirements, and final surface treatments.
You should also let us know the quantity, as well as any specific testing or certification requirements for your project. Finally, please include the shipping terms you wish to use for the delivery.
Where is SIMIS located?
The headquarters of SIMIS is located in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China. Our manufacturing sites are located in both Shanxi and Hebei Province. If you would like a tour, please contact us to arrange it.
Which industries do you typically serve?
As one of the leading metal casting manufacturers in China, we serve a broad range of industry sectors with thousands of different applications. We cast both commercial components and high-end safety-critical parts for various sectors, including aerospace, railway, automotive, food processing, marine, oil and gas, solar power, chemical processing, mining, construction, and more.
We maintain strict quality control and material traceability to ensure that each and every part meets the specific safety and performance requirements of the industry it serves. For more information, you can check the specific industry sectors on our website.
What payment terms do you provide?
SIMIS typically uses bank transfers for all official payments. Regarding the specific ratio for the deposit and the final balance, we are open to discussing these terms with you to reach a final agreement.
What certification does SIMIS have?
We are an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer, and our operations follow rigorous quality management systems to ensure every part meets international standards and the specific technical requirements of our customers.
Which international markets do you serve?
We serve a global customer base with a strong focus on high-precision industrial markets. Our castings are exported to numerous contries across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
In North America, we frequently work with clients in the United States and Canada, providing specialized parts for the oil and gas, automotive and food processing sectors. Our European presence includes significant partnerships in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, where we meet the high technical standards required for the automotive and railway industries. Additionally, we support the growing industrial infrastructure in Australia and various regions within Southeast Asia.
We maintain clear communication across different time zones, we have established long-term relationships with engineering firms and manufacturing plants worldwide.
Our logistics team is experienced in handling the complexities of international trade, ensuring that our products reach their destination safely and on schedule regardless of the location.
How do you protect customer intellectual property and designs?
We take data security seriously and are happy to sign non disclosure agreements to ensure your proprietary designs and technical information remain strictly confidential.
Manufacturing & Quality FAQs
Our Manufacturing and Quality FAQs section provides detailed information about our production capabilities and quality control standards. You can find answers regarding our casting processes, technical specifications, and general service capabilities. This section also covers questions about our inspection methods, testing procedures, and the certifications and reports used for quality assurance to meet your project requirements.
Production and Technical
Can you assist with mold (tooling) design and optimization?
Yes, tooling and mold design is one of our most prominent areas of expertise. Our engineering team first analyzes your 2D and 3D drawings to determine the most efficient mold structure for casting.
We then use advanced casting simulation software to determine the thermal behavior and solidification patterns of the molten metal. We focus on optimizing the gating system and riser placement to ensure smooth metal flow and minimize common casting defects such as shrinkage, porosity, or cold shuts.
Our team also looks for ways to simplify the tooling design to reduce manufacturing costs without compromising the quality or integrity of the final part.
What are your maximum and minimum weight you can cast?
Our weight limits vary depending on the specific manufacturing process used.
For the investment casting process, we produce parts ranging from a minimum of 0.05 kg to a maximum of 80 kg. This method is ideal for high-precision components with complex geometries and fine surface finishes.
For the sand casting process, the weight range starts from a minimum of 0.5 kg and reaches a maximum of 3,000 kg. This technique is better suited for larger and heavier components where structural volume is more important than extremely fine surface detail.
Can you suggest casting processes for my project?
Suggesting the most appropriate casting process depends on several key factors, including size, weight, structure, and complexity. We also consider your required dimensional tolerances, surface finish, material, quantity, and whether or not machining is required for the part.
We evaluate each project to determine which casting process is the most efficient and cost-effective method for your specific application.
Can you help with casting material selection?
Yes, we can help you choose the best materials for your casting project. We consider all the important factors, such as the operating environment, performance requirements, casting process compatibility, machinability, weldability, and cost-effectiveness.
The thorough evaluation allows us to provide an optimal recommendation for the metal alloys to be used for your project.
What is the minimum tolerance can you achieve?
Our investment casting process achieves tolerances starting from CT4, while our shell mold casting reaches CT7. Our pressure die casting can achieve tolerances as low as CT2 for critical dimensions, and our sand casting process provides CT8.
Do you provide heat treatment for castings?
Yes, our post-casting heat treatment capabilities include annealing, solution annealing, normalizing, tempering, quenching, and case hardening. We also offer specialized treatments like precipitation hardening for specific stainless steel grades.
What is your annual production output?
Our facilities have an annual production capacity of over 10,000 tons of high-quality metal castings. These are produced across our various manufacturing sites through a combination of investment casting, sand casting, gravity die casting, and pressure die casting processes.
Do I own the tooling I paid for?
Yes, once you have paid the tooling or mold charges in full, you own the physical tooling. We store and maintain the tool at our facilities for your exclusive use, and we do not use your specific tooling to produce parts for any other customers.
If you decide to move your production elsewhere, the tooling is yours to collect. However, please note that tools are designed specifically for our injection machines and casting equipment. Tooling built for our process may require significant modification to work with the machinery of another manufacturer.
Which surface treatments are performed in your facility?
Our in-house surface treatment capabilities include powder coating, phosphating, e-coating, painting, anodizing, and as-machined finishes. We also manage several outsourced processes, such as electropolishing, mechanical polishing, hot-dip galvanizing, and black oxidizing.
We take care of the logistics and quality inspection for these external treatments to ensure the finished parts meet your exact specifications upon delivery. By combining these internal and external capabilities, we can deliver fully finished components ready for immediate assembly or use in your specific environment.
Can I get my personalized logos and batch numbers on castings?
Yes, of course. We can incorporate custom logos, part numbers, and batch identification directly into the casting mold or through secondary operations.
Depending on your requirements, we offer several methods, including raised or recessed lettering in the cast design, laser engraving, and mechanical stamping. This ensures full traceability and professional branding for all your components.
Can you recommend specifc surface treatments for my castings to prevent rust?
To prevent rust and improve corrosion resistance, we recommend surface treatments based on your material and operating environment. We select the best treatment by evaluating the exposure conditions and the required lifespan of your components.
For carbon steel and low-alloy steel parts, we suggest hot-dip galvanizing for long-term outdoor protection. Black oxidizing and phosphating provide basic corrosion resistance while maintaining dimensional accuracy. For a more aesthetic and durable finish, powder coating or e-coating provides a robust barrier against moisture and chemicals.
Please let us know your budget, wear resistance requirements, operating environment, and aesthetic requirements so we can provide an optimal surface treatment solution.
Can you work from physical samples or only from digital CAD files?
We can work from both physical samples and digital CAD files. If you provide a physical sample, we use 3D laser scanning and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) technology to perform reverse engineering. It allows us to create a highly accurate digital 3D model from your existing part, which we then use for mold design and production.
Whether you provide a sample or a file, our engineering team performs a thorough design review to make sure the part is optimized for the casting process.
Inspection and Testing
Can you provide a material certificate with my order?
Yes, we provide a material certificate for every order to verify that the raw material has the correct chemical composition to meet your specified standards.
We maintain full traceability for all raw materials used in our production, which ensures that the physical properties of the finished casting match the requirements of the international standards, such as ASTM, DIN, or EN, requested for your project.
Do you provide initial sample inspection report (ISIR)?
Yes, we provide an Initial Sample Inspection Report (ISIR) with your first production run or when a new sample is produced.
This report serves as a formal record to verify that the manufactured parts fully comply with your design specifications and technical requirements before we proceed with full-scale mass production.
How do you manage porosity and internal defects?
While internal defects like porosity are common in metal casting, we minimize these risks through advanced technology and strict process control. We use simulation software to predict shrinkage or gas entrapment, allowing our engineers to optimize gating and riser systems for proper solidification.
To prevent gas porosity, we use degassing treatments and maintain precise control over pouring temperature and speed. We verify internal integrity using X-ray, ultrasonic, and dye penetrant testing.
If porosity occurs, we perform welding repairs with customer approval. For critical components like pumps and valves, we use pressure testing to identify voids and scrap any part that fails to meet standards.
Do you perform 100% visual inspection on every part?
Yes, we perform 100% visual inspection on every part multiple times throughout different stages. This includes inspections after the initial cast, after shot blasting, and after machining or surface treatment. We do not allow any defective parts to leave our factory.
How do you handle parts that do not meet specifications?
We follow a strict non-conformance procedure to use as a safeguard so that no parts failing to meet specifications reach the final shipping stage. Depending on the severity of the non-conformance and your specific requirements, we take one of the following actions.
We either rework the parts to provide immediate replacements, or we perform repairs at our facility. If the parts cannot be repaired, we scrap those pieces and re-cast them to meet the correct specifications.
How long are the records saved for?
Our records are typically saved for one year, but customers can request to extend this period to 3 years. In some situations, the retention period can even be extended further, up to 5 years.
Can you accommodate third party inspections?
Yes, we can accommodate third-party inspection requests from customers. We can work directly with your specified inspection companies or institutions, or we can request a third-party inspection on your behalf.
How do you ensure surface finish quality?
We maintain surface finish quality by monitoring each step of the production process, from the initial tooling preparation to the final treatment. Controlling the surface roughness is a priority to meet your technical requirements.
If a surface treatment is applied to the cast part, we perform a coating thickness test to verify that the required coating thickness is met.
How do you verify dimensional accuracy of castings?
We perform a series of dimensional tests to verify the accuracy of our castings. This includes the use of manual inspection tools such as digital calipers, micrometers, and height gauges. In addition, we provide CMM testing upon request.
For high-volume production, we often use custom-made “Go/No-Go” gauges or inspection fixtures to provide rapid verification of critical dimensions.
How do you manage the life cycle and maintenance of the tooling?
We perform regular maintenance on all tools and dies to prevent dimensional drift. After each production run, the tooling is cleaned, inspected for wear, and stored in a temperature-controlled environment.
If the tooling reaches the end of its life cycle, we notify you in advance to confirm a replacement. Our professional tooling management helps keep production consistent and accurate over several years.
What mechanical testing capabilities do you provide?
We provide a comprehensive range of mechanical testing to verify that our castings meet the strength and durability requirements of your specific application.
Our testing for the mechanical properties of castings includes tensile testing, hardness testing, impact testing (Charpy V-Notch), metallographic analysis, and spectrographic analysis. These tests provide the necessary information to verify the desired mechanical properties of the finished castings.
What documents are provided as part of the standard inspection?
We provide several important documents as a complete record of the manufacturing process and the final quality checks performed on your parts. These documents serve as proof that the components meet all mechanical and chemical requirements before they leave our facility.
Our standard inspection package consists of a material certificate, chemical composition analysis report, dimensional inspection report, and non-destructive testing (NDT) results. We also include surface treatment and finish verification (if post-treatment is applied), as well as visual inspection and photo documentation.
