When comparing the difference between investment casting vs CNC machining, choosing the right production method for metal components requires a direct evaluation of manufacturing capabilities, material characteristics, and production volumes....
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INVESTMENT CASTING SERVICES
High-Quality Custom & OEM Investment Castings
SIMIS is a professional metal casting foundry in China, providing high-quality investment casting services. We combine advanced investment casting techniques with stringent quality control measures to produce high-precision components for diverse industries. With decades of experience, we have been supplying both OEM and custom investment casting components for clients around the world, using our industry-leading rapid-drying and silica sol investment casting processes.
At SIMIS, our investment casting services include not only casting the components, but also offering a complete package, including tool-making, machining, post-casting treatments, and comprehensive quality control. Our engineering team provides support during the design phase to optimize part geometry for the casting process. Every part undergoes rigorous inspection, including chemical analysis, mechanical testing, and non-destructive testing, so that it meets exact technical specifications.
How Does Investment Casting Work?
Investment casting, also known as lost wax or precision casting, is a highly precise metal casting technique. The process starts by creating a wax pattern that replicates the final part. This pattern is attached to a central wax sprue to form a “wax tree.” The tree is dipped into a ceramic slurry and coated with refractory material, such as mullite or zircon sand, to form a strong ceramic shell around the wax.
After the shell dries, it is heated in a furnace to melt out the wax pattern, leaving a hollow mold. The ceramic mold is then heated and molten metal is poured into the cavity. Once the metal solidifies, the castings are cut from the sprue and moved to finishing steps, such as shot blasting, grinding, or heat-treating.
Investment Casting is a multi-step metal casting process that can produce castings with complex shapes and intricate internal features. It also guarantees high dimensional accuracy and consistency, resulting in near-net-shape parts that require minimal post-machining.
Advantages of Investment Casting
Investment casting offers numerous advantages, such as the ability to cast parts with complex shapes, smooth surface finishes, high accuracy, material versatility, and design flexibility. All of these advantages can have a significant impact on the choice of casting method used for delivering a successful project, considering factors such as material, tolerance requirements, part structure, size, and weight, as well as cost-effectiveness. SIMIS uses silica sol and rapid-drying investment casting techniques to provide high-quality parts for customers with diverse requirements.
Complex Geometry
Investment casting produces parts with complex shapes and intricate designs, especially internal features such as passages and cavities, which are made possible through the use of ceramic cores. These internal features can be difficult or even impossible to cast by other methods.
Smooth Surface Finish
Investment casting is known for producing parts with highly smooth surface finishes. At SIMIS, we use premium materials for wax patterns and high-quality refractory materials for shell building, resulting in parts cast by investment casting with superior surface quality.
Material Versatility
One of the most pronounced advantages of investment casting is its material versatility; it can cast both non-ferrous and ferrous metals. This includes hundreds of different grades of carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels, cast iron, aluminum, zinc, brass, bronze, and more.
High Precision
Investment casting is a highly precise metal casting technique, known for its ability to produce parts with high dimensional accuracy. We are fully capable of producing parts with tight tolerances using investment casting, typically within the range of CT4 to CT7.
Reduced Machining
Another benefit of the investment casting process is that it can be used to cast parts very close to their final dimensions. This near-net-shape capability reduces the need for excessive machining and lowers overall production costs.
Investment Casting Materials
Investment casting is a versatile process for many alloys. SIMIS meets international material standards including ASTM, AISI, SAE, BS, EN, DIN, ISO, and GB. We produce high quality castings using carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper alloys at our foundries. These materials fit many applications in different markets. We choose either silica sol or rapid drying techniques to achieve the best results while reducing costs for our customers.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel provides great corrosion resistance, good mechanical property and aesthetics. Investment casting produces stainless steel parts used in industries where corrosion resistance is top priority. Common grades include 304(l), 316(l), 430, 17-4 PH and 2205, etc.
Alloy Steel
For investment castings that require advanced performance, we use alloy steels. These are customized carbon steels formulated with supplementary alloying elements to dramatically boost and optimize the material's inherent properties. Common grades include 4130, 4140, 4340 and 8620, etc.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is frequently used in investment casting due to its cost-effectiveness, good mechanical properties, and wear resistance, and because it can be easily machined. Various grades of low-carbon, medium-carbon, and high-carbon steels are regularly cast at our foundry.
Aluminum Alloy
Aluminum alloy has low density, good thermal and electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Parts produced by investment casting can achieve light weight, high dimensional accuracy, complex structures, and excellent surface smoothness. Common grades include A356, A357, F357, etc.
Superalloy
Superalloy is a common choice for investment casting because of its thermal stability, high strength, and resistance to oxidation, particularly in extreme environments. Our foundry regularly pours many grades of nickel based, cobalt based, and iron based alloys to meet specific performance needs.
Titanium Alloy
Titanium alloy is a frequent selection for investment casting because of its light weight, high mechanical strength, and ability to resist corrosion in harsh environments. Titanium investment castings are typically used in medical, oil and aerospace sectors as they satisfy such requirements.
Our Advanced Investment Casting Capabilities & Expertise
With over 40 years of experience, our investment casting services provide design customization, reverse engineering, weight reduction, and material suggestions. We use a technical approach to solve tough challenges with our customers. Our engineers use simulation software and precision tooling to cast parts of various sizes and complexity. This includes extremely small parts, thin walled parts, and complex components that require tight tolerances and a high quality surface finish.
Small Parts Casting
We have the capability to produce parts that are typically under 100 grams in weight and 10 mm in size. These components can be highly complex and often feature intricate internal structures.
Thin-Walled Parts Casting
We use investment casting to produce precision thin-walled parts. Our expertise minimizes material thickness for weight savings and maximizes design freedom, allowing complex, consolidated components to meet the tightest specifications.
Complex Parts Casting
We specialize in casting highly complex parts. Our investment casting process allows us to replicate intricate internal structures and challenging geometries that other methods simply can't handle.
Industries Benefit From Investment Casting
Because of its many advantages, such as creating complex, high-precision parts with smooth surfaces and diverse metal grades, investment casting is common in the automotive, medical, railway, mining, construction, and aerospace markets. At SIMIS, parts cast by our investment casting technique are supplied to hundreds of applications across these industries, including commercial and safety components. This process allows us to provide high-precision metal parts that meet strict industry standards for reliability and performance.
Typical Investment Casting Products
Taiyuan SIMIS Investment Casting Co., Ltd. has been supplying high-quality investment castings over the past few decades. The components cast through our investment casting services have utilized many grades of metal and are used in a wide range of applications. From general daily products to highly specified safety-critical parts, and from castings as small as only a few grams to parts over 100 kgs, our exceptional services have delivered quality parts to customers around the world, earning their return business year after year.
Clamp Lock Head
Mateiral: Alloy steel
Application: Rail point machine
Linkage Bracket
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Construction machinery
Tablet Holder Support
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Consumer electronics
Junction Box
Mateiral: Aluminum alloy
Application: Aerospace
Generator Housing
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Oil & Gas
Lower Support
Mateiral: Carbon steel
Application: Engineering machinery
Throttle Body
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Automotive
Cross Coupling Protector
Mateiral: Alloy steel
Application: Oil & Gas
Lock Parts
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Security hardware
Frame
Mateiral: Alloy steel
Application: Industrial machinery
Impeller
Mateiral: Copper alloy
Application: Chemical pumps
Guide Vane Chamber
Mateiral: Stainless steel
Application: Water treatment
Our Advanced Investment Casting Equipment & Facilities
Advanced equipment provides the foundation for quality investment casting services. We have invested in facilities at both of our foundries, integrating automated wax injection machines, robotic shell building machines, and automated drying chambers alongside manual equipment. These technologies at different stages of the investment casting process increase quality and efficiency while reducing overall costs.
Automated Wax Injection Machines
For almost every investment casting component, the quality of the wax pattern directly impacts the quality of the final casting. At SIMIS, we understand this important link and utilize advanced, automated wax injection machines to create precise and consistent patterns.
Our automated wax injection process minimizes manual handling, reducing the risk of defects and making sure that the final castings accurately reflect the intended design. We can guarantee the quality of the wax pattern and simultaneously increase the overall production efficiency.
Robotic Shell Building Machines
Beyond the traditional manual shell building process, implementing advanced automated dipping and coating machines allows us to create more complex and robust shell structures for demanding investment castings.
These machines allow for precise control over multiple dipping and coating cycles, to achieve optimal shell strength and integrity, even for intricate and challenging casting designs. Our robotic shell building machines work together with our automated drying system, significantly improves the effeciency of the shell buidling process.
Automated Controlled Drying System
we utilize an automated controlled drying system for our ceramic shells, significantly enhancing both the consistency and efficiency of our shell-building process. This system ensures uniform drying throughout the process by maintaining precise control over temperature, humidity, and airflow.
The automated movement of shells through precisely controlled drying zones optimizes drying times and maximizes production capacity. This controlled environment is crucial for preventing cracking and other defects in the shells, which directly translates to improved dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and faster turnaround times for our stainless steel casting orders.
Why Choose SIMIS For Investment Casting Services?
SIMIS is an ISO 9001 certified foundry. We use advanced facilities and investment casting processes to produce high-quality components with reduced costs and shortened lead times. With our technology and casting simulation, we provide tight tolerances and defect-free parts. Choosing SIMIS means choosing a reliable supplier that provides a one-stop manufacturing solution. From casting to finished products, we handle the entire process.
Superior Quality
All investment castings are thoroughly inspected at our facilities before they are packed and shipping out to our global customers.
High Precision
We provide critical dimensions as accurate as CT4 by using our advanced investment casting technique for manufacturing complex geometries.
Casting Simulation
Our casting simulation software can precisely simulate the casting outcome, which minimizes defects and optimizes designs.
One-Stop Solution
Alongside our investment casting, we offer a full range of pre-casting and post-casting services to provide complete manufacturing solutions for your projects.
Competitive Pricing
With our rich experience, cutting-edge technology, advanced equipment, and streamlined manufacturing process, we can provide quality castings at competitive prices.
Fast Turnaround
With our advanced investment casting process, metal parts are produced with 20% reduced lead time compared to most local competitors in the industry.
Value-Added Services
As a manufacturer of high-quality investment castings, we provide a wide range of additional services. Our facilities include multi-purpose heat treatment equipment, 4-axis and 5-axis CNC machining centers, surface treatment and assembly workshops, and fully equipped testing labs. These in-house services allow control over quality, costs, and lead times, providing ready-to-use castings.
Investment Casting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What's the lead time of a new design?
The lead time for investment casting often depends on the part’s design, including its structure, complexity (such as thin walls or intricate internal features), material (as some less common grades can take time to source), and order quantity, among other factors. Generally speaking, for any new design, the tooling and sample manufacturing can take about 30-45 days. For very complex designs, this period can extend even longer. After sample approval, production typically takes about 30-60 days, depending on the order quantity. This is just an estimate, as the actual lead time can vary based on specific designs. To get an accurate lead time for your project, speaking with our experts is the best approach.
How do you deal with parts with defects?
Realistically speaking, just like any casting process, defects can happen in investment casting. Some can appear as early as the wax tree assembly stages, such as defective wax models. Some can appear after raw castings have been produced. And some can appear after machining. Depending on the types of defects, we choose several different methods to tackle them, such as welding repair for defects like shrinkage and gas porosity, misruns, sand inclusions, etc. If unfixable, we then scrap these castings and melt them down for the next batch. However, no parts with defects can leave our factory, so we always do 100% inspection on all castings, including visual inspection, mechanical testing, chemical testing, dimension checking, and more.
Is investment casting right for my project?
Investment Casting has several advantages yet, it comes with some limitations, not all parts are suitable to be cast by the investment casting process. SIMIS is an experienced foundry. We guide you in choosing the best casting process and material grades for your project.
Our services include fixing design flaws and using simulations to predict outcomes. We evaluate cost, application, and technical needs to identify the most effective process for your parts.
What if my part is too heavy?
Investment casting is a very robust casting process, but there are certain limitations, such as size and weight. If your part is too heavy (let’s say over 200kgs), we can recommend that you use our sand casting or lost foam casting services, as we have a sand casting factory and a lost foam casting workshop for parts that are particularly large and heavy. So, let us know your part’s dimensions and weight, and we can help you decide which process is best for you.
What kind of drawing format do you accept?
We accept formats such as STEP, STL, IGES and DWG. We will let you know if the file format can be used by our engineers or not. We can normally convert the file format ourselves, otherwise we will need to request files in different formats.
What's your MOQ for investment casting?
We do not normally have a minimum order requirement for custom designs. The higher the quantity, the better discounts we can offer. However, this also depends on the material; if it’s a special grade, then our MOQ would be 150 kgs.
Do I own the tooling I paid for?
Yes, the tooling is fully owned by the customer and will only be used for the production of the customer’s products. Customers have the right to the tooling as their intellectual property, and it will not be used for other customers.
Is investment casting more expensive than other casting methods?
Not necessarily. Although investment casting is a multi-step process that uses expendable wax patterns, the tooling cost could be significantly lower than in other processes, especially compared to that of die casting.
While the cost may generally be higher on a per-part basis, for small to medium volume production, investment casting may still be less costly than other processes like sand casting, shell mold casting, or die casting.
Can you cast iron parts use investment casting?
We currently do not cast iron components using the investment casting process; instead, we produce iron castings using lost foam casting and shell mold casting. If you require iron parts to be cast by investment casting, we can provide such services through our partner foundries.
I have my own tooling, can you cast directly from it?
Generally speaking, we can cast parts and components directly based on tooling provided by customers. However, some slight tooling adaptation adjustments may be made.
These adjustments may include wax injection machine interface modifications (clamping plates, T-slot fixings, injection points, etc), tool wear refurbishing, and dimensional modification for metal shrinkage (other foundries may use different wax blends, which affects metal shrinkage).
Investment Casting Knowledge Base
You can find investment casting-related articles in this section. We hope you learn important information and gain advanced insights from these topics. Let our investment casting expertise help you make informed decisions when choosing a reliable foundry that provides comprehensive services. Investment casting is the most precise metal casting process, and our articles cover a ton of useful information about this advanced process and its many advantages.
The Complete Guide to Silica Sol Investment Casting
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