VALUE-ADDED SERVICES
One-Stop Manufacturing Solutions with Additional Services
SIMIS is an integrated metal casting manufacturer providing global solutions across many industries. We offer value-added services in addition to metal casting services. Our facilities use CNC centers, heat treatment furnaces, surface treatment lines, and assembly equipment. We also use 3D printing and scanning to support modern engineering needs. These resources allow us to meet customer requirements while controlling quality, lead times, and costs for every project we manage.
What's the Purpose of Additional Services?
We provide value-added services to transform raw castings into finished components. Using CNC centers, we perform precision machining to reach dimensional tolerances that casting alone cannot achieve. For parts needing specific properties, we use heat treatment furnaces to alter the metal structure, making the material meet your requirements for hardness or ductility.
Our surface treatment lines provide protection against harsh conditions and improve the appearance of the metal. If a project requires multiple components, our assembly equipment allows us to join castings using mechanical fastening, press-fitting, or welding. We also use 3D printing and scanning to support the manufacturing cycle, from rapid prototypes to high-accuracy reverse engineering on existing samples.
Combining these technologies allows us to address potential machining or assembly challenges early in the process. Each component moves seamlessly from the foundry through final assembly while staying true to the original design specifications.
Advantages of Using Our Value-Added Services
Providing additional services alongside our metal casting process offers practical advantages for your project. By handling every stage from raw metal to finished part, we simplify the manufacturing cycle and provide better oversight. Our internal capabilities allow us to manage technical consistency across a simplified supply chain, leading to improved quality control and reduced lead times. Eliminating external processing helps maintain consistent technical standards and achieve lower overall costs for your components.
Simplified Supply Chain
We act as a single point of contact for all your manufacturing needs. This reduces the administrative work of managing multiple vendors and coordinating logistics between different factories. You receive a finished component rather than a raw part that requires further transport and processing.
Improved Quality Control
We maintain oversight of the part throughout its entire production cycle. Since we perform the machining, heat treatment, and surface finishing ourselves, we can verify the quality at every stage. The immediate feedback loop allows us to catch and correct potential issues before they reach the final assembly.
Reduced Lead Times
Each component moves directly from our foundry to the next processing station without waiting for external shipping. This seamless transition between departments eliminates the delays often found when parts sit in transit or in a third-party queue. We can schedule production more effectively to meet your deadlines.
Consistent Technical Standards
Our technical team aligns every step with original design specifications. Having the same engineers oversee both casting and secondary processes ensures the final product meets requirements. Coordination between these stages prevents technical misunderstandings often caused by transferring projects between different companies.
Lower Overall Costs
Handling all processes in one location reduces your total expenditure. You save on multiple shipping fees, packaging costs, and the overhead of managing several different contracts. Our ability to optimize the entire workflow often leads to more efficient use of materials and labor.
Viable Metals for Post-Casting Treatments
To meet the final requirements of their intended use, castings often undergo different kinds of post-treatments. We use various metal groups for post-casting treatments to meet specific engineering requirements. Each material responds differently to heat treatment, machining, surface treatment, and welding assembly, allowing us to fully control the final properties and finishes. Most metals are suitable candidates for post-casting treatments, including many types of steels, cast irons, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, and specialized metal alloys such as superalloys.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is one of the most versatile groups for post-casting work. These steels are frequently normalized, quenched, or tempered to adjust hardness and strength. They are also suitable for various protective coatings like galvanizing or painting to prevent oxidation. They can easily be machined and welded.
Alloy Steel
These metals include elements like manganese, chromium, or molybdenum to enhance performance. They are primary candidates for heat treatment cycles to reach high-performance targets. Many alloy steels also undergo specialized surface treatments like nitriding to increase wear resistance.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steels are often solution-annealed to restore corrosion resistance and remove internal stresses after casting. They are highly viable for surface treatments such as passivation, electropolishing, or mirror polishing for both functional and decorative purposes.
Aluminum Alloy
Aluminum castings are commonly subjected to solution and aging treatments (such as T6) to significantly increase their structural strength. They are also widely used with surface treatments like anodizing, which provides both a hard protective layer and a base for color.
Copper Alloy
This group includes various types of brass and bronze. These metals are typically chosen for their natural corrosion resistance and ease of machining. Post-casting, they are often polished or treated with specialized coatings to maintain their appearance and prevent tarnishing in different environments.
Cast Iron
This group includes ductile and gray irons. While ductile iron is often heat-treated to improve strength, both types are frequently stress-relieved to ensure dimensional stability. Their high carbon content makes them excellent for precision machining. Surface treatment like powder coating is often applied.
Titanium Alloy
Titanium alloys undergo specialized post-casting treatments to manage unique grain structures. Vacuum heat treatments improve fatigue strength, while surface coatings like anodizing or thermal spraying enhance wear resistance. Titanium alloy castings are also machined to achieve precise tolerances.
Superalloy
Superalloys are designed for extreme environments. They use complex solution and aging heat treatments to develop high-temperature creep resistance. They also undergo precision grinding or electrical discharge machining (EDM) because of extreme hardness.
Our Assembly Services
In many cases, individual metal castings need to be assembled to function as a whole unit. As part of our one-stop manufacturing solution, we provide various assembly methods to make sure your finished parts are ready for immediate use in their intended application. By performing these operations in-house, we maintain control over the alignment, structural integrity, and tolerances of the completed unit for our customers.
Press-Fit Assembly
We use precision hydraulic and pneumatic equipment to join components that require a tight, interference fit. This method is ideal for inserting bearings, bushings, or shafts into cast housings where a secure, permanent mechanical bond is necessary without the use of heat or additional fasteners for your specific industrial application.
Welding Assembly
Our facility handles various welding techniques to join castings to other cast parts or wrought steel components. This welding assembly process effectively combines large, complex structures that would be difficult to cast as a single piece. We perform both manual and robotic welding to ensure consistent penetration and strength.
Fastening Assembly
We provide complete mechanical assembly using bolts, screws, rivets, and other hardware. Our team manages the sourcing of high-quality fasteners on behalf of customers and uses calibrated tools to achieve the specific torque requirements for your project. This approach is suitable for assemblies that may require future disassembly or maintenance.
Types of Heat Treatments We Provide
Heat treatment is a controlled process used to alter the physical and sometimes chemical properties of a metal. We apply these thermal cycles to achieve the specific hardness, strength, or ductility required for your application. By carefully managing heating and cooling rates, we refine the internal grain structure of the casting to improve its mechanical performance and durability. Our facility is equipped to perform a wide range of thermal processes depending on the alloy and the desired final characteristics of the part.
Annealing
Annealing is a thermal process where we heat a casting to a specific predetermined temperature and hold it there for a set duration before cooling it at a very slow and controlled rate. The technique primarily softens the metal to make it much easier to machine into its final shape without excessive tool wear.
Refining the internal grain structure and relieving residual stresses created during the initial casting process improves the overall ductility, stability, and machinability of the component. The metal reaches a more uniform state through this process, providing the high precision and structural reliability required for your final application.
Normalizing
Normalizing is a heat treatment process where we heat a casting above its critical temperature to transform the grain structure into a uniform austenite phase. The metal then cools in still air to achieve a refined and consistent grain size throughout the entire part.
Normalizing treatment improves the mechanical properties of the casting by enhancing both strength and toughness. The resulting microstructure provides a stable base for subsequent manufacturing steps or final use in demanding environments.
Tempering
Tempering is a heat treatment process where we reheat a previously hardened casting to a temperature below its critical point for a specific duration. This stage reduces the brittleness of the metal while maintaining the necessary hardness and strength achieved during quenching.
The thermal cycle restores a degree of ductility and toughness to the component, making it less likely to crack or fail under impact. Adjusting the tempering temperature allows us to fine-tune the mechanical properties of the part to meet your exact project specifications.
Quenching
Quenching is a thermal process where we heat a casting to a specific high temperature and then rapidly cool it in a medium such as water, oil, or forced air. The sudden drop in temperature transforms the internal structure of the metal into a much harder and stronger phase.
This technique provides the high wear resistance and structural integrity needed for components that operate under heavy loads. The rapid cooling rate requires precise control to prevent internal stresses or distortion in the final part.
Solution Annealing
Solution annealing is a thermal process where we heat a casting to a high temperature to dissolve any secondary phases or carbides back into the solid solution. The metal is then cooled rapidly to trap these elements in place and prevent them from reforming during the cooling cycle.
Solution Annealing is particularly common for stainless steels and other high-alloy metals to restore maximum corrosion resistance and improve ductility. The process ensures a homogeneous microstructure, which allows the component to withstand harsh chemical environments and high-stress conditions.
Case Hardening
Case hardening is a thermal process where we introduce carbon or nitrogen into the surface layer of a casting at high temperatures. This treatment creates a hard, wear-resistant outer shell while the core of the component remains tough and ductile.
The resulting part can withstand high surface friction and impact without cracking or failing under heavy loads. Maintaining this balance between a hard exterior and a flexible interior provides the long-term durability required for gears, shafts, and other high-stress machinery components.
Nitriding
Nitriding is a surface hardening process where we introduce nitrogen into the surface of a solid ferrous alloy by holding the metal at a temperature below its lower critical point. The nitrogen atoms diffuse into the surface of the part to create a layer of hard nitrides without the need for a rapid quenching cycle.
This technique results in minimal distortion and high dimensional stability compared to other hardening methods. The treated surface provides excellent wear resistance and improved fatigue life for components that operate in high-friction environments.
Carbonitriding
Carbonitriding is a surface hardening process where we introduce both carbon and nitrogen into the surface of the metal at high temperatures. The addition of nitrogen increases the hardenability of the outer layer, allowing the part to achieve high surface hardness even with slower cooling rates.
This technique creates a casing that is highly resistant to wear and softening at elevated temperatures. The process provides a reliable solution for small, mass-produced components that require high strength and precision after heat treatment.
Precipitation Hardening
Precipitation hardening is a thermal process where we heat a metal to a specific temperature to create a solid solution and then cool it rapidly to hold the alloying elements in place. Reheating the part at a lower temperature for a set time allows fine particles to form or precipitate throughout the metal structure.
These precipitates act as barriers to internal movement, which significantly increases the yield strength and hardness of the alloy. The technique is commonly used for specialized metals like aluminum alloys and stainless steels to achieve superior mechanical properties for railway, automotive, aerospace or high-pressure applications.
Our Surface Treatment Solutions
Surface treatments represent the final stage of our manufacturing process and determine the environmental resistance and appearance of the finished casting. We apply these specialized finishes to protect the metal from corrosion, wear, and chemical exposure. The selected treatment also allows the part to meet specific aesthetic requirements or dimensional tolerances needed for its final use. Providing these solutions in-house or through our vetted partners helps us maintain a consistent quality standard for every component we deliver.
Powder Coating
Powder coating is a dry finishing process where we apply an electrostatic charge to a polymer powder on the casting surface. The part then cures in an oven to form a durable, high-quality protective layer. This treatment provides excellent resistance to chemicals, corrosion, and impact damage.
Electrocoating
E-coating provides a high-performance protective finish that ensures 100% surface coverage, even for parts with complex internal geometries or deep recesses. This treatment offers superior corrosion resistance and a uniform thickness that acts as an excellent primer or a durable functional finish.
Painting
Painting offers a versatile finishing solution for castings requiring specific aesthetic colors. This treatment provides a reliable protective barrier against moisture and chemicals. It is effective for large components where immersion is impractical, ensuring a professional and consistent appearance.
Black Oxidizing
Black oxidizing is a chemical conversion coating used to improve the appearance and performance of ferrous metals. This treatment provides a sleek matte finish while enhancing corrosion resistance and reducing light reflection. It adds minimal thickness, making it ideal for parts with very tight tolerances.
Electroplating
Electroplating deposits a thin metal layer onto castings to enhance properties like wear resistance and electrical conductivity. This treatment provides a premium decorative finish while improving corrosion protection. It is a cost-effective solution for achieving functional characteristics, quality appearance.
Anodizing
Anodizing creates a durable, non-conductive oxide layer that protects aluminum castings from wear and corrosion. This electrochemical process produces a hard surface that can be dyed in various colors. It is an ideal solution for achieving high-performance protection and decorative appeal.
As-Machined
As-machined finishes provide the natural surface of a casting directly after the machining process. This option is ideal for parts requiring precise dimensional tolerances or a raw industrial look. It offers a clean, functional surface without adding extra coating layers or costs.
Hot-Dip Galvanizing
Hot-dip galvanizing provides a thick zinc layer that creates a metallurgical bond with the steel casting. This treatment offers unmatched protection against corrosion in harsh outdoor environments. It is a highly durable, maintenance-free solution for achieving long-term structural integrity.
Mechanical Polishing
Mechanical polishing uses abrasive materials to create a smooth, reflective surface on metal castings. This process eliminates surface imperfections while reducing friction and bacterial buildup. It is ideal solution for achieving high-quality decorative finishes or meeting strict sanitary requirements.
Electropolishing
Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that removes a microscopically thin layer from metal surfaces. This treatment eliminates burrs and imperfections, improving corrosion resistance and cleanliness. It provides a finish ideal for medical, food, and pharmaceutical applications requiring ultra-clean surfaces.
Industries Benefit From Our Value-Added Services
At SIMIS, our value-added services provide tailored solutions for diverse industry sectors. We integrate advanced manufacturing with specialized finishing to help components function reliably in safety-critical applications. This approach reduces lead times and optimizes product life cycles. Our engineers collaborate with clients to navigate technical challenges from design to delivery, producing high-quality parts that meet rigorous global standards.
Bringing Your Designs Into Reality
At SIMIS, we effectively help our customers bridge the gap between initial concepts and physical production by using advanced technologies. Integrating precision digital tools with traditional manufacturing allows us to accelerate development cycles and help every part meet exact specifications. These capabilities allow us to refine designs and optimize performance before manufacturing begins. We use these modern techniques to reduce lead times, minimize material waste, and identify potential issues early in the engineering phase.
3D Printing Rapid Prototyping
3D printing rapid prototyping creates physical models faster than traditional methods. Quick iterations and functional testing verify fit prior to permanent tooling. Accurate patterns reduce development risks and project timelines. Additive manufacturing allows for complex geometries difficult to produce with standard machining.
Directly printing sand molds or wax patterns eliminates the need for expensive metal tooling. Our engineers can also use metal 3D printing to produce finished parts directly from digital files, providing an excellent solution for low-quantity production. This process enables highly complex metal parts with internal cavities that traditional patterns cannot achieve. Digital production helps identify potential shrinkage or flow issues before mass production begins.
3D Scanning Reverse Engineering
3D scanning reverse engineering captures precise physical dimensions and converts them into digital CAD models. High-resolution laser scanners collect data points to map complex geometries, internal cavities, and worn surfaces. This digital reproduction allows for accurate documentation of legacy components lacking original blueprints or technical drawings.
This technology improves original designs before pouring new metal. Engineers use scanned data to analyze wall thickness, detect weaknesses, and create molds for discontinued parts. Recreating replicas or optimized versions allows replacement components to fit perfectly within existing assemblies. Our team uses these digital files to perform quality inspections by comparing finished parts against the original scanned master.
Advanced Casting Simulation
Advanced casting simulation uses computer-aided engineering to model the entire metal pouring and solidification process within a virtual environment. Our engineers input specific alloy properties and mold designs to predict how molten metal will flow through the gating system. This virtual trial allows for the identification of potential air entrapment, turbulence, or cold shuts before any physical molds are created.
Running simulations prevents casting defects like porosity and shrinkage. Engineers use the data to optimize risers and runners, maximizing yield and reducing scrap. This predictive approach leads to consistent mechanical properties across production runs. Refining parameters digitally helps deliver high-quality parts with shorter lead times and lower costs.
Our Core Metal Casting Services
SIMIS is a leading metal casting foundry in China. We offer multiple metal casting services, including investment casting, pressure die casting, gravity die casting, sand casting, and shell mold casting. We provide comprehensive manufacturing solutions to meet your project requirements.
Value-Added Services Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)
What surface treatment options are available to prevent corrosion?
Our facility provides several solutions to protect metal surfaces from environmental wear. Powder coating creates a thick, resilient layer that resists chemicals and impacts. Painting offers a versatile finish for various environmental conditions and color requirements.
Galvanizing applies a protective zinc coating to prevent rust on steel components. Chemical plating uses an electrochemical process to deposit a thin layer of corrosion-resistant metal onto the casting. Anodizing for aluminum parts creates a dense oxide layer that improves natural resistance to oxidation.
E-coating provides a uniform protective film that reaches deep into internal cavities and complex geometries. These methods shield the substrate from moisture and oxygen to prolong the service life of every part.
What is the difference between powder coating and painting?
Powder coating generally offers higher durability and environmental resistance, while liquid painting provides greater flexibility in color matching and application thickness.
Powder coating involves applying a dry resin electrostatically and curing it in an oven to create a thick, hard finish. The thermal bonding process produces a layer that resists scratches, chipping, and fading better than most liquid alternatives. This method also creates a more consistent surface on parts with complex geometries.
Liquid painting uses a solvent-based mixture applied with a spray system that hardens as the liquid evaporates. Paint allows for a much wider range of custom colors and specialized finishes that powder cannot achieve. Liquid application also works better for parts that cannot be heated or for components requiring very thin coatings to maintain tight dimensional tolerances. Powder coating remains a more efficient process as the dry material can be recovered and reused, whereas liquid paint produces more waste during application.
How do you prepare a casting surface for optimal coating adhesion?
Surface preparation removes oxides and surface imperfections to create a stable, micro-textured base for the final finish. Sandblasting uses high-velocity abrasive media to strip away scale and contaminants from the metal. Shot blasting achieves a similar result while also providing a slight compressive stress layer to the material. These mechanical processes roughen the surface to allow for mechanical interlocking between the coating and the substrate.
Chemical cleaning involves degreasing and pickling to remove oils, waxes, and embedded residues from the casting process. Acid etching provides a clean, reactive surface that prevents the coating from peeling or flaking under stress. This combination of mechanical and chemical cleaning eliminates potential failure points and ensures the coating remains bonded for the entire service life of the part.
Can you apply a specific brand of paint?
Yes absolutely, we accommodate client specifications for particular liquid paint brands and formulations. Our team works with various global coating suppliers to meet exact color codes and technical performance standards.
We integrate these specified materials into our standard application process after verifying the compatibility of the paint with our surface preparation and curing systems. This allows our engineers to achieve the exact aesthetic and protective properties required for your specific industry or brand identity. We also maintain a detailed log of the application parameters for every custom coating to help future production runs remain consistent.
What is the advantage of using E-coating over traditional powder coating?
E-coating provides better coverage for complex geometries and internal cavities that spray-based methods cannot reach. This dipping process creates a uniform film thickness across every surface of a casting.
The electrochemical application of E-coating creates a dense, protective layer that resists corrosion better than many traditional finishes. This method involves submerging the entire part in a liquid bath, allowing the coating to bond to recessed areas and intricate internal channels. Powder coating relies on an electrostatic spray that often struggles with the Faraday cage effect, leaving tight corners or deep pockets unprotected.
E-coating also produces a thinner, more controlled layer that helps parts maintain tight dimensional tolerances for assembly. This process generates less waste and supports high-volume production with consistent results. While powder coating offers higher impact resistance and a wider range of colors, E-coating serves as a more effective primer or standalone finish for parts requiring total surface protection in harsh environments.
How does heat treatment help improve the performance of a cast part?
Heat treatment improves the mechanical properties of a casting by modifying its internal grain structure through controlled thermal cycles. This process allows the material to meet specific strength and durability requirements that are not possible in the as-cast state.
The application of heat changes how atoms are arranged within the metal. Heating the part to a specific temperature and holding it there allows the internal structure to become more uniform. Rapid cooling, or quenching, then traps the atoms in a high-strength state. Following this with a tempering stage reduces brittleness and increases toughness, allowing the component to withstand impact without cracking.
For safety-critical applications, these treatments are necessary to achieve the high yield strength and fatigue resistance needed for long-term operation. Heat treatment also improves the machinability of the metal, making it easier to achieve precise dimensions during the finishing stages. By tailoring the heating and cooling rates, our engineers can create a part that is hard on the surface to resist wear while remaining ductile in the core to absorb energy.
What types of case hardening do you offer?
We offer carburizing, nitriding, induction hardening, and flame hardening to create a wear-resistant exterior while maintaining a tough and ductile core to handle impact loads. These methods provide a specific gradient of hardness across the surface of a metal casting.
Carburizing involves heating the part in a carbon-rich environment to allow carbon atoms to diffuse into the surface layer. This process creates a high-carbon skin that can be hardened through quenching to achieve superior surface durability. Nitriding uses a similar diffusion technique but introduces nitrogen at lower temperatures to minimize the risk of warping or dimensional changes.
Induction hardening uses electromagnetic induction to rapidly heat only the surface of the part before quenching it. This method allows our engineers to target specific areas like gear teeth or bearing surfaces without affecting the properties of the rest of the component. Flame hardening serves a similar purpose by using an intense oxy-fuel flame to heat localized zones. These techniques allow for a part that resists surface abrasion during operation while staying flexible enough to prevent structural failure under stress.
What types of welding techniques do you use for assemblying?
We use TIG welding, MIG welding, and spot welding to join cast components into complex finished assemblies. These techniques allow for the creation of structural bonds that meet the mechanical requirements of the final product.
TIG welding uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. This method provides high levels of control and precision, making it suitable for thin materials and intricate joints where a clean, high-quality bead is necessary. MIG welding uses a continuously fed wire electrode and shielding gas to join metals quickly. This process is efficient for larger assemblies and thicker sections of metal, providing strong penetration and high deposition rates.
Spot welding uses electrical resistance to join overlapping metal surfaces at specific points. This technique is often used for attaching brackets or sheet metal components to castings without the need for filler material. We select the specific welding method based on the material alloy, the required load-bearing capacity, and the complexity of the assembly design. Our team also performs post-weld heat treatments when necessary to relieve internal stresses and restore the structural integrity of the joint area.
How do you verify the dimensions of the completed assembly?
We use coordinate measuring machines (CMM) on demand, custom functional gauges, and digital calipers to check the accuracy of a completed assembly. These methods confirm that every component is aligned correctly and meets the specified geometric tolerances.
When requested, our technicians program the CMM to use a physical probe to measure specific points with high precision. This technique verifies the distance between holes, the flatness of mounting surfaces, and the concentricity of rotating parts. This on-demand service provides a repeatable and documented verification of critical dimensions according to the technical drawing of the assembly.
For high-volume production, we use custom-built functional gauges that allow for rapid pass or fail checks of critical interfaces. These gauges replicate the mating parts in your final system to verify that the assembly fits as intended. We also use high-resolution digital calipers and micrometers for manual spot checks of external dimensions and thicknesses. These combined inspection steps prevent errors that could arise from the stacking of tolerances across multiple parts.
Do you offer custom kitting for assembled parts?
We offer custom kitting for assembled parts as a standalone service to help you manage your inventory and production line. This process groups multiple finished assemblies and necessary hardware into a single package according to your specific bill of materials.
We use specialized packaging and clear labeling to prevent damage and help your team identify parts quickly during final installation. This organization reduces the time spent on your assembly line and minimizes the risk of missing components.
What materials are available for rapid prototyping?
We use sand, specialized resins, and various metal alloys to produce high-fidelity prototypes. These materials allow our team to match the functional needs of a part before moving into full-scale production.
Sand provides a cost-effective way to create complex molds and cores for temporary casting trials. Resins allow for the creation of intricate, high-resolution models with smooth surfaces for visual and fitment testing. Metal alloys, including aluminum and steel, produce functional prototypes that can undergo actual stress and thermal testing. Using these diverse materials helps identify design issues early in the development cycle.
Can you 3D print aluminum parts?
We produce functional aluminum parts through metal 3D printing for specialized applications and low-volume production. This process allows our team to manufacture complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve through traditional casting methods alone.
We use the aluminum alloy grade AlSi10Mg for its excellent thermal properties and high strength-to-weight ratio. This material is particularly effective for components requiring thin walls or intricate internal cooling channels. The resulting parts possess mechanical properties comparable to traditional cast aluminum while offering greater design freedom.
3D printed aluminum components help verify the performance and fit of a design before investing in permanent tooling. This method supports the production of lightweight parts for the aerospace and automotive industries where weight reduction is a primary goal.
