Why Investment Casting?

The investment casting process, sometimes referred to as the lost wax process, can produce almost any shape from almost any alloy. This manufacturing method is admired as a “net shape” or “near net shape” casting process. To take full advantage of this versatile process you must incorporate as many features into the raw cast component as possible. It sounds difficult, but with an experienced casting design partner like Aero Metals, it is easily doable. There is no other metal working process that provides the design freedom to easily cast complex intricate shapes and assemblies as one. The investment casting process provides for superior surface finishes as compared to sand casted, forged or welded fabrications.

Capitalize On The Benefits Of:

• Lower Tooling Costs
  The initial wax injection mold to produce the patterns, averaged over the part volume, is often lower that other manufacturing tooling costs. Aero Metals produces its molds in-house and are maintained free of charge for the life of the program. A quality tool produces a quality part and will be more cost efficient in the long run. Aero Metals utilizes the latest technology and innovative practices to ensure consistent and precise wax patterns.
• Reliability
  The investment cast procedure at Aero Metals provides reliable process controls and repeatability that are maintained from lot to lot.
• Controlling Tolerances
  Aero Metals is capable of holding +/- .002” in some cases, however, +/- .004”/inch is more characteristic to standard investment casting tolerance. As in many modern methods, the price of the part will increase as the tolerances of the part become tighter and the inspection requirements become more rigid.
• Reduction of Waste
  The investment casting is produced from wax patterns which are reclaimed, remelted, and used again. The wax pattern is used to pre-qualify the metal part and further reducing metal scrap. More importantly, the investment cast process produces parts to net or near net shaped parts which significantly reduces or eliminates the amount of secondary machining waste. Any scrap can also be remelted and poured again. It’s actually very Green!
• Design Freedom & Versatility
  With over 120 different ferrous and non-ferrous casting alloys available, Aero Metals can produce castings in virtually any metal and for any investment cast application. The investment casting process is very versatile and produces a wide range of cast and casting based assemblies for a range of industries. It provides the maximum design flexibility for manufacturing complex, one part structures.
• Value Added Design
  Unlike many other casting production methods, investment castings do not require any draft. The design engineer is free to incorporate such features as logos, numbers, and letters into their component. In addition, thru holes, slots, blind holes, external and internal splines, gears, and thread profiles can be cast to reduce secondary machining time and total part cost.

Aero Metals can help you decide if Investment Castings is the right solution for you. Investment Castings offers a tremendous amount of design flexibility and has proven to be a cost effective metal processing solution. Let Aero Metals show you what Investment Casting can do for you.