Investment Casting
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What Is investment casting?
Investment casting (also known as lost wax investment casting or precision investment casting) produces parts with fine detail and excellent as-cast surface finish. Investment casting produces internal or external features, thin walls, and internal passageways to reach a near-net shape. These features often lead to cost savings in material, labor, and machining compared to other metal casting processes. As a result, investment casting is often ideal for aerospace, defense, energy, and food processing.
In investment casting, a detailed wax pattern of the finished part is created and mounted onto a wax "tree" that includes the metal delivery system (gates and risers). The entire assembly is repeatedly dipped into a ceramic slurry and coated with stucco material. This process is repeated until a thick, durable shell exists over the wax pattern.
Once the shell has been allowed to dry, the wax pattern is melted away, leaving a cavity in the shell that is in the shape of the pattern. Molten metal is poured into this cavity. Once the metal solidifies, the shell is broken away through a shakeout process and the gating material is removed, leaving the finished part.
Our Investment Casting Expertise
MetalTek produces investment castings at our Wisconsin Investcast Division. Wisconsin Investcast is an integrated and highly-automated investment casting foundry and metal additive manufacturer that uses both air melt and vacuum investment casting to serve a range of the world's most demanding industries.
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Part size envelope: up to 60 in. x 50 in. (1525 mm x 1270 mm)
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Air melt: over 2,000 lbs. (907 kg) pour weight, with ship weight up to 1,000 lbs. (454 kg)
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Vacuum melt: up to 300 lbs. (136 kg) pour weight, with ship weight up to 150 lbs. (68 kg)
Every component we manufacture has fine detail and tight tolerances to exact customer specifications. Contact us to learn more.
Investment Casting Video
When to use Investment Casting
Investment casting is a good choice when your application requires:
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Tight tolerances and precise external shaping
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Non-symmetrical parts with fine detail
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Complex internal passageways that cannot be machined
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Small to medium parts under 1,000 lbs. (454 kg)
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A superior as-cast surface finish
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Thinner walls than allowed by sand casting
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A production method where high upfront tooling costs are acceptable
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Tooling for low-volume production using 3D-printed patterns
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Minimized ongoing tool maintenance costs
Contact us to learn more about investment casting and determine whether it is a good fit for your application.
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