Investment Casting Process

The investment casting process, also called lost wax casting, is based on one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. It produces near-net shape parts using the following steps:

• Wax is injected into a die to produce a pattern
• Patterns are affixed to a wax runner bar to create an assembly called a “tree”
• A robot dips the tree into a slurry to build up a ceramic shell
• The wax is melted out of the shell using heat and pressure
• The dewaxed ceramic shell is fired at 2000 degrees in a kiln
• Metal is poured into the fired shell
• The ceramic shell is knocked off the casting

Because near-net shape parts are created, investment casting saves time and money by reducing the need for secondary operations.

Our production capabilities cover a broad range of both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including:

• Aluminum
• Brass and bronze 
• Stainless steel
• Carbon steel
• Copper nickel & high-temperature alloys
• Tool steels

Part sizes typically range from one ounce to as much as one hundred pounds for a wide range of the toughest industrial applications, such as:

• Fluid Power
• Oil & Gas
• Food & Dairy
• Medical & Dental
• Power Generation
• Hardware & Locks
• Military
• Agriculture

We have the capacity to handle both large and small-volume runs, as well as prototypes.