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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Frequently Asked Questions
Investment casting offers several key benefits, including the ability to produce parts with fine detail and an excellent as-cast surface finish. It allows for intricate internal and external features, thin walls, and complex internal passageways, often resulting in reduced material usage and machining costs.
A wide range of metals can be used in investment casting processes, including various grades of steel (stainless, carbon, alloy), aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys, cobalt alloys, and copper-based alloys. The choice of alloy depends on the specific application requirements.
Investment castings typically exhibit a superior as-cast surface finish compared to other casting methods like sand casting, often eliminating or significantly reducing the need for secondary machining for surface refinement.
This method is known for its ability to hold tight dimensional tolerances, allowing for the production of near-net shape components that require minimal post-casting machining.
Yes, the process is excellent for creating parts with complex internal passageways, intricate external details, and non-symmetrical shapes that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with other casting methods.
At MetalTek's Wisconsin Investcast Division, we can produce parts with a size envelope of up to 60 inches x 50 inches. Air melt capabilities allow for pour weights over 2,000 lbs, with a ship weight up to 1,000 lbs. Vacuum melt capabilities support pour weights up to 300 lbs, with a ship weight up to 150 lbs.
While the initial tooling costs for investment casting can be higher, it is suitable for a range of production volumes. For low volumes, 3D-printed patterns can help reduce upfront tooling costs. For medium to high volumes, the precision and reduced machining can lead to overall cost efficiencies.
Due to its precision and ability to produce complex parts, investment casting is frequently used in demanding industries such as aerospace, defense, energy, medical, and food processing.
MetalTek maintains stringent quality control procedures, including dimensional inspections, non-destructive testing (NDT) such as magnetic particle inspection, liquid penetrant testing, and radiographic testing, as well as material testing to ensure adherence to customer specifications.
Investment casting requires the creation of precise molds to produce the wax patterns. While initial tooling costs can be higher than some other casting methods, the durability of the tooling can lead to lower ongoing maintenance costs. 3D printing of patterns offers a cost-effective solution for lower volumes.
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