Anyone who’s in the field of metalwork is aware of the fact that various casting methods can be used to turn molten metals into specific shapes and designs for commercial and industrial purposes. However, if you’re interested to determine which of these casting methods would best affect your bottom-line profits, you may want to take a closer look at the advantages that investment casting has over other options.
Investment Casting vs. Die Casting
Since the process involved in die casting involves forcing molten metal into a mold cavity, it would require the use of hardened tool steel for tooling. This implies that start-up costs to new programs can become extremely expensive. Moreover, the fact that a tool wears quickly means that you’ll need to spend on refurbishments and replacements throughout its life. The usefulness of the die casting method is also limited because it won’t work well for ferrous metals such as stainless steel and carbon steel. On the other hand, the process of investment casting involves injecting wax into a less expensive aluminum cavity that’s also easier to cut and cheaper to maintain. Aside from the fact that wax is easier on tooling, investment casting can also be used for both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Investment Casting vs. Sand Casting
Since cavities for sand castings are created by making a negative in a bed of sand, each sand shell produces a rough exterior to castings. Therefore, extensive work to create a surface finish is necessary. Compared to investment castings, sand castings couldn’t hold as tight of tolerances and will need more machining. A much smoother finish is made possible by using investment casting because the process uses a ceramic mold. This implies that the amount of machining needed after casting is significantly reduced. Plus, for most of its applications, it holds a .0005”/inch tolerance.
Looking for Information About Investment Casting?
If you want to know more about investment casting, reach out to one of Ferralloy’s sales professionals today.