DGI have made significant advances in the processing of aluminium investment castings which have resulted in a marked improvement in quality and repeatability.The key areas of development are in the shell type and construction with much tighter control of melting temperatures and use of de oxidants.We have always been able to produce good quality investment cast aluminium parts but we have now taken this to a new level, enabling us to produce more complex shapes with fine detail and thinner sections. Our post cast processing has also improved significantly which helps to protect the surface condition of the casting.

Labels: investment casting

Manual handling is a major health and safety issue, not just for investment casting but for all areas of industry. With investment casting specifically, there is a need to keep mould sizes as big as possible in order to keep prices as keen as possible- and that means heavy moulds. DGI have invested heavily in manual handling aids including robotic mould transfer systems in the investment area and hydraulic handling equipment in other areas. The use of the robotic manipulator in the investment area also helps with lead times as the unit can run around the clock with minimal human input. It also ensures a high level of repeatability which adds to the over all quality of the components.

Labels: investment casting

Doom and gloom continues to make the headlines, costs escalating, companies losing turnover and profit, short time working and so on and so on. But at DGI we see a real opportunity to continue the ambitious growth that we have experienced over the last three years.
Our business model is simple but effective; low cost UK manufactured parts with a low controlled overhead for the “buy British” brigade, or where the numbers are low; lower cost sourcing from our supply partners in China with the proven quality management and procedures to guarantee a smooth transition for parts that are currently sourced from less commercially advantageous locations.
Investment castings, commercial grade investment castings and sand castings all benefit significantly from our proven supply routes in China; allied to the very best engineered solutions that we can offer to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks assosciated with low cost sourcing countries.
Commercial grade investment casting in particular offers huge benefits in designing or converting parts that were intended to be or already are fabricated parts.
So don’t withdraw and accept defeat; DGI can offer process solutions and cost reductions to enable you to get that competitive edge back and to regain that market share.

Labels: investment casting

DGI have experienced significant growth in demand for aluminium investment castings in the last few months. Aluminium has always been a relatively small part of the UK investment casting portfolio, most of the lost wax casting being in carbon and stainless steel and other non ferrous materials.
DGI have been developing the process for aluminium casting and results are now significantly improved. The quality of investment casting that is now achieved is consistent and of extremely good quality. Minor surface finish issues that were experienced from time to time have now been overcome with subtle changes to the process.
DGI can now offer a wide range of investment cast aluminium parts with full confidence that yield and quality will be as high as other materials that are cast.

Labels: investment casting, investment castings, lost wax process

Investment casting, or Lost wax casting as it is also known, is ideal for casting "near to shape parts" in a variety of high and low temperature materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze and aluminum.The accuracy achievable with investment castings reduces significantly the amount of machining required thus keeping the overall part price down.Whilst the process of investment casting is quite labour intensive the savings gained from reduced on processes makes it ideal for certain applications.

Labels: investment casting

There maybe turbulent water ahead for many industries and control of costs will be ever more critical. One option has traditionally been to invest in technology to remove cost, however this may not be so easy with credit increasingly more expensive and companies wishing to keep their gearing down.

This maybe the time to take the plunge and talk to DGI about converting your components to precision investment castings. The lost wax production can then be sourced with our supply partners abroad. You will benefit from a well designed finished investment casting component at reduced cost without the need for expensive investment in capital equipment.

Labels: investment casting, marketplace

The investment casting process provides a very high quality of casting with exceptional surface finish. Because of this, stainless steel castings can be mechanically polished to create a finish which is virtually identical to a chrome plated finish.
To achieve the required base casting it’s essential that the process control is good and DGI use a casting simulation package to ensure they produce the very best investment castings which are free from porosity and surface defects. Once polished, even if the parts become damaged, they are relatively easily recovered with mechanical polishing. If plated, they would have to be stripped first, reworked and then re plated, which often makes it uneconomic and results in expensive scrap.
The process of mechanical, mirror polishing of investment castings is often used for furniture or decorative items including beer dispense pumps.

Labels: finishes, investment casting

Because the investment casting process can achieve such high accuracy and an extremely good surface finish, fine detail can be incorporated into the design at no additional cost.
With traditional methods of manufacture; fabrications, machined items, even sand and die casting, the more detail you add the more expensive the part becomes.
Investment casting tooling is normally manually assembled and as such a greater complexity is possible. This means that you can incorporate part numbers, company logos and traceability information into the investment casting tooling and even have change pieces within the tooling to facilitate similar but different parts.
Investment castings offer a viable alternative, especially when features can be cast in place that would ordinarily have to be added separately.

Labels: investment casting, investment castings, sand casting

World steel prices continue to rise with the cost of iron ore pushing steel prices to record levels. Whilst this is a global problem, component costs can be managed by utilising lower cost labour countries such as China. DGI have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in producing, sourcing and managing investment casting products from China.

Labels: investment casting

Internal labour costs continue to increase in the UK and many companies are looking to reduce costs by sub contracting simple assembly and packaging, and reducing their work force and overheads accordingly. Automation has been the other option to reduce the labour content but with the current credit crunch, FD's across the land are tightening the purse strings.
There is another simple and low cost option and that is to utilise our low cost sourcing partners, where the parts can be investment cast through the lost wax process, machined, plated and assembled under one roof- and they can be individually packed with part reference information as required.

Labels: investment casting, investment castings, lost wax process

DGI’s innovative new process for fabrication and sand casting is set to revolutionise the traditional UK fabrication and sand casting markets.
DGI’s commercial grade investment casting method offers many of the advantages of conventional investment casting but with far lower costs.
The new process has been used to great advantage within the commercial vehicle industry and is based on the investment casting or lost wax process, a relatively expensive but highly accurate form of casting parts in steel, iron or stainless steel and - parts that have been traditionally produced by cutting up sheet or plate steel to various sizes which are then fixtured and welded together can now be produced at costs similar to those of sand casting and the end product is free from weld splatter, sharp edges and burrs.
Until now, the options were either to fabricate or produce a low cost sand casting which would generally need machining to bring it in line with fit and function requirements. The new commercial grade investment casting process allows for complex shapes to be produced without the need for draft angles of tapers. Undercuts, internal pockets and thin sections are all possible without affecting the piece part price and the weight range is large - from 100 grams to 150 kilos – with castings of any size being possible.
Commercial grade IC is more accurate than sand casting and has a superior surface finish so that post machining is reduced. Because the part is cast, there is no waste material, there are fewer design constraints and design changes can usually be incorporated into the tooling at relatively low cost.
Each new casting design goes through DGI’s bespoke casting simulation package combined with their 3D CAD models and cosmos stress simulation to ensure that the best possible casting is achieved with added features such as weight relief, part numbers and company logos designed into the casting at no extra cost. The integrity of the part is assured and, because there is no welding involved, there is no potential for process variation from poor quality welds.
DGI is a family owned manufacturing and sourcing company with 35 years of knowledge and experience of servicing all types of industries including automotive, agricultural, industrial, hydraulic, construction, switchgear, transport, valves, lift equipment, architectural markets, defence, medical, electronics, ironmongery, leisure, transport, mechanical equipment and general engineering.
For more information on the ground-breaking new commercial grade investment casting, visit http://www.deangroup-int.co.uk/ or call 0161 775 1633

Labels: investment casting, lost wax process, sand casting