faq's
What Kind of castings does the Dean Group offer?
Premium grade investment castings
Commercial grade investment castings
Sand casting
Gravity die casting
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What alloys can be poured as an Investment casting?
Carbon low alloys
Alloys of Nickel and Chrome (Stainless steels)
Aluminium
Copper based
Titanium
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What size range of parts can be produced by the Investment casting process?
From a few millimetres square to 0.65 metres square
What are the 'as cast' dimensional tolerances I can expect?
This question requires an in depth study of the shape and cast material of your component, as specific parameters have to be applied to different features of your component. Please click here for more information
To give you a idea of what a premium grade Investment casting can offer, please apply a linier tolerance of +/-0.125mm / 25mm to you part dimensions (example - 100mm = +/- 0.50mm)
What type of surface finish can I expect from an Investment casting?
This will vary from cast material to cast material
Generally the harder the base material the better the surface finish
Dependant on the base material, further subsequent finishing operations can be applied such as:
Mechanical polish
Electro polish
Plate
Paint
Anodise
Aren't Investment castings expensive? And if so, how can they save me money?
Yes compared to some processes a Premium grade investment casting can be perceived as expensive
Premium grade investment castings can produce parts in materials which are difficult to machine
Tight cast tolerances can reduce the amount of machining
Cast complexity can produce one part rather than a component with a multiple part assemblies
Cast complexity can be produced that cant be produced by other process
Commercial grade investment castings can give you a commercial edge if the process fits your requirements
However when you come to the deangroup we are not just going to offer you a investment casting – we will offer you a part made by the right process to fit your requirements
How many pieces do I need to make buying a casting practical?
The answers to this question are dependant on the size of your component and the frequency of the batches, rule of thumb – the bigger the part the smaller the batch
Premium grade Investment casting
Low volumes – medium volumes can be manufactured in our plant in Manchester UK
Medium – high volumes at our supplier partners in China
Commercial grade Investment castings
Say a casting size of 0.5kg, 250 pieces per batch would probably be attractive
Sand casting
casting size of 30kg, 100 pieces per batch would probably be attractive
Gravity die casting
3000 – 5000 castings is a typical minimum batch
What about the integrity of an Investment casting? will I have problems with porosity and shrinkage that is usually nonexistent in bar stock or forgings?
We conduct casting simulations with our specialist computer software on all our new work to ensure that we optimise the casting design. This ensures we achieve our policy of right first time
What are the lead times I can expect when ordering a casting?
For existing work
6-8 weeks –Manufactured UK
12-18 weeks – Manufactured in China
1 week or less if we deliver from stock.
For the most up to date lead time please contact the office.
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