investment castings

initial steps

This process can consist of just a phone call or it could involve a meeting.

Our objectives of this process is to establish the following criteria:

• What does customer want
• Narrow down the product and process requirements
• Customer expectations of the product in terms of functionality, material and quantity
• Establish if the deangroup can assist customer with the project
• Sight of drawings / samples
• Generate a quotation for customer

processes we can offer

Premium Grade Investment Castings

Premium Grade Investment Castings sometimes known as the 'Lost Wax' process.

Premium Grade Investment Castings commences with the production of High Quality Wax Patterns from Aluminium Injection Tooling. These are then mounted onto a wax runner system and the assembly is coated several times with ceramic material and air-dried.

On completion, the mould is de-waxed leaving an empty shell which is subsequently fired and filled with molten metal. The shell is then allowed to cool and removed.
Castings are cut from the runner system, finished, heat treated (when required), straightened, sand blasted and passed through to quality control for a rigid inspection programme.

This process uses only the finest quality raw material to create fine tolerances, good surface finishes and repeatable castings in a wide range of cast materials sizes and shapes.

Premium grade Investment Castings offers many advantages over the alternative methods of manufacture:

• Design flexibility
• Production of near net shapes
• Precise accuracy and detail including holes, lettering, threads, serrations etc
• Choice of alloys
• No need for tool set up
• Reduced production costs - as machine operations and capital equipment investment are eliminated
• Production flexibility, accommodating both high and low volume

For further information on alloys, tolerances offered for this process please see technical.

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Commercial Grade Investment Castings

• The achievable cast surface is rougher
• The cast tolerances are wider
• The cast materials available are limited

For further information on alloys, tolerances offered for this process please see technical.

Sand Casting

We can offer Green Sand and Resin Sand.

For further information on alloys, tolerances offered for this process please see technical.

Gravity Die Casting

We can offer Gravity die casting on qualifying parts.

Brief description:

The gravity die casting process may be simply defined as follows:

The production of castings from a reusable mould or die. The die contains an impression of the casting together with its running, feeding and venting systems. Provision is made for the removal of the casting by some means. The die can readily be cleared of debris such as hot metal splashes and sand so that the casting's accuracy is maintained. The die is capable of a regular cycle and of (quickly) dissipating the heat of the metal poured into it.

It lacks the obvious attraction of sophisticated machines used by pressure die casters and to the outsider may seem archaic. The gravity process can handle heat treatment high strength aluminium alloys that pressure die casting still cannot. The process is a viable route for castings with complex intricate coring and for castings with small volumes uneconomic for pressure casting production.

How we use this process to benefit you:

• Some of our customers use Investment Casting as a vehicle to get their product to the market with relatively low start up costs particularly on the tooling
• If your product can be made to suit Die Casting and once the volumes grow, Die Casting can be the next stage in your product development
• The main driver for the conversion would be cost down, the low labour content compared to Investment Castings is reflected in piece price
• We find Gravity Die Casting a good niche process which sits nicely between Investment Castings and Pressure Die Casting

For further information on alloys, tolerances offered for this process please see technical.

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finishing of product

Over the years the market has changed from supplying just a raw casting to a completely finished item.

The benefits for our customer are:

• Reduced supplier base and all the benefits that brings
• Less administration
• More control and visibility
• Less WIP
• Reduced over heads
• Improved profits

Finishing evolution has not stopped as the market moves on. We now find more and more customers interested in having their finished products assembled.

The assemblies we offer at the moment are relatively straight forward, however the cost saving we can offer are very advantageous:

• Rivet castings together
• Fit bearings, springs, split pins etc
• Weld
• Fit together with other proprietary parts

Heat Treatment

Heat Treatment services that we can offer:

• HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing)
• Vacuum heat treatment
• Annealing
• Solution annealing
• Normalising
• Harden and tempering
• Case Harden
• Induction Harden
• Carbonitriding

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Machining

Machining was one of the first finishing processes that we offered many years ago, these consist of traditional manual machining to high tech state of the art 3D CNC machining.

The machining services that we can offer:

• Turning
• Milling
• Spark erode
• Drill, tap, ream
• Grind

Sub assembly

Example shown is the sub-assembled 'Dual Action Bit' for competition ponies and horses. Click here for further details.

Surface treatments

• Shot blast
• Mechanical polish
• Electro polish
• Paint
• Plate

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