Frequently Asked Questions

Investment casting is a manufacturing process in which a wax pattern is coated with a refractory ceramic material. Once the ceramic material is hardened, its internal geometry takes the shape of the casting. The wax is melted out and molten metal is poured into the cavity where the wax pattern was. The metal solidifies within the ceramic mold and then the metal casting is broken out. This manufacturing technique is also known as the lost wax process.

Investment casting was in us for casting of religious and fine-arts applications during the 4000 BCE-1540 CE period. It is now clear that the secret behind the intircate motifs and serial production of gold and silver ornaments was the investment casting method. Starting from 1897, the method was being used for dentistry and surgical apparatus production. The starting steps for the modern industrial development of investment casting started in 1907 in Chicago, USA, through the invention of first technological industrial wax. During WW-II, the demand for special alloys and difficult geometry of parts for jet motors and turbines led to the further development of the process, and investment casting entered the industrialization era. Following this majör historical development, investment casting is now the unique method for production of complex shape parts.

Almost any configuration or design can be produced as an investment casting. Investment castings offer more design flexibility over any other manufacturing process. Investment castings excel at reducing the high cost of machine components and weldments.

While investment castings are usually more expensive than other casting and production methodds, investment castings greatly reduce the overall cost of a metal component by reducing the amount of machining or welding and material waste that may occur.

Typically, a split cavity aluminum die is manufactured that is the "female" mold from which the "male" wax patterns are produced. Depending on the complexity of the casting, various combinations of aluminum, ceramic or soluble cores may be employed to yield the desired configuration.

Please refer to our website: Quality / Metrology Laboratory / VDG P690 Tolerance Table.

YES. Unimetal offers finished products through in-house operations and organization of tooling production, casting, precision machining, heat treatment and surface treatment.

YES, and dimensional capacity is 500 x 400 x 300 mm. Rapid Prototype process can be implemented which will be a low risk opportunity to prove your design using Investment Casting. This will provide you and your company an Investment Casting for your testing and evaluation. It could also be an excellent solution for your low-quantity orders, without incurring Tooling cost.Often a cast prototype can be produced in 2 weeks.

Samples within 2 weeks and upon sample-approval 6-8 weeks for serial production.

Investment casting will yield Ra 3.2 to 6.3, which can be further refined with secondary-machining.

Yes, we can provide solutions for many challenging parts. In fact, investment castings is often the only answer to casting difficult parts economically. Unimetal is an expert in manufacturing parts that would be very costly if at all possible with other methods.

YES, we create high quality, flexible and economical solutions to customer demands from hundreds to hundred thousands peices. Unimetal prides itself in meeting your specific requirements and deadlines.

Typically, we respond to your RFQ with a quotation within 1 week, if the data that we require is supplied timely by customers.