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Frequently
asked questions
| Q. |
What kinds of
parts are best suited for the investment casting process? |
| A. |
Almost any configuration can be investment cast.
The key to economical use of the process is to fully
utilize its flexibility and incorporate as much added
value into the casting as possible. |
| Q. |
What are the
benefits of an investment casting versus other types
of casting processes? |
| A. |
The design freedom investment casting offers is
unlimited. It allows you to combine multiple manufacturing
processes into one and offer a net shape product.
It also offers excellent dimensional stability, surface
finish, and size range. When combining value added
to the component, the process provides a shorter lead-time
and lower total costs. |
| Q. |
What sizes of
parts can Signicast produce? |
| A. |
Signicast pours a wide variety of parts, weighing
anywhere from a few ounces to as much as 200 pounds. |
| Q. |
How long will
it take to receive a quote? |
| A. |
Our goal is to turn quotes around in five days or
less; when required, we can turn quotes around in
less than a day. Our estimators will work with you
to meet your requirements. |
| Q. |
What
alloys does Signicast pour? |
| A. |
Signicast concentrates on pouring the following:
• Low alloy and carbon steel such as 8620 and
4140
• 300 and 400 series stainless steel
• 17-4 ph
• Tool Steels
• Nickel-base alloys
• Cobalt base alloys
We do not pour aluminum or titanium. |
| Q. |
What are the
typical lead-times for samples? |
| A. |
Prototypes can be made in less than week utilizing
the rapid prototype process. Samples that come from
simple tooling can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Samples
from more complicated tooling can take anywhere from
2-8 weeks, depending on the complexity of the component
and the finishing requirements. |
| Q. |
What is the lead-time
for production parts? |
| A. |
Once a part is approved for production, our
lead-time is 1-4 weeks. There are many things we
can do to reduce this lead-time as actual throughput
time is only 5 days. Please see the Just
in Time and
continuous flow sections of our website.
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| Q. |
When does it
make sense to utilize Rapid Prototyping versus building
a prototype tool? |
| A. |
Rapid prototyping makes sense when you only need
a few parts and can live with some variability and
a rougher surface finish. We utilize the SLA process
to create wax patterns, so no tooling is needed, but
they are more expensive. The SLA process also creates
a stepped surface finish and it is harder to control
some of the tighter tolerances that may be required
for a production component.
There are alternate methods to creating investment
cast parts without needing hard tooling depending
on your requirements. Please call for further details.
|
| Q. |
What CAD files
can Signicast accept and read? |
| A. |
Signicast can import and read just about anything.
We currently run UG, but ProE, AutoCad and others
can be accurately transferred via disk or e-mail. |
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