<p>Investment casting solutions for your metal manufacturing needs</p>

Signicast company overview and investment casting process

Signicast_Homepage_Hero.mp4

Signicast at

SHOT Show

Contact us

Signicast global investment casting locations on a map

Signciast_Homepage_Map.mp4

<p>Signicast’s Hartford location is the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world. The 654,559-square foot location is divided into seven fully automated modules, delivering faster lead times than any other investment casting company in the industry. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility includes highly automated casting and secondary operation modules that use continuous flow manufacturing. The entire complex—from top to bottom, one end to the other—is designed to facilitate the efficient, uninterrupted flow of products. Virtually every inch is devoted to helping customers maximise their profitability. Additional details about Hartford are provided below:</p><ul><li>Modules 1- 4 and 7 produce investment castings</li><li>Modules 5 and 6 provide value-added operations such as machining, heat treating, final finishing, powder coating and assembly<ul><li>Continuous flow manufacturing, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week</li><li>Production process time of 5 days or less</li><li>Medium- to high-volume parts produced in small-release quantities on a daily, weekly or monthly basis</li><li>World-class tooling operation for die and fixture manufacture and repair</li></ul></li></ul>

Signicast Hartford, Wisconsin

Signicast - Hartford - L3

Hartford, WI

<p>The Milwaukee/Brown Deer facility specialises in aluminium and nickel-based alloys. The highly skilled personnel at the Milwaukee location focus on producing complex cast components that other investment casting operations avoid. The 98,500-square-foot facility uses the same state-of-the-art technologies as our Hartford facility, with the flexibility to produce a wider range of complex components—1oz to 200lbs.</p><ul><li>Offers the use of over 150 different alloys</li><li>Global leader in commercial air-melt nickel-based materials such as CW2M, Inconel, and Monel</li><li>Delivers low, medium and high volumes according to your schedule</li><li>Uses Continuous Flow Manufacturing, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week</li></ul>

Signicast Brown Deer, Wisconsin

Signicast - Brown Deer - L3

Brown Deer, WI

<p>The Milwaukee Finishing Complex (MFC) is a 12,000-square-foot facility near downtown Milwaukee, specialising in secondary operations and finishing processes.&nbsp;MFC offers:</p><ul><li>Visual inspection</li><li>Gate grinding</li><li>Alternative secondary operations</li><li>Dimensional gauging</li><li>Straightening</li></ul>

Signicast Milwaukee Finishing Complex

Signicast - Milwaukee Finishing Complex - L3

Milwaukee Finishing Complex, WI

<p>Signicast Hutchins&nbsp;is&nbsp;an ISO 9001:2015-certified custom manufacturer of precision investment castings from 1/4 ounce to 200 pounds per piece.&nbsp;Our products include:</p><ul><li>Carbon and low-alloy steel castings</li><li>Austenitic stainless steel castings</li><li>Duplex and martensitic (hardenable) stainless steel castings</li><li>Tool steel castings</li><li>Nickel-based alloy castings</li><li>Cobalt-based alloy castings</li></ul><p>In addition, our in-house capabilities include:</p><ul><li>Proactive design engineering support</li><li>Prototyping services</li><li>Tooling</li><li>Laboratory and testing facilities</li><li>CAD/CAM</li><li>CNC machining</li><li>CNC robotic welding</li><li>Component assembly</li></ul><p>Additional services such as painting, barcoding, VMI, EDI and commodity management programmes are also available.</p>

Signicast Hutchins, Texas

Signicast - Hutchins - L3

Hutchins, TX

8 locations in the US & EU, 500 customers and 800 employees.

US-based

manufacturing

View all materials

Explore our range of materials, including stainless steels (303, 304 & 316), tool steels (A2, S7 & D7), carbon steels (4140, 4340, 8620 & 9310), precipitation-hardened alloys (15-5PH & 17-4PH) & more.

Signicast - Materials - Aluminium - L2

Signicast - Materials - Titanium - L2

Excellent weldability and corrosion resistance

Signicast - Materials 300 - Series Stainless Steels - L2

Signicast - Materials - Tool Steels - L2

Signicast - Materials - Precipitation-hardened alloys - L2

Signicast - Materials - 400-series stainless steels - L2

Contact an engineer

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

Signicast Metal Selector Tool Data (3) (1).xlsx

Filter by mechanical and physical properties

Signicast process and metal selector

Signicast - Metal selection tool - L2

Metal options for defence and sporting goods

View all certifications

Learn about Signicast's commitment to quality, environmental responsibility and employee safety through its industry certifications and compliance standards.

International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) Regulation logo

ITAR Logo for Signicast.png

ITAR

North American Die Casting Association Program (NADCAP) Accreditation Logo

Nadcap Logo.webp

NADCAP

AS9100D Logo.png

AS9100D

National Institure of Standards and Technology Compliance

NIST logo.png

NIST

Certifications & compliance

See all resources

<h2>What makes your part a good fit for investment casting?</h2><p>When deciding on the best manufacturing process for a precision metal component, the design, cost, and timeframe allotted for production drive the conversation. If something isn't working as well as it should with your current process, you might start looking for alternatives.  </p><p>The manufacturing process chosen can significantly impact the final result. This is why many design engineers find the idea of converting to <a href="/investment-casting" target="_self">investment casting</a> compelling.</p><p>Investment casting lets you cast almost any shape, in any alloy, with sophisticated and complex design features—all to exacting tolerances at a lower overall cost. Whether inefficiencies, added costs, or part variance plague your current process, converting to investment casting can add value to your project.</p><p>This blog will outline the three F’s of form, fit, and function that make a part a viable candidate for the process.</p><h2>Fit, form, and function</h2><p>When evaluating the suitability of an existing part for investment casting, these three areas are key:  </p><ul><li>Where will the part fit?</li><li>What form will it take?</li><li>How does it need to function to deliver maximum value?</li></ul><p>The answers to these questions determine whether investment casting is a good alternative to your current process.</p><h3>Fit</h3><p>Understanding how the part fits within the final product is important. For instance, is it currently part of an additional assembly process? This helps identify areas where you may gain greater value by simply recreating an existing part using investment casting.</p><h3>Form</h3><p>Consider whether the part has a simple or complex geometry. While investment casting can produce almost any level of geometric complexity, it's with highly complex components that the process offers the most significant return on investment. More traditional shapes like wedges or cope-and-drag style boxes are possible with investment casting, but it may not be as cost-effective as a simpler process like sand casting.</p><h3>Function</h3><p>Focus on the part's function. Is the component static or moving? Does it need to withstand impact and constant wear? Must it sit flush against another part in a way that can be pressure sealed? This gives critical information about the best-suited alloy. Being open to adjusting the alloy formulation used with a different process might lead to improved part performance with investment casting.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Watch <strong>Signicast's webinar </strong><a href="/resources/webinar/converting-to-investment-casting" target="_self"><strong>Converting to investment casting</strong></a> to explore how others have successfully converted components to investment casting.</p>

Dynacast_Resources_Small Bolts

Evaluate whether your part is right for casting by reviewing key geometry, material, and cost factors in this engineering-focused article for design engineers.

Is your part right for casting? | Signicast article

See how a part's fit, form, and function can determine whether it is a good candidate for investment casting, a process offering superior design flexibility and cost savings compared with traditional methods.

Converting to investment casting: is your part a good fit?

<p>Investment casting has become engineers’ go-to process for its ability to deliver superior functionality across a wide range of alloys. Do you know the key factors in <a href="/additional-capabilities/engineering" target="_self">investment casting design</a> that deliver the highest-performing precision components?</p><h2>Designing for performance</h2><p>Success in investment casting means taking a more complete view of the entire design process, from how the component fits into the overall product to the precise form it needs to take and the functional efficiency it must deliver.</p><p> In this mini-guide, we’ll give you an overview of the key elements for designing higher-performing precision components with investment casting, including:</p><ul><li>Achieving tighter tolerances</li><li>Ensuring repeatability</li><li>Redesigning and orienting tooling</li><li>Minimising wall thickness, and more</li></ul><p><strong> Download this free white paper on “Designing for performance” by completing the form.</strong></p>

Introduction to Signicast Video

Download this guide to learn how to design components optimised for investment casting, including guidance on draft angles, radii, wall thickness and tooling.

Signicast design guide | Investment casting PDF

This white paper provides key design guidance for investment casting to achieve high-performance precision components. 

Investment casting design guide

<p>Part design is crucial to the success of any component. It is essential to the overall success of a project to remain on track in terms of timelines and deliverables. A supplier requesting a design for manufacturing review may seem like a potential hindrance, but an initial design review at the project's outset could save costs related to the fit, form and function of the part, thanks to input from <a href="/additional-capabilities/engineering" target="_self">investment casting design experts</a>. Below are some frequently asked questions about the investment casting process and how our team of highly trained engineers can enhance part designs.</p><h2>Is my part too heavy for investment casting?</h2><p>Just like any other manufacturing process, investment casting has limitations. At multiple stages throughout the <a href="/investment-casting/process" target="_self">investment casting process</a>, the moulds must meet certain weight requirements. Moulds themselves have weight restrictions based on the type of alloy poured, with a maximum of 100 to 120 pounds in accordance with the industry weight standard. At other stages, moulds are handled manually, or automatically by Signicast’s state-of-the-art automation and robotics systems, requiring strict weight and safety restrictions.</p><h2>Does surface area cause limitations?</h2><p>There are three areas in which surface area has limitations—dip cells for the ceramic shell-building process, dewaxing where steam pressure is used to remove the wax from the shell, and then the burnout ovens.</p><h3>Dip</h3><p>The more surface area the part has, the more viscous slurry adheres, increasing the weight of the sprue and creating weight limitations for the robot.</p><h3>Dewax</h3><p>Once there is a fully injected and dipped mould, there is the weight of the wax and the added weight of the ceramic shell. At this stage, personnel safety weight limitations apply to ensure moulds can be transported safely in the plant.</p><h3>Burnout oven</h3><p>The moulds are fired to 1800℉, and once this temperature is reached, it is essential to ensure that the moulds can still be handled safely.&nbsp;</p><h2>How do I take full advantage of the investment casting process?</h2><p>As previously mentioned, almost every design will likely encounter a geometry, pour weight or shell weight limitation during the initial mould design phase.</p><p>However, through a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) meeting, the&nbsp;Signicast engineering team collaborates to address potential limitations, <a href="/additional-capabilities/product-optimization-and-added-value" target="_self">increasing the value of the part</a> from the outset. The part effectively "rents" space on a mould, so any changes or features added to the design are essentially free, provided the mould footprint remains unchanged.</p><p>For instance, holes or bosses can be added to the design without increasing the overall footprint of the part. The number of pieces on the mould, as well as the piece-part price, will remain the same. Minor price implications may be added to the tooling cost.</p><p>In a recent project, the Signicast Engineering team reduced a customer's piece-part price from $23 to $18—a cost reduction of almost 30%. This price reduction was not due to the alloy cost, but rather a design change that allowed for more pieces per mould. The initial customer DFM session also leveraged the full benefits of the investment casting process by adding lettering, lot codes, part numbers and logos to the parts at no additional cost.</p><h2>When should I consider alloy and heat treatment selection?</h2><p><a href="/materials/metal-selector-tool" target="_self">Alloy selection</a> and heat treatment are often considered early in the design process and not revisited later.</p><p>Some customers use cutting and grinding tools. A knife blade design, initially machined from solid 420 steel, was brought in for review. After discussing the part's function and conducting a DFM call, the in-house metallurgist suggested D2 tool steel. The result was a sevenfold increase in wear resistance, significantly extending the part's service life.</p><p>Considering heat treatment is also crucial. For parts requiring extensive machining, heat treatment and homogenisation of the material before machining are recommended to minimise hard spots and broken tools. However, if extensive machining is not necessary, heat treatment might be eliminated entirely.</p><h2>How can I eliminate machining and ultimately cut costs?</h2><p>By simply designing an investment casting with certain features, machining can be avoided, eliminating a significant cost associated with the part.</p><p>The engineering team frequently encounters drawings with surface finish call-outs. This often adds unnecessary costs. Many features machined on the casting are for size, position or flatness. A surface finish call-out is only necessary for a sealing surface, O-ring groove or press fit. The DFM process can often help eliminate one or two machining passes, or even reduce the overall machining cycle time.</p><h2>How long does a DFM meeting take?</h2><p>The meeting duration typically ranges from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the part's complexity and the potential areas for improvement identified by the engineering team. Within this timeframe, the team can conduct a comprehensive DFM call and conclude with actionable steps to enhance the quote or RFQ.</p>

Investment casting molds being put into the oven

Signicast_Investment Casting_Automation_Oven.jpg

Read answers to leading engineering questions about investment casting tolerances, wall thickness, shrink factors, and dimensional control strategies.

Casting fit, form, function | Signicast article

See frequently asked questions about the investment casting process, including design limitations, part design optimisation, alloy selection and reducing costs through design for manufacturing (DFM). 

Fit, form and function FAQs

<p>When designing for <a href="/investment-casting/process" target="_self">investment casting</a>, all of our customers want the same thing: quality components that provide superior performance and durability. This requires sound mechanical design of the final component, reliable process controls, consideration of market economic requirements, and clear communication among all parties. Most of our customers are not familiar with designing specifically for investment casting, so while the tips below are important to remember, we strongly urge you to involve <a href="/additional-capabilities/engineering" target="_self">our engineering team</a> early in the design process to realise the benefits of our knowledge and design efficiencies.</p><p>Contact our team today to start the conversation.</p><h3>1. Size &amp; Weight</h3><p>Part size and weight are the most critical factors in determining part cost because mould capacity is limited by both. The more pieces that can run on a mould, the lower the part cost. While almost any configuration can be investment cast, our team of engineers can help to <a href="/additional-capabilities/product-optimization-and-added-value" target="_self">optimise your part</a> for the investment casting process by reducing part weight and optimising design geometries. The key to using this process as cost-effectively as possible is to fully utilise its flexible capabilities and incorporate as many useful features into the cast piece as possible.</p><h3>2. Gating Design</h3><p>The number of gates you have has a direct influence on the cost of your project. The impact of gate location on the component must be considered during the design phase, as it can require a careful balance between manufacturability, part function, dimensional control, and aesthetics.</p><p>Where possible, a part should be designed so that a single gate can feed the part. This will generally yield more pieces per mould and reduce the pour weight per mould. Single-gate feeding also enhances the dimensional stability of a given part by providing a directional solidification pattern.</p><h3>3. Component Castability</h3><p>Castability is very important to the investment casting process. Ideally, an investment-cast component would be shaped like an icicle for directional solidification—you would pour from heavy to thin. If a design contains features that will raise scrap or rework rates (and piece price), a Signicast estimating engineer will recommend design modifications to help minimise costs.  </p><h3>Quality Investment Castings</h3><p>Early supplier involvement means Signicast’s in-house technical staff and CAD capabilities are available to help ensure that you receive the best quality component. The design tips above will only help to improve the way your component is investment cast, even if it was previously manufactured by another casting process. Unlike other casting processes, <a href="/resources/white-paper/designing-for-performance-investment-casting-design-guide" target="_self">designing for investment casting</a> has a unique set of efficiencies that can be utilised to create the best part at the best possible price<strong>.</strong></p>

Design engineers designing metal parts with CAD files

Dynacast_Resources_CAD Design

Improve casting outcomes with practical design tips: simplify geometry, add fillets and plan for shrinkage—direct guidance from our Signicast engineers.

Top design tips for casting | Signicast article

Key design tips for optimising investment casting include focusing on size and weight, optimising gating design and ensuring component castability, while highlighting the value of early collaboration with engineering experts. 

Signicast atSHOT Show

US-basedmanufacturing

Metal options for defence and sporting goods

Aluminium

Titanium

300-series stainless steels

Tool steels

Precipitation-hardened alloys

400-series stainless steels

Signicast process and metal selector

Certifications & compliance

ITAR

NADCAP

AS9100D

NIST

LEARN ABOUT OUR PROCESSES

Investment casting resources

Article

Investment casting design guide

Article

Interested in starting your investment casting project?