<p>Signicast's advanced investment casting produces the precision metal components that enable breakthroughs in enterprise technology.</p>

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Investment casting creates high-precision, durable components for data centers, ensuring reliable IT infrastructure operations.

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Investment cast parts significantly improve networking equipment reliability and performance and are engineered to ensure precise data transmission and minimal downtime.

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Improve efficiency and reliability of industrial automation systems by producing superior components. These parts are designed to be durable, precise, and able to withstand harsh industrial environments.

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Investment casting lowers manufacturing costs and speeds up time-to-market for enterprise technology, enhancing competitiveness and meeting evolving demands.

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<h1>From Welded Steel to As-Cast Solution</h1><p>Between clunky, welded-steel prototypes and a few discouraging production runs, John Pizzuti experienced firsthand the expense of using other methods and suppliers to bring his game-changing football facemasks to market.</p><p>Then, he looked to <a href="https://www.signicast.com/en/about-us/why-signicast%22%20/t%20%22_blank">Signicast’s engineering expertise</a> to manufacture his innovative designs more competitively – while protecting the competitors who wear them.</p><h3>Elevating Safety and Style</h3><p>Introducing new uniforms, logos and design elements is a popular strategy for US football teams to enhance their identities. Whether bold or subtle, these occasional redesigns can bolster fan merchandising, attract attention for recruitment, or raise awareness for sponsors and causes.</p><p>But what they can’t do is interfere with player safety.</p><p>Partly because of this, the facemask, seemingly a front-and-center opportunity for team expression, has been excluded from branding changes in pro and college leagues.</p><p>(<strong>From Welded Steel to As-Cast Solution&nbsp;</strong>(alt. description))</p><p>After all, the main role of a facemask is protection, so league rules and certification standards have discouraged modifications to its most basic design.</p><p>John Pizzuti wanted to give masks a facelift to match the evolution of football uniforms, while still focusing on safety. And so, Zuti Facemasks was born.</p><h3>Unmatched Design With Investment Casting</h3><p>“I built my first prototypes the same way they’d been built for decades,” says Pizzuti. “Welding together quarter-inch, cold-rolled steel.”</p><p>When he was done, he wasn’t happy with the way they looked – and it had taken a month to build them. “There was no way I could turn a profit,” he says.</p><p>Pizzuti got advice from his mentor, a long-time auto industry professional who also happens to be his mother. She suggested he switch to casting.</p><p>“A light bulb came on in my head,” he says. “Last I checked, you have unfettered.” This was ideal, as the innovative design of Zuti Facemasks allows teams to seamlessly integrate stylized elements into the grille, creating a potential platform for branding.</p><p><em>“With </em><a href="https://www.signicast.com/en/about-investment-casting/investment-casting"><em>investment casting</em></a><em> comes geometric advantages that we could build into these masks,”</em> Pizzuti says, “And that could help with energy distribution and, ultimately, safety.”</p><h3>Expertise-Driven Structure</h3><p>Initially, he found an investment casting supplier but ran into obstacles, as they faced challenges with non-fill and scrap issues, leading to low percentages of viable parts.</p><p>That’s when he was contacted by Lann Ellis of Signicast, who was intrigued with a Modern Casting article about Zuti Facemasks. “This project could be a disruptive innovation for leagues,” says Ellis. “I figured with our engineering resources, Signicast could drive Zuti into .”</p><p>The timing was good for Pizzuti. <strong>“</strong><em>Every time Lann would call, he would give me a new value-added strategy that we could implement, whether it was a way to reduce costs, or gain economies of scale.</em><strong>”</strong> So, Zuti Facemasks made the switch to Signicast.</p><p>Behind the scenes, the diverse engineering team at Signicast – a project engineer, a metallurgist, and a process engineer – could implement improvements during manufacturing. These enhancements included material modifications, fine-tuned temperatures or hold times, and other variables.</p><p>This expertise-driven structure was nimble enough to allow Pizzuti to make changes quickly, says Ellis. And it meant that they could deliver a higher-quality facemask.</p><h3>Innovation Achieves Superior Safety Standards</h3><p>Following the debut of the initial <a href="https://www.signicast.com/en/about-investment-casting/prototype-casting">prototype from Signicast</a>, Zuti Facemasks knew it had a winner on its hands.</p><p>“I could tell from looking at it with the naked eye that the quality was much improved,” says Pizzuti. “But then, I took it a step further and had it x-rayed.”</p><p>He mentions that although the surface finish of an investment cast part could be beautiful, internal inclusions may still be present – a similar issue observed in the prototypes from his previous supplier.</p><p>“When we switched to Signicast, all of that went away. The voids and/or non-fill in the material, the grain structure, it was just that much better. There was less shrink. <em>It was overall a better-quality part</em><strong>,”</strong> Pizzuti says.</p><p>Since Zuti Facemasks uses an innovative design, and a <a href="https://www.signicast.com/en/about-investment-casting/investment-casting-process">manufacturing process</a> atypical for the industry, the biggest test came from NOCSAE, the standards body for certifying athletic equipment to reduce injuries. As Pizzuti predicted, given the freedom to incorporate impact-dissipating geometries, his facemasks passed.</p><p>This is good news for youth, high school and college football teams and leagues who need to be confident that their equipment is safe.</p><p>And, equally appealing to teams who demand a more notable appearance on the field, Pizzuti says, “it just looks a lot sweeter.”</p>

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Learn how switching from a multi-part welded assembly to a single casting saved time, simplified logistics, and improved repeatability.

Steel Welded to Investment Casting | Signicast Case Study

John Pizzuti, founder of Zuti Facemasks, partnered with Signicast to overcome manufacturing challenges and create innovative, safe, and stylish football facemasks using investment casting. 

From Welded Steel to As-Cast Solution

<h1>Investment Casting Materials and Capabilities CIREX</h1><p>CIREX, a Signicast Company, is a global development partner and producer of high-quality precision investment castings. With over 80 years of experience in the “lost wax” process, CIREX delivers lightweight steel components in net-shape or near net-shape form to meet the needs of their high-tech customers.</p><p>The investment casting process has significant advantages over other manufacturing processes, including greater freedom in complex designs and material choice, leading to better-performing components. To help customers take full advantage of the investment casting process, CIREX is hosting an on-demand webinar on its investment casting capabilities, benefits, technologies, and materials.</p><p>The webinar will cover:</p><ul><li>CIREX and Signicast capabilities</li><li>Investment casting technology and process</li><li>Material options</li><li>Case studies</li><li>And more!</li></ul><p><strong>Please note that this webinar is in English. For the best experience, please register and watch the webinar on one of the supported browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.</strong></p><p>Fill out the form below to sign up for the on-demand webinar!</p>

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Get an inside look at Signicast’s alloy options, casting sizes, tolerances, and value-added operations that support diverse industries.

Signicast Capabilities Overview | Webinar Recording

CIREX, a Signicast Company, is offering an on-demand webinar about investment casting to help customers understand its capabilities and benefits. 

Investment Casting Materials and Capabilities CIREX

<h1>Invar 36 Spotlight</h1><p>Invar 36[1], also known within the industry as Nilo 36[2], is a nickel-iron superalloy known for its low coefficient of thermal expansion. Containing 36% nickel, it maintains nearly constant dimensions as well as good strength and hardness over a wide range of temperatures. Invented in 1896 by Swiss physicist, Charles Edouard Guillaume, Invar was created as a low-cost solution to a meter once made of platinum and iridium. Guillaume’s work led to the discovery of a fairly inexpensive iron-nickel alloy—a steel-like material—that expands very little when heated. He named the alloy Invar because it was almost unchanging or "invariable.”</p><h3>Invar 36 Success</h3><p>One of our customers came to us specifically wanting to use INVAR 36 for a component requiring the near constant dimensions and long-term dimensional stability this alloy is known for<em>.</em> Due to confidentially agreements, we cannot name the customer but what we can tell you, is that like with many other projects, Signicast engineers rose to the challenge to not only cast Invar 36 successfully but completely exceeded the customers’ expectations—all while saving them money. Because after all, isn’t that the end goal? Create a quality component at the lowest total cost. </p><p><em>Why did our customer need Invar 36</em>? The slightest change in dimension or shape of their component could alter their end product—even though they were already in a temperature controlled room. A few degrees could alter the function of the part. They knew they needed to work with a material like Invar 36 but machining it from solid became costly.</p><p><em>How did Signicast help?</em> We had never worked with Invar 36 in the past, but there has never been a challenge our engineers didn’t at least try to overcome. With some research and testing we came up with a casting material that actually performed as good or better than wrought and we were able to cast net-shape successfully. Not only did we add savings on final part cost because they didn’t have to machine the part, but our final part cost was actually cheaper than their original block of metal—prior to machining.</p><p><em>The end result?</em> A very happy customer who saved tenfold and a new material added to our offerings.  </p><p>Invar 36 maintains nearly constant dimensions at temperatures below -150 degrees Celsius up to 260 degrees Celsius.</p><h3>Who Should Use Invar 36?</h3><p>Customers who are under strict temperature constraints will likely see the advantages of using Invar 36. Unfortunately, those who are currently machining from solid do not realize that casting net-shape is even an option. In today’s world, Invar 36 is often used in measuring devices, precision mechanical systems, laser components, thermostat rods, meters and components that transport liquefied gases—to name a few.</p><h3>Invar Industry Applications</h3><p>Invar can be used in a variety of applications within the aerospace, medical, and consumer electronics industries. But where superalloys with low CTE are really starting to outperform other metals is in technologies within the automotive industry. As autonomous vehicles rise in popularity, sensors, radars, and cameras become increasingly advanced and critical to the function of the car. LiDAR, an acronym for light detection and ranging, uses light waves from a laser to calculate how long it takes for the light to hit an object or surface and reflect back to the scanner—determining the distance of surrounding objects. An alloy with near constant dimensions and long-term dimensional stability, such as Invar 36, is extremely important in such intricate devices. Alternative alloys, like Kovar, with low CTE are also viable options for casting LiDAR sensors. Investment casting is a cost-effective solution compared to machining LiDAR parts from solid.</p><h3>What are the Advantages of Invar 36? </h3><p>The most obvious advantage of Invar 36 is its ability to hold dimensions at cryogenic temperatures. Aside from that, Invar 36 looks and feels similar to steel. It also has outstanding weldability and machinability. Invar can also be created with customized chemistries to better meet the strength and hardness needs of customers. </p>

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Learn how Invar 36 delivers ultra-stable dimensions under thermal stress, serving aerospace, optical, and cryogenic applications.

Invar 36 Investment Casting Benefits | Signicast Article

Invar 36 is a nickel-iron alloy known for its low coefficient of thermal expansion, making it ideal for applications requiring high dimensional stability across a wide temperature range, such as in precision mechanical systems, aerospace, and automotive technologies. 

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