<h1>Streamlined Finishing, Exceptional Results: The Signicast Advantage</h1><p>Partnering with Signicast for investment casting finishing offers a distinct advantage: a comprehensive suite of secondary operations housed under one roof. This streamlined approach not only guarantees the highest quality cast components but also translates to significant benefits for customers.</p><h3>Efficiency and Cost Savings</h3><p>By eliminating the need to outsource finishing, Signicast's integrated process minimizes lead times and reduces overall production costs. Customers enjoy the convenience of a single point of contact and the assurance that their components are handled with expert care throughout the entire manufacturing journey.</p><h3>Uncompromising Quality</h3><p>From machining and plating to specialized treatments, Signicast's finishing capabilities are second to none. The company's commitment to quality is evident in its state-of-the-art equipment, rigorous in-cycle part checking, and a team of skilled professionals dedicated to delivering consistent, flawless results.</p><h3>Reduced Risk, Increased Confidence</h3><p>Signicast's in-house tool room ensures minimal downtime in the event of unforeseen maintenance issues, further safeguarding customer projects and ensuring on-time delivery. This level of control and responsiveness sets Signicast apart, providing customers with peace of mind and the confidence that their components are in expert hands.</p><h3>From Design to Delivery, One Trusted Partner</h3><p>Signicast's seamless integration of casting and finishing fosters better component design, faster product launches, and fewer errors. By choosing Signicast, customers gain a true one-stop shop for their investment casting needs, backed by a commitment to quality, efficiency, and exceptional customer service.</p>

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Discover how in-house finishing, machining, and automation help Signicast deliver final parts faster with tighter control over quality.

Finishing & Machining in Casting | Signicast Article

Signicast's in-house investment casting finishing offers a streamlined, high-quality, and cost-effective solution with reduced risk, ultimately benefiting customers throughout the entire manufacturing process.

Streamlined Finishing, Exceptional Results: The Signicast Advantage

<h1>Maximizing Investment Casting Potential with Secondary Operations FAQs</h1><p>Secondary operations play a pivotal role in enhancing the capabilities and versatility of investment casting processes. While investment casting itself excels in creating intricate and complex geometries, the integration of <a href="/additional-capabilities/secondary-operations" target="_self">secondary operations</a> introduces several additional benefits. </p><h2>Comprehensive Machining and Casting Solutions</h2><p>Not every machine shop possesses the expertise to effectively machine a casting, just as not every investment caster is proficient in machining. Signicast recognizes this challenge and has established a dedicated internal machining team alongside our <a href="/additional-capabilities/engineering" target="_self">investment casting engineering team</a>, collaborating closely during product launches and qualification process to ensure the development of the most durable and consistent end products. This collaboration <a href="/additional-capabilities/product-optimization-and-added-value" target="_self">enhances casting features</a> for improved machine performance and pushes our casting capabilities to minimize machining stock, reducing time and costs.  </p><h3>Functional Modifications</h3><p>Secondary operations allow for drilling, tapping, and other processes to create functional features like holes, threads, and slots that may not be feasible during the initial casting process. These operations include straightening and coining, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional CNC machining and providing a more economical option for controlling the position and flatness of specific features.</p><h3>Improved Surface Finish</h3><p>Secondary operations like tumble polishing, media blasting, and more can remove surface imperfections like parting lines, flash, and minor casting defects. These processes address these issues while also enhancing the surface finish rating, reducing the need for costly manual polishing operations. By using more automated processes, they streamline production and ensure that components meet their functional requirements efficiently.</p><h3>Enhanced Dimensional Accuracy</h3><p>While investment casting offers tight tolerances, secondary machining can achieve even greater dimensional accuracy for critical features. This is especially beneficial for parts requiring precise fits or interfaces with other components.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Secondary operations serve as indispensable complements to investment casting processes, amplifying their capabilities and refining end products. From comprehensive machining solutions to functional modifications, these operations enhance dimensional accuracy, optimize surface finish, and elevate functional features. The integration between investment casting and secondary operations opens doors to endless possibilities, propelling industries forward with unparalleled quality and performance.</p><p><a href="/about-us/company-overview" target="_self">Signicast</a> helps to scale up production, exceed diverse project requirements, and maintain consistent quality standards. The company excels in seamlessly managing sudden increases in demand, giving it a competitive edge in the casting industry.</p>

Learn how Signicast's in-house services like heat treatment, finish machining, and inspection complete your investment casting to final spec.

Maximize Castings with Secondary Services | Article

See the importance of secondary operations in maximizing the potential of investment casting, highlighting how these operations improve casting capabilities and enhance the quality of finished products. 

Maximizing Investment Casting Potential with Secondary Operations

<h1>Top 3 Design Tips for Investment Casting</h1><p>When designing for investment casting, 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 marketplace economic requirements, and clear communication among all parties. Most of our customers are not familiar with designing specifically for investment casting, so while the below tips are important to remember, we strongly urge you to involve our engineering team early during design to realize the benefits of our knowledge and design efficiencies.</p><p>Contact our team today to get the conversation started.</p><h3>1. Size &amp; Weight</h3><p>Part size and weight are the most critical factors in determining part cost because mold capacity is limited by both. The more pieces that can run on a mold, the lower the part cost. While almost any configuration can be investment cast, our team of engineers can help to optimize your part for the investment casting process by reducing part weight and optimizing design geometries. The key to the most cost-effective use of this process is to fully utilize 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 the gate location on the component must be considered during the design phase, as it can be a careful balance between manufacturability, part function, dimensional control, and aesthetics.</p><p>When possible, a part should be designed so that a single gate can feed the part. This will generally yield more pieces per mold and reduce the pour weight per mold. 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 minimize 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 you to 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, designing for investment casting has a unique set of efficiencies that can be utilized to create the best part for the best price possible<strong>.</strong></p>

Boost casting success with these design tips: simplify geometry, add fillets, and plan for shrink—straight from Signicast engineers.

Top Design Tips for Casting | Signicast Article

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

Top 3 Design Tips for Investment Casting

<h1>Invar 36 Spotlight</h1><p>Invar 36, also known within the industry as Nilo 36, is a nickel-iron superalloy known for its low coefficient of <a href="/materials/thermal-expansion-alloys" target="_self">thermal expansion</a>. 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> Signicast engineers rose to the challenge to not only cast Invar 36 successfully but completely exceeded the customers’ expectations—all while saving them money.</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 <a href="/industries/commercial-aerospace" target="_self">aerospace</a>, <a href="/industries/medical" target="_self">medical</a>, 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. <a href="/investment-casting" target="_self">Investment casting</a> 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>

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. 

Streamlined Finishing, Exceptional Results: The Signicast Advantage

Streamlined Finishing, Exceptional Results: The Signicast Advantage

Efficiency and Cost Savings

Uncompromising Quality

Reduced Risk, Increased Confidence

From Design to Delivery, One Trusted Partner

Interested in starting your investment casting journey?