<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>Using Soluble Cores in Investment Casting</h1><h2>Do your metal components require complex inner cavities?</h2><p>Investment casting is ideal for parts that require tight tolerances, repeatability, and complex design characteristics. For parts that require particularly complex inner cavity configurations, our design engineers can incorporate a soluble core into the investment casting process. The use of soluble cores allows for more intricate cavity patterns to be included in the casting, reducing or eliminating the need for additional machining.</p><h2>Designing for soluble core</h2><p>Incorporating a soluble core into the investment casting process is achieved through strategic design and a few additional steps to our advanced investment casting process.</p><p>During the standard investment casting process, the pattern wax is injected into the mold cavity, cooled, ejected, and then attached to the sprue before continuing on for the remainder of the casting process. If the part does not require a particularly intricate core, this process is automated with our state-of-the-art technology. If the part does require an inner channel, the soluble core process is best-achieved by one of our specialized operators.</p><p>First, a soluble wax is injected into a mold to form the geometry of the core. The core is then ejected from the mold and cooled.</p><p>An operator will mount the soluble core in a precise position within the cavity of the mold for the entire component. The position of the soluble core within the mold is held by points of support that are incorporated into the mold during the design process. The added support ensures that the core stays in place when the pattern wax is injected and helps to facilitate the removal of the wax from the mold. The mold is then closed and the pattern wax is injected into the cavity around the soluble core. In the mold, the soluble core creates the inner baffles, channels, and ports that will be included in the final casting.</p><p>Once the pattern wax is cooled, the whole part is ejected from the mold. The part is then inserted into a bath of mild muriatic acid, and the soluble core is dissolved out, leaving behind a geometrically complex core that could not be otherwise achieved with standard investment casting.</p><p>The remaining pattern wax is then attached to the sprue and continues through the remainder of the investment casting process as normal. The end product is a repeatable, intricate part that delivers high performance without demanding costly secondary operations.</p><h2>So why soluble cores?</h2><p>Utilizing soluble cores provides many benefits, but the biggest benefit is the ability to design components with more complexity in the core of the part without costly secondary operations.</p><p>Without the need for additional machining, engineers enjoy greater design freedom. Additionally, the elimination of secondary operations mean that you’ll save time in the manufacturing process, and therefore, save on manufacturing costs.</p>

See how Signicast uses soluble wax cores to create complex internal features, enabling functionally integrated casting designs.

Soluble Core Wax in Investment Casting | Signicast Article

Soluble cores in investment casting allow for the creation of complex internal cavities within metal components, eliminating the need for secondary machining and offering greater design freedom while reducing manufacturing costs.

Using Soluble Cores in Investment Casting

<h1>Investment Casting vs Metal Injection Molding</h1><p>If you’re looking to create high-quality metal components and can’t decide between metal injection molding (MIM) and investment casting, you aren’t alone. Many businesses have trouble choosing the best metal manufacturing process, knowing it will ultimately affect their bottom-line profits.</p><h2>What is Metal Injection Molding?</h2><p>MIM is a unique hybrid technology combining the processes of powder metallurgy and plastic injection molding. It starts when super-fine metal powders are mixed with a primary paraffin wax material and a secondary thermoplastic polymer. The final mixture is extruded and chopped into tiny pellets called “feedstock”, which are then heated before being injected into a mold cavity under high pressure. It’s a technique that delivers tighter net shape tolerances over high production runs, making it possible to produce extremely complex components with enhanced surface finishes.</p><h3>What is Investment Casting?</h3><p>Investment casting, also known as lost wax casting, begins with the creation of a wax injection die. Wax patterns are grouped and assembled onto a sprue to form a complete mold. The mold is then coated with layers of ceramic slurry and rapidly dried to harden the shell. Once dry, the mold is put into an autoclave to remove the wax from the mold. Molten metal is then added to the mold and allowed to cool. Finally, the shell is removed with high pressure water jets to reveal the final precision part.</p><h3>Material options – what process is best for certain alloys?</h3><p>Both IC and MIM produce strong, durable parts using a wide variety of alloys. For MIM, OptiMIM’s distinguishing factor is custom feedstock and the ability to specify metal particle size distribution and develop unique binder compositions. This makes the process fully customizable to deliver the end mechanical performance and properties your application requires. This also ensures that parts are more structurally sound, more reliable, and are less prone to embrittlement (cracking).</p><p>OptiMIM specializes in various ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including several stainless-steel grades, copper, and low alloy steel components which make up about 70% of our business. Specialty alloys, like Cobalt-Chromium (F-75) and other high alloy materials, are available as well.</p><p>Investment casting is such a versatile manufacturing solution in part because the material options are nearly endless. At Signicast, we pour everything from 400-series stainless steel and plain carbon steel, to nickel and aluminum. This wide array of materials helps to deliver corrosion resistance, increased tensile strength, and ductility.  The availability of material options means that you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice one element of a design in favor of lowering cost, and the versatility means we can more easily resolve traditional casting challenges in design, production, cost control, and delivery. </p><h3>Part Size and Quantity – What is achievable?</h3><p>MIM is ideal for producing large batches of small parts, roughly a half pound or smaller. In fact, most MIM parts fit in the palm of your hand down to a single grain of rice. Investment casting, on the other hand, is best suited for smaller lot sizes of large parts that are half a pound to 250 pounds, making it a cost saving alternative to machining from solid. When it comes to IC, think larger part and smaller lot size. Both processes scale very well, however MIM is the clear winner in terms of achieving high volumes - typically 10,000 parts or more - as this technology is a batch-driven process.</p><p><em>IC weight capability: 3g - 250 lbs</em></p><p><em>MIM weight capability: .05g - 35lbs</em></p><h3>Common Applications and Designs – What Industries Are Served?</h3><p>The MIM process is known for producing incredibly dense, precise parts with high strength and wear resistance, making it ideal for medical and dental manufacturers looking to meet strict regulatory requirements. In addition, scalability and heat resistance make MIM a great solution for automotive applications. Our ability to create parts from custom formulated alloys means we can deliver precisely the required performance characteristics.</p><p>Signicast’s complex casting capabilities, rapid prototyping and secure supply chains make it the perfect solution for a variety of industries. Stainless steel is especially efficient for industries that require high strength and temperature resistance like  aerospace and defense applications. Our specialized processes allow us to address specific needs – like thin-wall casting, for a lightweight, streamlined design in medical and dental instruments or part consolidation in locks, hardware, and recreational vehicles.</p><p>Interested in learning more about the capabilities of investment casting and metal injection molding, download our free, on-demand webinar on IC vs. MIM by completing the form below. </p>

Compare investment casting and metal injection molding to learn how they differ in tooling, tolerances, cost, and part complexity.

MIM vs Investment Casting | Process Comparison

See investment casting and metal injection molding compared, outlining their benefits, material options, part sizes, and applications to help businesses choose the best method for metal component production. 

Investment Casting vs MIM: A complete guide

<h1>Fit Form Function FAQs</h1><p>Part design is crucial to the success of any component. It's essential for 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 design experts. Below are some frequently asked questions about the investment casting process and how our team of highly trained engineers can enhance the design of parts.</p><h2>Is my part too heavy for investment casting?</h2><p>Just like any other manufacturing process, there are limitations with investment casting. In multiple steps throughout the investment casting process, the molds must meet certain weight requirements. Molds themselves have weight restrictions based on the type of alloy poured, maxing out at 100 to 120 pounds and meeting the industry weight standard. At other stages, molds are handled manually, or even 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 sticks, increasing the weight of the sprue and causing weight limitations for the robot.</p><h3>Dewax</h3><p>Now that there is a fully injected and dipped mold, there is the weight of the wax and the added weight of the ceramic shell. In this stage, there are personnel safety weight limitations to safely transport the molds in the plant.</p><h3>Burnout Oven</h3><p>The molds are fired to 1800℉, and once the temperature is reached, it's essential to ensure that the molds are still 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 mold design phase.</p><p>However, through a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) meeting, the&nbsp;Signicast engineering team collaborates to address potential limitations, increasing the value of the part from the outset. The part effectively "rents" space on a mold, so any changes or features added to the design are essentially free, as long as the footprint of the mold 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 mold, as well as the piece part price, will stay the same. Small price implications might be added to the tool 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 wasn't due to the alloy cost, but rather a design change that allowed for more pieces per mold. The initial customer DFM session also leveraged the full benefits of the investment casting process by adding lettering, lot codes, part numbers, and logos on the parts at no additional cost.</p><h2>When should I consider alloy and heat treatment selection?</h2><p>Alloy selection and heat treatment are often considered early in the design process and not revisited later.</p><p>Some customers utilize 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 heavy machining, heat treatment and homogenization of the material before machining are recommended to minimize hard spots and broken tools. However, if extensive machining isn't 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 prints with surface finish callouts. This often adds unnecessary costs. Many features machined on the casting are for size, position, or flatness. A surface finish callout is only necessary if it's for a sealing surface, O-ring groove, or a press fit. The DFM process can often help eliminate one or two machine 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>

Read answers to top 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, optimizing part design, alloy selection, and how to reduce costs through design for manufacturing (DFM). 