Aluminum Investment Casting

Why choose us

Our Factory
Our company employs three professor-level engineers, five senior engineers, twelve junior engineers, twenty inspectors, and approximately 350 workers. We operate one precision casting factory, one sand casting factory, one die casting factory, and two machining factories, covering an area of 8,000 square meters. Our annual output is about 500 tons of silicon glue investment castings and 2,000 tons of water glass investment castings.

Sales Market
Our sales have gradually increased from the original 3 million RMB to the current 50 million RMB. We understand the design and quality requirements of foreign customers for mechanical products, with about 85% of our products exported to North America, Europe, and other regions worldwide.

Our Certification
Our company has passed ISO 9001, TS 16949, TUV, and other quality certifications.

Our Products
Our main products include automotive parts, mining machinery parts, machinery equipment parts, medical machinery parts, marine parts, and aviation equipment parts.

What Is Aluminum Investment Casting?

Aluminum investment casting is using aluminum in making an investment casting tool. To create complex designs, aluminum is melted, cast, and goes through a machine. It is a favorite material for casting because aluminum is easy to melt, making the process faster and easy to accomplish. More industries prefer aluminum investment casting because of its versatilities. Among the trades that choose this procedure include automotive, aerospace, military, agricultural, and many others. Industries hold a lot of reasons they choose aluminum investment casting.

Aluminum Turbine
Our Simis is a professional casting manufacturer in China. We can cast all kinds of aluminum turbine, blades and impeller in manufacturing high quality
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Aluminum Impeller Casting
Our Simis can supply all kinds of Aluminum impeller casting.
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Aluminum Electrical Fittings
Our aluminum electrical fittings include a variety of conduit body, conduit tee fitting, tension clamp, strain clamp, cable clamp, overhead power line fitting.
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Aluminum Hardware Castings
We can supply all kinds of aluminum hardware in manufacturing high quality, complex investment casting for building decoration, household hardware and other applications as customer’s drawings.
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Aluminum Monitor Parts
Our aluminum monitor parts be made from A356 by investment casting and A380 by die casting. We can make aluminum monitor parts as customer's drawings.
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Benefits of Using Aluminum Investment Castings

Heat Treatment

The thorough degassing method and resistant melting process are the best casting processes to use when working with this kind of material. With tight tolerances and good repeatability from the first material to the last, this is a certainty. A higher degree of machinability, corrosion resistance, ductility, and strength can be achieved by using heat treatment during the casting process.

Numerous Applications

There are numerous businesses that profit from the casting of aluminum. Electronics, military, aerospace, the food and dairy industry, as well as businesses that manufacture dental or medical equipment, are just a few of the many industries that use aluminum investment castings. Pistol frames, leavers, medical equipment, valves, and heat sinks are a few examples of items made with aluminum casting.

Near-Net Shape

Better surface finishes, close dimensional tolerances, and increased alloy flexibility are a few of the many benefits of choosing aluminum. By opting for this process, the end product can be produced in a near-net shape, which requires less machining and other operations that may be more expensive.

Processes of Aluminum Investment Casting

01/

Melt Aluminum
Melting aluminum can be fast and easy especially that there are already a lot of high technology machines and tools used. The molten aluminum will then be poured into a mold. This is to make the molten material follow the desired pattern.

02/

Permanent Mold Casting
This is to finish the mold for the product to be made. It will involve cores of metals or steel. It is important that the product molded is easily removed from the mold. This is when semi-permanent mold casting techniques are used.

03/

Die-Cast
This process will turn the molten aluminum into a steel die. It will go through machining and finishing so a precise aluminum mold will be formed.

04/

Sand Casting
This is the most versatile process in using aluminum for investment casting. Though this process is slow, it is more economical.

Types Of Aluminum Used In Investment Casting

One of the most commonly used metals in the investment casting process is aluminum. Let’s review some of the more common aluminum grades used in this process.

A356 Aluminum Alloy
A356 grade aluminum alloy is considered a multi-purpose aluminum. It is primarily composed of pure aluminum and silicon, with lower contents of magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese. A356 aluminum alloy has high strength, good elongation, and excellent ductility. It is widely used throughout manufacturing to create both simple and complex parts. A356 aluminum alloy is easy to manufacture and use, helping to reduce costs.

A380 Aluminum Alloy
A380 alloy is a common die casting aluminum alloy. It has excellent mechanical properties and is used in numerous applications, such as air brake castings, gearboxes, and air-cooled cylinder heads. Flow, pressure tightness, and thermal crack resistance are just some of the desirable die casting characteristics of A380 aluminum. Due to these properties, this alloy is ideal for cutting or forming processes. It also has excellent finishing properties, ensuring that your final product looks and feels like a top-quality material.

C355 Aluminum Alloy
Alloy C355 contains aluminum, silicon, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, titanium, and higher levels of copper, making it a casting grade aluminum. C355 alloy has very high strength but is less ductile than A356. This alloy also exhibits good weldability and corrosion resistance.

F357 Aluminum Alloy
Alloy F357 primarily contains aluminum, silicon, and magnesium and is a casting grade metal. This alloy does not contain any beryllium and can be used as a substitute for other aluminum alloys that contain this metal, such as A357. Its properties include high strength and heat treatability.

ALSi10Mg Alloy
ALSi10Mg grades are age-hardened (precipitation-hardened) cast aluminum alloys. This heat treatment process increases the strength of aluminum by removing additional impurities. This alloy has high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength while maintaining a low density.

BS L99
BS L99 aluminum mainly contains aluminum, silicon, and magnesium. It has high corrosion resistance and good machinability.

BS L169
BS L169 has good strength and workability. This metal is very fluid and well-suited for thin-walled castings.

Considerations When Using Investment Casting

Tooling Cost
For low quantity requirements, it may be more expensive than other methods if permanent tooling is pursued. For those applications, SLA or printed patterns may be a cost-effective alternative (even for a quantity of one).

Initial costs are another key factor when determining whether investment casting brings the greatest value. The investment cast tool usually consists of multiple parts fitted together to produce the complex components. This “front end” cost is not insignificant but can be easily offset by the lack of subsequent machining and/or fabrication.

Size Limitations
It’s possible to create investment castings in a range of sizes. There is an upper limit on that range, which is less than other shaped technologies like sand casting.

Very small structures
Investment casting is an excellent choice for thin-walled applications, but very small internal shapes that use cores can present challenges. Holes typically cannot be smaller than 1/16” (1.6mm) or deeper than 1.5 times in diameter.

Timing
The multi-step investment casting process is more time consuming than other processes. The processing time can be shorter than other alternatives.

Aluminum Investment Casting Applications

Aluminum investment castings are used extensively in a wide variety of industries and applications. Aluminum parts and components are used in a variety of industries, including medical and dental equipment, food and dairy, aerospace, military, and electronics. Typical examples of aluminum casted parts include Valves, Pistol Frames, Medical Devices, Heat Sinks, and Levers.

Aluminum investment casting enables the production of complex-geometry parts with shorter lead times, increased alloy flexibility, tighter dimensional tolerances, and improved surface finishes, resulting in near-net-shape parts that require less machining and other processing than other casting processes.

Step-By-Step Procedure For Aluminum Casting

Mold Your Desired Design
The first step in casting aluminum is to mold the design. This step largely determines the final shape and properties of the cast part.
You can make your mold from different materials, such as ceramics, sand, plaster, steel, or even aluminum. Ensure that the mold design takes into account the shape, size, and surface finish you want to achieve.
At this stage, you utilize Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to develop the precise specifications of the product being produced. The CAD software creates a 3D model of the product to be made. Once this is created, it is transferred to a CNC machine that fabricates the mold.
After you create the mold, prepare it for the casting process. This involves applying a coat of release agent to its surface to ensure that the aluminum does not stick.
Once this is done, the mold is closed and secured in place for the next step.

Melting the Aluminum
With the mold ready, the next important step is to melt the aluminum. The melting point for aluminum is about 660 degrees Celsius, so it melts quickly.
The melting process takes place in a furnace that uses electricity or gas. Once melted, the aluminum is transferred to a holding furnace that maintains it at the ideal temperature until it is ready to be poured into the mold.

Pouring the Aluminum into the Mold
Now that the mold and the molten aluminum are ready, it’s time to pour. This typically happens through a gate system connecting the mold to the furnace, allowing the molten metal to flow into the mold cavity.
In a controlled manner, the metal is poured into the mold to avoid forming air pockets. After the mold is filled with metal, any excess is removed. The mold is then designed to allow the aluminum to cool and solidify.

Cooling and Solidification
The mold is left to cool and solidify for a while. The duration of this process depends on the thickness of the product being produced. This step is crucial, as it determines the mechanical properties of the cast.
You should control the cooling rate to ensure that the aluminum solidifies evenly. This will help achieve a product that meets your desired properties and specifications.

Removing the Casting from the Mold
The final step in the aluminum casting process is to remove the casting from the mold. Here, you trim the excess material and finish the surface. At this point, you might also need to take the cast through additional processing steps.

Aluminum Investment Casting: Everything You Need to Know

Aluminum investment casting, also known as lost wax casting, is a versatile and precise manufacturing process used in the production of various metal components. This method involves creating a wax pattern, coating it in a ceramic shell, and then melting away the wax to leave a hollow mold for molten aluminum to be poured into. Once the metal solidifies, the casting is removed, and the final product is obtained.

One of the key advantages of aluminum investment casting is its ability to produce complex shapes with high precision and intricate details. This makes it ideal for applications where tight tolerances and fine surface finishes are required. Additionally, aluminum is a lightweight and corrosion-resistant material, making it a popular choice for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and medical.

When considering aluminum investment casting for your manufacturing needs, it’s important to take into account factors such as design complexity, production volume, and cost. While this method offers excellent dimensional accuracy and surface quality, it may not be as cost-effective for large-scale production runs compared to other casting processes.

In conclusion, aluminum investment casting is a valuable tool in the arsenal of metal processing techniques, offering unparalleled precision and versatility for a variety of applications. By understanding the ins and outs of this process, you can make informed decisions about its suitability for your specific project requirements.

Our Factory

Taiyuan Simis Investment Casting Co., Ltd was established in 2014. After 15 years of development, it has developed from a single precision casting factory to a comprehensive mechanical product supplier that can provide precision casting, sand casting, die casting and precision machining parts.

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FAQ

Q: What is aluminium investment casting?

A: Aluminum investment castings are lightweight compared to other alloy types. They also have excellent stability under different environments, including high temperatures and atmospheric changes that require parts tolerant to high stress.

Q: What is the best aluminum for investment casting?

A: The most common aluminum alloy investment casting grades we use are A356 and 356, each of which provides good casting and machining characteristics.

Q: What is meant by investment casting?

A: Investment casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is poured into a ceramic mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is the casting, which is broken away from the ceramic mold to complete the process.

Q: What is the difference between normal casting and investment casting?

A: Die casting uses reusable molds while investment casting uses disposable molds for each new cast. Die cast parts may require some post-processing in order to achieve desired finishes and dimensions, while investment casting generally requires little to no additional processing.

Q: Why is investment casting expensive?

A: The technique of investment casting is very costly since it requires several complicated processes. It can be more expensive than die casting or sand casting, but the cost per unit drops with high quantities. The high cost is due to the need for specialized equipment and the high cost of refractory material and labor.

Q: What is the difference between forging and investment casting?

A: To summarize, castings are melted, poured, and solidified, while forgings are physically forced into a shape while remaining in a solid state.

Q: Is aluminium casting expensive?

A: The cost for aluminium die casting has a large initial investment for tooling, often from as low as £4k. Part costs depend on part size and volume.

Q: What is the other name for investment casting?

A: Investment casting is an industrial process based on lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. The term "lost-wax casting" can also refer to modern investment casting processes.

Q: Do you need a draft for investment casting?

A: Unlike other casting methods, there are no draft requirements in the investment casting process, allowing for much more accurate dimensional conformance.

Q: Who uses investment casting?

A: Investment casting is commonly used in industries such as: aerospace, automotive, jewelry, and medical devices, in which high precision and intricate designs are essential. It also produces castings with very tight tolerances and high dimensional accuracy.

Q: Is investment casting more expensive than sand casting?

A: Material costs for sand casting include the price of sand, sand binding material, and additives used in mold preparation. Sand casting does not require complex equipment like investment casting and labor costs are typically lower compared to investment casting.

Q: What is the primary advantage of investment casting?

A: Investment castings cut down on labor time and produce quicker lead times because it greatly reduces the amount of machining required after casting.

Q: How do I start investment casting?

A: Investment casting, also known as the lost wax process, is a precise manufacturing technique. It starts by coating a wax pattern with a ceramic shell. Once the ceramic hardens, the wax is melted out, leaving a hollow mold. Molten metal is then poured into the mold, taking the shape of the original wax pattern.

Find professional aluminum investment casting manufacturers and suppliers in China here. Please feel free to buy high quality aluminum investment casting at competitive price from our factory. For customized service, contact us now.

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