Before we make recommendations for the project and provide you with an offer, RMC firstly analyzes the following information to make our decision and proposals based on the request information you sent:

• Tooling requirements – best suited to scope of your project

• Quality expectations required to support your technical specifications

• Machining requirements

• Heat treatments

• Finishing requirements

• Expected date of delivery

Each alloy serves a difference purpose based on issues as diverse as heat exposure, run time, weight requirements, flexibility of the end product and so on. We work with you to determine exactly how your component need to perform and then guide you to the best alloy whether you need: Cast Iron, Cast Aluminum, Gray Iron, Cast Copper Alloy, Ductile Iron, Gray Iron, Cast Steel, Zinc Alloys, Stainless Steel and any other possible metal and their alloys.

Casting is one of the fastest and most cost effective methods for producing a wide range of components. However, to achieve maximum benefits, you’ll want to involve the cost analysis at an early stage of the product design and development. We have the expertise and experience to consult with you during the design phase so our engineers can help resolve issues affecting tooling and production methods, while identifying the various trade offs that could affect overall costs.

We have different casting types for your choice. Part of the optional process for your project will be the selection of the casting process. The most popular form is sand casting which involves making a replica of a finished piece (or pattern) that is compressed with sand and binder additives to shape the final part. The pattern is removed after the mold or impression has been formed, and the metal is introduced through a runner system to fill the cavity. The sand and the metal are separated and then the casting cleaned and finished for shipment to the customer.

Moreover, we also have the shell molding process produce the iron castings and steel castings. The shell molding is usually use resin coated sand for making molds.

Lead times with sand casting, investment casting, forging and machining vary due to part complexity and casting plant capacity. Generally 4-6 weeks is typical for tooling and sample castings and 5-7 weeks for production. Once a pattern is created, a component can be produced in seven days. For investment casting processes, much of this time is spent with the coating and drying of the ceramic slurry. While for sand casting, the time is mainly cost for the mold making. Investment casting facilities in RMC have quick drying capabilities for ceramic molds to produce parts in 24-48 hours. In addition, by using silica sol or water glass as bond material, engineered cast metal components can be delivered only several days after accepting a final CAD/PDF drawings or 3D models.

Investment castings can be produced in all alloys from decades of grams to hundreds of kilograms. Smaller components can be cast at hundreds per tree, while heavier castings often are produced with an individual tree. The weight limit of an investment casting depends on the mold handling equipment at the casting plant. The tree always should be significantly larger than the component, and the ratio ensures that during the casting and solidification processes, the gas and shrink will end up in the tree, not the casting.

Typically, a linear tolerance of ±0.005 in/in (0.127 mm/in.) is standard for investment castings. This would vary depending on the size and complexity of the part. Post-casting procedures, such as straightening or coining, often allow for tighter tolerances to be maintained on several specific dimensions.By working with our engineering staff, an investment casting drawing can be produced for a part that substantially reduces or completely eliminates the previous machining requirements to produce an acceptable component.

Because the ceramic shell is assembled around smooth patterns produced by injecting wax into a polished aluminum die, the final casting finish is excellent. A 125 rms micro finish is standard and even finer finishes (63 or 32 rms) are possible with post cast secondary finishing operations. Individual metal casting facilities have their own standards for surface blemishes, and facility staffs and design engineers/customers will discuss these capabilities before the tooling order is released. Certain standards depend on a component’s end use and final cosmetic features.

Due to the costs and labor with the molds, investment castings generally have higher costs than forged parts or sand and permanent mold casting methods. However, they make up for the higher cost through the reduction of machining achieved through cast near net shape tolerances. One example of this is innovations in automotive rocker arms, which can be cast with virtually no machining necessary. Many parts that require milling, turning, drilling and grinding to finish can be investment cast with only 0.020-0.030 finish stock. Further more, investment castings require minimal draft angles to remove the patterns from the tooling; and no draft is necessary to remove the metal castings from the investment shell. This can allow castings with 90-degree angles to be designed with no additional machining to obtain those angles.

To produce the wax mold patterns, a split-cavity metal die (with the shape of the final casting) will need to be made. Depending on the complexity of the casting, various combinations of metal, ceramic or soluble cores may be employed to allow for the desired configuration. Rapid prototypes (RP), such as stereo lithography (SLA) models, also can be used. The RP models can be created in hours and take on the exact shape of a part. The RP parts then can be assembled together and coated in ceramic slurry and burned out allowing for a hollow cavity to obtain a prototype investment cast component. If the casting is larger than the build envelope, multiple RP sub-component parts can be made, assembled into one part, and cast to achieve the final prototype component. Using RP parts is not ideal for high production, but can help a design team examine a part for accuracy and form, fit and function before submitting a tool order. RP parts also allow a designer to experiment with multiple part configurations or alternative alloys without a large outlay of tooling cost.

This depends on how well a metal casting facility make the gas out from the molten metal and how fast the parts solidify. As mentioned earlier, a properly built tree will allow porosity to be trapped in the tree, not the casting, and a high-heat ceramic shell allows for better cooling. Also, vacuum-investment cast components rid the molten metal of gassing defects as air is liminated. Investment castings are used for many critical applications that require x-ray and must meet definite soundness criteria. The integrity of an investment casting can be far superior to parts produced by other methods.

Generally most ferrous and nonferrous materials can be sand cast and investment cast. For ferrous materials, carbon, tool and alloy steel along with the stainless steel alloys are most commonly poured. Also, the rise in ductile iron casting demand has increased the use of the metal for sand casting and investment casting. For nonferrous applications, most Aluminum, Magnesium, Copper-base and other nonferrous materials can be cast, with Aluminum as one of the most common. Additionally, certain applications require the use of specialized other alloys used primarily in harsh environments. These alloys, such as Titanium and Vanadium, meet the additional demands that might not be achieved with standard Aluminum alloys. For example, Titanium alloys often are used to produce turbine blades and vanes for aerospace engines. Cobalt base and Nickel base alloys (with a variety of secondary elements added to achieve specific corrosion strength and temperature resistant properties), are additional types of cast metals.

• Main workflow: Inquiry & Quotation → Confirming Details / Cost Reduction Proposals → Tooling Development → Trial Casting → Samples Approval → Trial Order → Mass Production → Continuous Order Proceeding
• Leadtime: Estimatedly 15-25 days for tooling development and estimatedly 20 days for mass production.
• Payment Terms: To be negotiated.
• Payment methods: T/T, L/C, West Union, Paypal. 

Our factory located in Shandong, a province with rich manufacturing resources in China. We warmly welcome you to visit our factory and foundry at any time. It would be better if you can book the schedule with your service manager in RMC. You will have a nice trip with great achievments. 

For each casting batch, we will test the chemical composition of the molten metal before pouring. This is called Analysis of the Founding Furnace or On-the-spot Sample Analysis. For some special situation, this analysis should be done twice. Moreover, the chemical composition of the finished castings could also be tested for each batch by the spectometer. 

Titanium is a very reactive metal. Titanium reacts particularly quickly with oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon in the molten state. Among them, oxygen and nitrogen are the most harmful, seriously reducing the plasticity of titanium alloys and their castings. Moreover, titanium and its alloys are also prone to react with a variety of refractory materials. Therefore, the melting and casting of titanium alloys can only be carried out under vacuum or inert gas protection.