Investment Casting Tooling

A man in a lab looking at a machine.
A machine is being used to make metal parts.
A man working on a machine in a factory.
A machine is being used to make a piece of metal.
A group of men working in a machine shop.
A man in a lab looking at a machine.
A machine is being used to make a piece of metal.

Tooling is an essential part of the manufacturing process. While tooling in metal casting and CNC machine tooling falls into place with reusable components specific to each individual job, investment casting tooling uses wax-injection dies that create wax patterns. The basis for the investment casting process relies on the wax patterns. There are a number of reasons why organizations partner with a company specializing in investment casting tooling for manufacturing. For example, investment casting tooling uses ceramic molds that produce a much smoother finish generally averaging around a 125 RA surface finish. The production process is also faster than other options, is highly affordable, size ranges are broad, there is a wide material variety, and tighter tolerances.

What is Investment Casting?

If you are relatively new to the industry, you may need to get a better understanding as to what investment casting is to better understand this type of tooling. Investment casting is a lost-wax casting industrial process with roots stemming from one of the oldest metal-forming techniques from the halls of history. The term “lost wax casting” simultaneously nods to modern investment casting processes used for products in a wide range of industries. Investment casting is roughly 5,000 years old, and Laszeray is known as the best investment casting tooling provider in the US, with decades of experience in serving organizations ranging from the aerospace industry to medical devices, and from consumer products to military and defense.

A man in a lab coat is working on a machine.

What are the Benefits of Investment Casting Tooling?

Manufacturers and craftsmen have been using investment casting tooling for decades because it has had the long-standing reputation as a reliable, highly regarded process. Investment casting tooling offers a plethora of benefits making it ideal for multiple industries and applications. Following are the top eight advantages of investment casting tooling by Laszeray Technologies:

  • Range of Alloys – Investment casting tooling allows manufacturers to use hundreds of different alloys to meet specific needs and achieve cost-effectiveness. In addition, the near-net-shape process significantly minimizes the need for finishing thus making it more practical to use harder alloys when such an option is beneficial.
  • Surface Finish Quality – When parts come out of their molds, the surface quality is exceptional and usually stands within the 125 RMS range.
  • Design Flexibility – Investment casting tooling, utilizing a vast selection of alloys, can accommodate virtually any design feature.
  • Lower Production Costs – Investment casting tooling offers tools with longer lives than other processes and is less expensive than other options. This is due, in part, to the fact that its near-net-shape parts require less machining.
  • Parts Consistency – The same tool is used to continuously produce the same wax patterns ensuring consistent parts that all share the same level of tolerances and specifications.
  • Waste Reduction – Investment casting tooling requires very little machining and therefore not as much waste is produced.
  • Accuracy and Fine Details – Investment casting tooling provides phenomenal accuracy and detail in +/- 0.005 inch per inch range. Furthermore, virtually no machining is needed to achieve the desired details and special features.
  • Lower Process Time – With investment casting tooling, the time in which it takes to go from concept to production is significantly shorter as opposed to using other options. This means you can take your products to market faster, and organizations can be more agile when it comes to market change requirements.

Laszeray Technologies brings these benefits and many more to companies seeking investment casting tooling in their manufacturing process, and our engineering team will work with your team to help make design improvements, if necessary, during the manufacturing process from start to finish.

Are there Any Disadvantages to Investment Casting Tooling?

Any manufacturing process will have its fair share of disadvantages, based on the nature of the project. However, with investment tool casting, these disadvantages are far and few between. However, one clear disadvantage hangs over the heads of companies requiring large parts, as investment casting tooling has size limitations. Few design engineers can produce large parts using this technique. However, Laszeray has a history of being able to achieve this obstacle. In the past we have manufactured large parts using investment casting tooling that other organizations were unable to fulfill, so when you contact us for a project quote and for more information, and you require large parts, we may be one of the few organizations offering investment casting tooling for large parts that can accommodate you.

A machine is being used to make a piece of metal.

Investment Casting Tooling for Your Manufacturing Needs

Investment casting tooling, also known as precision casting and lost-wax casting, is often the best available method for creating intricate parts and components. In industries where precision can mean the difference between life and death (like in the medical and defense industries), customers count on Laszeray to provide the investment casting tools they need.

As a leader among investment casting tooling and precision casting companies, Laszeray offers you and your organization its services and years of experience as a world-class designer and manufacturer of high-quality custom tooling for a wide variety of sectors. For example, Laszeray is a leading producer of investment casting tooling used to manufacture 3-D blades and vanes for the aerospace industry. In addition, we serve other industries where precisely fabricated parts and components are vital, including the medical, electronics, oil & gas, agricultural, and automotive sectors.

Investment casting tooling is a time-honored manufacturing process that can create components of virtually any level of complexity at tight tolerances. The investment casting coating process involves dipping a wax pattern into ceramic slurry to form a mold. From there, the wax is melted out and molten metal is poured inside. Once the metal has solidified, the mold is removed.

Whether you need to produce a tiny 1 oz. part or a large item weighing 20 pounds or more, investment casting gets the job done reliably, and at a reasonable price. As a manufacturing process, it’s flexible enough to produce large runs of a given part or just a few. In many cases, investment casting is the only truly cost-effective method of manufacturing a certain part or component.

Why Do Organizations Seek Investment Casting Tooling at Laszeray?

Investment casting tooling performed by Laszeray provides production advantages that include the following:

  • Affordability – Investment casting tooling does not require expensive equipment.
  • Wide range of materials – Many ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys can be used in the investment casting process.
  • Shorter lead times – Overall labor is sharply reduced with investment casting.
  • Experience and expertise – Since 1994 Laszeray has been offering the best investment casting tooling for the largest selection of industries across the country.
A machine is being used to make metal parts.

When you contact Laszeray, our specialists will be able to tell you if investment casting tooling is the right manufacturing approach for your project, and we can work with your team to achieve your goals ranging from cost-saving changes to completing critical tasks within your deadline.

Be sure to ask questions about the complexity of projects in the portfolio of the injection molding company that you consider. Think about the different materials they have experience with and the variety of machinery that can be used to produce the best results. When it comes to plastic injection machines, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

Contact Laszeray for the Best Investment Casting Tooling

Laszeray’s in-house talent, advanced equipment, and unique knowledge provides significant advantages to those seeking the best investment casting tooling who partner with us. We offer everything from rapid prototype investment casting for businesses that need to test a product design, to medical investment castings for healthcare facilities that demand precision-crafted tools. We pride ourselves on being one of the leading investment casting companies around. Feel free to contact us for additional info on our investment casting tooling capabilities. Laszeray’s systems include”

  • Wax injection tooling
  • Variety of core tooling
  • Gate parts molds
  • Automated butterfly dies
  • Multi-pull tooling
  • Straight pull tooling

Give us a call today and learn how Laszeray’s investment casting tooling can help your organization hit its growth goals with affordable, time-saving high-quality investment casting tooling services.

LASZERAY’S SYSTEMS INCLUDE:

Automated Butterfly Dies

Technical:
  • Wax Injection Tooling
    Wax injection molding is the process of casting wax products. First, molten wax is injected into a hollow casing called a “cavity.” The cavity is chilled until the wax has cooled and is solidified. Then the wax is carefully removed from the cavity.
  • Core Tooling
    With industry-standard bits, dies, taps, and other tools for creating common features in parts or part-specific mold tools, industry standard cut features can be included without spending the time and money needed for custom solutions.
  • Gate Parts Molds
    Each injection mold design requires a gate to allow the molten plastic injection. Gate types can have a variety of effects on the parts, including part appearance, part dimensions, gate removal, and remaining material.
  • Multi-Pull and Straight Pull Tooling
    Multi-Pull molds allow multiple products to be formed in one cycle, while straight pull molds form a single product per cycle. We have the tooling to produce both types of mold.