Carbon steel investment castings are characterized by their high carbon content, which provides a high-strength, ductile steel suitable for use under high-pressure conditions. Carbon steel can withstand high stress and is therefore ideal for mechanical and structural applications. It is softer than other steels, has lower tensile strength, and is not suitable for heat treatment. Carbon steel castings are commonly used in automotive and construction applications, including fasteners, bolts, shafts, rods, pins, components, and more.

Low and medium carbon alloy steels contain varying amounts of nickel, chromium or molybdenum to improve their durability and toughness as well as corrosion resistance.

As mentioned earlier, carbon steel investment castings are largely chosen for various applications in several industries. These include automotive, military, oil and gas, mining, and commercial to name a few. Example carbon steel castings are as follows:

• Cranks
• Handles
• Brackets
• Firearm components
• Housings
• Valves
• Gears
• Nozzles
• Bi-Pods
• Hinges

The technique is more complex than other casting processes, requiring extensive preparation and specialized equipment. Therefore, the upfront cost of investment casting can be more expensive than sand casting or die casting. But the unit production cost decreases with the increase of order quantity.

1. Create wax pattern: A pattern that replicates the finished part geometry is made using one of two primary methods:
2. Wax Assembly: Next, the wax patterns are assembled onto runners and into a finished tree which is ready to be dipped.
3. Slurry Coating: The assembly is then dipped into a high-grade ceramic slurry to build a ceramic shell around the wax tree.
4. Stuccoing: After the slurry coating is done, particles of sand are dropped onto the surface of the wet tree assembly. This helps to thicken and strengthen the layer of coating on the wax assembly surface.
5. Repeat Steps 5 and 6: Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the assembly achieves the desired shell thickness. The assembly is then allowed to set and dry.
6. Dewaxing: The wax inside the newly built shell is now removed. Dewaxing is done using a steam-dewaxing autoclave or flash fire furnace.
7. Casting: Now the desired molten metal is poured into the pre-heated mold cavity.
8. Cooling: The mold then sits to allow the molten metal to cool and solidify which then becomes the final casting.
9. Shell Removal: The shell material is then removed through processes hammer knockout, vibration, and steel grit blasting.
10. Cut Off: The finished parts are then cut free from the gating and runner system.
11. Finishing: Various finishing techniques are then employed including grinding, sand blasting and coating to achieve the final surface needed.
12. Testing: Once the finishing operations are done, the parts are inspected for surface and sub-surface defects. Visual and fluorescent penetrant inspection is done for surfaces and X-ray is employed for sub-surface defect identification.

At its core, the investment casting process is simple: create a model, form a mold, and pour the metal. At most traditional precision metal foundries, you then wait anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks or more to get your part.

Generally speaking, our platform must consider several factors before generating a quotation, including the size of the part, the complexity of the mold, the number of castings, materials, post-processing requirements, etc.