Investment casting is the most common and widely used casting process in industry. It involves pouring molten metal into a mold, which is prepared by the machine tool industry.
The following are the critical points in investment casting components:
1. Design of the mould
The mould must be designed so that it can withstand high temperature without any distortion or cracking during the pouring of molten metal. The design also needs to allow for adequate drainage of investment material from the cavity and provide sufficient strength to support the weight of molten metal during solidification.
2. Heat treatment of the cast part
In order to ensure a good quality component and improve the appearance, we must pay attention to the surface treatment of the cast part. The surface treatment can be divided into two categories:
a) Mechanical finishing. The mechanical processing mainly includes grinding, sand blasting, wire brushing and so on, which can remove the surface roughness caused by casting and improve the appearance of the component.
b) Chemical surface coating. Chemical coating is often used for parts with complex shapes or large size parts with special requirements for function and performance. There are many types of chemical coatings, such as nitriding, hard chrome plating etc., but their main purpose is to increase wear resistance and corrosion resistance, thus prolonging the service life of products!
3. The quality of wax pattern:
The quality of wax pattern directly affects product casting precision and surface roughness after investment casting process! If there are any flaws in wax pattern or other reasons making a poor-quality casted part (such as poor surface quality), it will affect product performance during use! For example: If there are defects in wax pattern such as undercuts or flash.
4. Surface finish of castings
The surface of the casted product is smooth and even, with an excellent appearance. The surface roughness of investment castings can be as low as Ra0.1μm, which ensures that the parts have good mechanical properties. The part surface also has good fatigue strength, corrosion resistance and impact resistance.
5. High dimensional accuracy
Investment casting has high dimensional accuracy because of its high precision machining technology, so it can meet the requirements for high-precision casting parts such as aircraft engine parts, precision medical equipment and instrumentation products.
6. Good mechanical properties
Investment castings have good mechanical properties and are often stronger than wrought products because they contain less porosity than other casting techniques. They also have good wear resistance, since they are only made from one material without any welds or joints which can wear out with use over time.
7. The weight should be within tolerance
The weight of investment casting should be within tolerance. This ensures that there will be no problems with part weight or volume variations during production and further downstream processes such as assembly and testing.
This article discussed 7 critical points about investment casting parts, it will help you to make the best decision for your project. If you need more professional advice on casting process, contact me now, janet@dsindustriesgroup.com
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