Investment Casting Parts — Manufacturer & Exporter
Near-net-shape cast components for complex geometries that would be expensive or impossible to machine from solid.
Investment casting (lost-wax casting) is the economical route when a part has complex curves, internal passages, undercuts or a shape that would waste most of a solid billet. We produce carbon steel, stainless 304 / 316, alloy steel and brass castings from 0.1 to 50 kg, then finish critical faces, bores and threads on CNC machines.
The process starts with a wax pattern injected into an aluminium tool, assembled into a tree, coated in ceramic shell, dewaxed and poured. After knock-out and cutting, parts are heat treated, shot blasted and machined where the drawing calls for tight tolerances. Because tooling is required, we recommend a sample-first approach: approve one first-article casting before releasing the production batch.
Not every part belongs in casting. Our casting vs forging comparison sets out the cost, strength and lead-time trade-offs so you can choose the right process before paying for tooling.
Technical Specifications
| Process | Lost-wax / investment casting (silica sol and water glass shell) |
|---|---|
| Materials | Carbon steel, 304 / 316 stainless, 42CrMo, alloy steel, brass, bronze |
| Weight range | 0.1 – 50 kg per piece |
| As-cast tolerance | ISO 8062 CT4 – CT7 depending on shell system |
| Machined tolerance | ±0.01 – 0.05 mm on specified features |
| Surface finish | As-cast Ra 6.3–12.5 µm; shot blast, pickling, passivation, plating |
| Tooling | Wax injection die; typical tool life 50,000+ shots |
| MOQ | 50–100 pcs for production; 1–5 sample pieces for approval |
| Lead time | Tooling + samples 20–30 days; production 15–25 days |
| Documentation | Material certificate, dimensional report, hardness / tensile test, COC |
Design Rules That Reduce Cost
- Keep wall sections as uniform as possible; heavy bosses create shrinkage porosity and need extra feeding.
- Add machining allowance only where a functional face or bore needs it — typically 1–3 mm.
- Use generous fillets instead of sharp internal corners to improve shell life and metal flow.
- Avoid fully enclosed internal cavities that make shell removal difficult.
- Tell us the pressure or sealing requirement; impregnation or proof testing may be needed.
Typical Applications
Pump and valve bodies, impellers, turbine and compressor components, lever arms and brackets, hinge and lock hardware, agricultural machine wear parts, pipe fittings and decorative architectural hardware.
Manufacturing Process
Wax injection, shell building, dewaxing and pouring are followed by cut-off, grinding, heat treatment and shot blasting. Parts that carry sealing faces or bearing bores move to CNC finishing. Dimensional inspection covers both as-cast geometry and machined features before packing.
Quality & Documentation
Chemical composition is verified per heat, and mechanical properties by tensile and hardness tests. We can supply EN 10204 3.1 certificates and first-article inspection reports. See our quality control process.
Questions Buyers Ask About Investment Casting Parts
How much does casting tooling cost?
It depends on part size and cavity count. Simple single-cavity wax dies are a few hundred USD; complex multi-cavity tools are higher. Tooling is quoted separately and remains your property.
Can I get samples before committing to production?
Yes. We recommend 1–5 first-article samples with a dimensional report before the production release.
Which is cheaper, casting or forging?
Casting usually wins on complex shapes and low-to-medium volumes; forging wins on strength and high-volume simple shapes. See the full comparison.
Do you machine the castings?
Yes, in-house CNC finishing of sealing faces, bores and threads is standard for parts that need it.
Ready to source custom metal parts?
Send your drawing or sample. Engineering review and quotation within 24 hours.