Investment casting enables manufacturers to produce precision engineered parts while minimizing material and energy waste. The term "investment" refers to the way the wax mold is invested by the shell to create the container, which is then filled with molten metal.

Many aerospace components are produced by investment casting. These examples include:
Air and Fuel System Parts
engine parts
Hydraulic System Parts
Environmental Control System Parts
Landing Control System Components
internal mechanical parts
Operator interface controls
Cabin Control System Parts

Aerospace components must be able to withstand extreme weather conditions, pressures and other factors that cause operational wear—thus, these components require exceptional inherent durability. The consistency and precision of the parts provided by investment casting results in a significant increase in tensile strength. Manufacturing aerospace parts through investment casting also ensures that interlocking parts can be mated quickly and easily, preventing assembly errors that could otherwise lead to excessive wear or failure.

Key investment casting advantages for aerospace components
Investment casting is ideal for producing aerospace components for the following reasons:
Investment casting produces parts with the elaborate designs, thin walls, undercut holes and grooves often required for aerospace components.
Parts made with investment casting will have an excellent surface finish, reducing or eliminating the need for secondary machining.
Investment casting produces parts of different sizes and weights.
Additional investment casting benefits
Investment casting offers many benefits to those looking for high-quality custom aerospace parts. Not only does this process allow for superior quality control at every step of manufacturing, but it also:

Ensure every part is tested through digital simulations and prototype test runs
Enable designs capable of operating in mild and extreme conditions
Facilitates detailed visual inspection of components
Create highly reproducible replicas through standardized procedures
Form components that meet all regulatory standards

Investment castings can be made from a variety of alloys, allowing the end product to gain the benefits of multiple metal qualities simultaneously. Alloys frequently used in the aerospace industry include:
aluminum
Stainless steel
titanium
super alloy

Material selection is critical as it affects the unique physical properties of the final part. These properties include improved chemical and corrosion resistance, durability in extreme temperatures or other hazardous operating conditions.

thorough design process
Designers rely on a variety of software (such as CAD and CAM) and technologies when they start making investment cast parts and prototypes. Successful completion of the steps in the initial design phase is critical to the long-term performance of the component. For example, prototyping allows designers to stress test parts and determine their operability in a real-world environment.

tight tolerance range
Each measurement is allowed to deviate from the set specifications, including thickness, diameter and other related measurements. The better the resulting parts can meet the application's measurement requirements, the better they will perform. Investment castings can be made to adhere to very tight tolerance margins, improving the functionality of complex single parts and complex systems containing multiple parts.

Thin and streamlined parts
Investment casting designs can be created to have thin walls without risking loss of structural integrity. Examples of these include undercuts, grooves, threads, and more. Integrating critical assembly requirements into components is not a problem for the investment casting process.

As an aerospace investment casting supplier, if you have any questions, contact our sales staff.