Investment Casting
Investment casting has earned its place in manufacturing. The lost-wax process is a cost-effective way to produce prototypes, short runs, or full production metal components. Parts can be reduced in weight, tolerances of ± .005" per inch held, and expenses and time involving machining and finishing reduced or eliminated. Many parts are perfect candidates for investment casting.
Our commitment is to produce the highest quality investment castings. At Texcast, quality is not a new buzzword. We have maintained the highest quality since we started in 1982. It takes a well-planned facility, the right equipment, and well-trained people dedicated to quality to achieve consistent results. This has always been reflected in our final product. Texcast only manufactures investment castings in Houston, Texas, USA. No castings are imported.
The Lost-Wax Process
The lost-wax process provides unique opportunities for engineers and designers. Intricate structures can be created with minimum or no secondary machining operations for net shape or near net shape investment castings.
A pattern is required to start the investment casting process. The pattern can be produced by several methods, including injecting wax into a permanent die or using rapid prototyping. Patterns are mounted on tree assemblies. A shell is created by dipping the tree assembly into a ceramic slurry (called "investing" the shell), then a stucco coating is applied. A well-designed tree assembly controls metal flow into the shell cavities and the cooling of the metal.
Shells are dried and heated to remove the wax (that's where the terminology "lost-wax castings" comes from). Shells are then fired to correct temperature. Metal is brought to temperature and poured into the shell. After cooling, individual parts are separated and carefully finished.
Rapid Prototyping Benefits
Lost wax and rapid prototyping are a perfect fit for rapid prototyping metal parts:
Test Actual Castings
Test an actual investment casting to determine suitability of application. Fully machined prototypes do not reflect the performance of investment castings.
Faster Time to Market
Reduce time to market by utilizing rapid prototyped castings in your first production run.
No Hard Tooling Required
Never need to spend money on hard tooling for low volume parts.
Test Before Committing
Test market your product before committing to the expense and time of hard tooling.
What We Do
Texcast manufactures investment castings of all sizes and intricate shapes, from gram weights up to 35 lbs. We work with many types of metals — iron, nickel, and cobalt base alloys such as carbon steel, stainless steel, Monel, and Stellite, just to name a few — from prototype to 10,000 pieces. Parts once considered too expensive or too difficult, Texcast has turned into routine. Day in and day out. It's what we do.
Our Work
