Fuerd  Precision offers Flexibility (Prototypes, Small Quantity Runs - 5 to 25 pieces at a time and High Volume), Service (Quick Responsive Lead times, On time Performance, and Superior Investment Casting Engineering Support), Quality (Mechanical component parts produced that meet if not exceed your requirements), Reduce Cost, and Single Source Responsibility (one source to provide your parts complete). From aluminum investment castings to low alloy investment castings to stainless steel investment castings, Fuerd  Precision has the alloy that will best meet your needs. Investment CastingsYour investment casting solution for cost reductions and enhanced part performance.Investment Castings reduce the High Cost of your machined parts, weldments, fabrications and assembled mechanical components by as much as 30 to 50%... From simple to complex shapes, Investment Castings provide you with the ideal solution to your low/medium quantity mechanical component requirements. Investment Casting BenefitsEnjoy the benefits of investment casting such as greater design freedom (complex intricate shapes easily cast - assemblies cast as one part), greater investment casting alloy selection (over 150 non ferrous and ferrous alloys to chose from to select an alloy that best suits your investment casting application), improved surface finishes and a greater opportunity for cost and weight reduction. Investment castings, also known as lost wax investment casting, will enhance the design and the performance of your mechanical component parts. Our investment castings are produced to precision tolerances of +/- .005 inch per inch and to machined like surfaces of 125 RMS.

Fundamentally, a mold is produced by shaping a refractory material to form a cavity of a desired shape such that molten metal can be poured into the cavity. The mold cavity needs to retain its shape until the metal has solidified and the casting is removed. This sounds easy to accomplish, but depending on the choice of metal, certain characteristics are demanded of the mold. Green Sand Molding The most common method used to make metal castings is green sand molding. In this process, granular refractory sand is coated with a mixture of bentonite clay, water and, in some cases, other additives. The additives help to harden and hold the mold shape to withstand the pressures of the molten metal. The green sand mixture is compacted through mechanical force or by hand around a pattern to create a mold. The mechanical force can be induced by slinging, jolting, squeezing or by impact/impulse. The following points should be taken into account when considering the green sand molding process: 

In these systems, sand is mixed with one or two liquid resin components and a liquid catalyst component. As soon as the resin(s) and catalyst combine, a chemical reaction begins to take place that hardens (cures) the binder. The curing time can be lengthened or shortened based on the amount of catalyst used and the temperature of the refractory sand. The mixed sand is placed against the pattern or into the corebox. Although the sand mixtures have good flowability, some form of compaction (usually vibration) is used to provide densification of the sand in the mold/core. After a period of time, the core/mold has cured sufficiently to allow stripping from the corebox or pattern without distortion. The cores/molds are then allowed to sit and thoroughly cure. After curing, they can accept a refractory wash or coating that provides a better surface finish on the casting and protects the sand in the mold from the heat and erosive action of the molten metal as it enters the mold cavity.