CASTING: Texcast, Inc.

mat-fab:

Investment casting has, without a doubt, earned it’s place in manufacturing. The lost-wax process has proven to be 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. The bottom line is, 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 “buzz” word. 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. It has always been reflected in our final product. We became ISO 9001certified in 2004. Texcast only manufactures investment castings in Houston, Texas, USA. No castings are imported.

The lost-wax process for producing investment castings 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.

Lost wax and rapid prototyping are a perfect fit for rapid prototyping metal parts. Benefits of using lost wax and rapid prototyping:

• Test an actual investment casting to determine suitability of application. Fully machined prototypes do not reflect the performance of investment castings.

• Reduce time to market by utilizing rapid prototyped castings in first production run.

• Never need to spend money on hard tooling for low volume parts.

• Test market product before committing to expense and time of hard tooling.

A pattern is required to start the investment casting process. The pattern can produced by several different methods. Injecting wax into a permanent die or using several different Rapid Prototyping. These patterns are then mounted on tree assemblies. A shell is created by dipping the tree assembly into a ceramic slurry (this is called “investing” the shell), then a stucco coating is applied. A well designed tree assembly controls flow of metal into the shell cavities as well as controls the cooling of the metal.

Proper controls in the investment casting process produce accurate and consistent results. Shells are dried and then 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 up to temperature and poured into the shell. After cooling, individual parts can be separated and carefully finished.

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.

Texcast Inc.
706 Lehman Houston, Texas 77018
Phone: 713-697-8006 Houston
Fax: 713-694-2325
E -mail: GaryHinds@texcast.com