At NTC, we will work with you to provide a proven, cost-effective design strategy that takes into consideration all the key factors within your project. Depending on your specifications, we can design your project with cost reduction in mind allowing for a better understanding of the overall project cost estimates. Additionally, our high-volume production requirements provide the capabilities to further reduce costs.

How are Investment Casting Costs Calculated?

The following considerations should be examined before deciding on what type of investment casting option is best for your project. While we like to think that anything is possible, it always comes down to what it costs to produce it.

There are several elements that factor into the costs of investment casting, including:

• Materials & Alloys Used

• Part Size

• Volume of Order

• Complexity of Design

• Tooling Factors

• Testing & Certification

Investment Casting Alloy Material Options

Precision investment castings can be created from an almost limitless variety of investment casting alloys. The cost of lost wax casting will vary depending on the material or alloy needed for your specific application or environment.

Investment casting requires the use of a metal die (usually aluminum), wax, ceramic slurry, furnace, molten metal, and any machines needed for sandblasting, vibratory tumbling (with or without a grinding or polishing media), cutting, and grinding.

We work with varying metals based on your project needs. The materials available for you to choose from include, but are not limited to:

• Stainless Steel

• Steel

• Ductile Iron

• Beryllium Cooper

• Nickel-Based Alloys

• Aluminum

• Cobalt-Based Alloys

• Copper-Based Alloys

Part Size, Order Volume, & Design Complexity Impact on Costs

The size of the part and the number of parts ordered are unavoidable cost drivers when it comes to investment casting. Your part size directly impacts the amount of material used, as well as the volume of your order.

Another cost driver is the complexity of your design. At NTC, we work with you from the beginning to determine if any changes can be made to the design of a cast part in order to reduce costs. This way any hidden challenges can be identified early on, saving you money, time, and a headache down the line.

Factors Impacting the Cost of Wax Injection Tooling

Our company began as a tool and die shop, and we’ve continued offering these in-house capabilities to this day. At NTC, all tooling is custom-made in-house. This guarantees the quality and accuracy of our tooling, while also reducing tooling costs for you.

Wax Injection Tooling Treatment Methods

Depending upon the tooling option best suited for your application, the cost will be impacted. The greater the number of cavities per mold, the higher the tooling cost, but the lower the piece price.

Tooling type in order of least tooling cost but highest piece price are as follows:

• Manual (may require some tool modifications)

• Semi-automatic

• Fully automatic

There are different tooling methods possible based on the complexity of your design and other factors including:

• Multi-piece Wax Assemblies

• Effect of Pieces per Tree

• Gate Grinding

• Blast Cleaning

• Straightening

• Gauging