How to Save on Investment Castings
When it comes to manufacturing the necessary cast parts for your products, cost is often the most critical factor. Fortunately, as a leading investment casting service, we know how to help OEMs achieve maximum value, and oftentimes the lowest cost, on the cast parts they need.
If you’re seeking an investment casting company to help create parts for your business, there are a few considerations to look for that can have a big impact on cost, quality and timeliness. Check out the following tips for what to look for in a manufacturing partner that will help you get the precision castings and the highest-quality parts, while helping to minimize the expense.
4 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Investment Casting Projects
As you consider an investment casting partner, look for someone who can offer the following characteristics. And if you have questions about the best way to design, cast or finish a critical part, contact us today. Our team of investment casting experts is here to help.
1. Optimized Geometry and Design
When it comes to costing out an investment casting, design plays a huge part. For example, the fewer gates a casting has, the fewer secondary processes will be required down the line to create and finish your parts. These secondary processes can add cost and time to the project, so designing your part with this in mind can lower your cost right from the start.
Investment casting is great for achieving near net shape parts. Take advantage of this by casting your part as close as possible the final geometry. This will decrease the cost associated with machining, grinding, and other costly finishing processes.
To ensure optimal outcomes as well as cost savings, look for an investment casting partner with in-house designers who have the experience to value-engineer your molds and parts during the design process. At Lamothermic, our design team processes every job that comes through our shop and ensures that it is both value-engineered and optimized for maximum efficiency in production.
2. Automation to Streamline the Process
Automated processes create efficiencies in both time and money. That means working with a manufacturing partner that has advanced robotic equipment and smart automation can make a world of difference when producing high-quantity runs of parts at a lower cost.
Seek a partner that automates production using custom fixtures to hold parts in place for precision and consistency, even across high-volume jobs where accuracy and repeatability could otherwise be challenging to achieve.
At Lamothermic, our sophisticated automated systems guarantee repeatable results even within minute tolerances. When combined with the speed and 24/7/365 nature of robotic automation, this means fast turnaround, less re-work, and perfect parts in just about any quantity.
3. In-House Tooling Design
Adherence to the highest standards is essential for making investment castings that will give you parts that meet even the most exact specifications. That makes it important to choose a partner with their own in-house tooling department that designs molds for superior precision, as well as in-house experts who can engineer tooling to optimize the process. Extreme accuracy, effective piece placement, and smooth production runs result in less rework, faster turnaround times, and ultimately lower prices overall.
That’s why we staff a complete, in-house tooling department that brings decades of tooling design experience to each of our projects. Even if you provide your own molds, our team will evaluate them and make recommendations for improvement that could make your project run faster and cost less.
4. A Hassle-Free Experience
Ultimately, you’ll work most efficiently and gain maximum value from your supply chain when you look for a partner who makes things as easy as possible for you. Do they have a project manager with technical expertise available every step of the way to answer your questions and address concerns? Do they actually answer the phone when you call? Do they have a production control manager to oversee production and logistics? Do their engineers stay involved with a project from start to finish to ensure accuracy and quality?
The most efficient and high-quality results happen when customer service and engineer-to-engineer collaboration are top priorities. And that’s how we work at Lamothermic. Our team brings decades of experience to each and every project, adds value along the way, while making it easy for our clients to do their jobs effectively and achieve their desired results.
Lamothermic Is the Complete Package
If you want an investment casting supplier who checks all the boxes, look no further! With our optimized processes, advanced capabilities, and commitment to a superior customer experience, you can count on us for the utmost quality and value. Contact us for a quote to discuss how our investment casting services can help you maximize your parts production and profitability!