Investment casting provides a much smoother surface finish and tighter dimensional tolerances (often ±0.005 inches per inch). These are huge because nickel-aluminum bronze is an alloy that is difficult to machine. By using investment casting, you get a "near-net shape" part that requires minimal secondary operations (work after casting), saving you time and costs.

This answer depends on your specific needs, as size, complexity of design, and the number of parts being produced can all impact which option is best for you. This being said, here are a few benefits of opting for an investment casting:

1) Near-Net Shape Casting

Because investment casting uses a ceramic shell formed around a precise wax pattern, your metal part comes out of the mold almost exactly like the final design. For an expensive alloy like C95500, this reduces the amount of expensive metal turned into waste during machining. In short, you pay for the metal that stays on the part, not the metal on the floor.

2) Cost and Time Savings when Producing in Bulk

If you are producing a medium to large volume of parts, the cost savings per part will be a powerful reason to choose investment casting.

As for time savings, while investment casting is slower to start than machining (prep time includes tooling, gate prep, flow analysis, etc.), once production is up and running, it can create parts significantly faster than machining. The precision casting process allows foundry workers to cast dozens of parts in one go with tree and gating systems as opposed to machining one part at a time.

In short, yes!

One of the most significant advantages of the precision casting process is the ability to cast thin, intricate walls. This is particularly useful for C95500 applications such as pump impellers or aerospace valve bodies, where reducing weight without sacrificing the alloy's high tensile strength is a priority.

It depends on the application. C95500 has excellent as-cast properties, but for extreme-stress environments (like aircraft landing gear or high-pressure valves), a quench and temper heat treatment can boost tensile strength. Investment castings respond very well to these treatments due to their fine, uniform grain structure. Worth noting, we offer heat treatment services and a broad selection of other secondary operations to ensure your part meets all of your specs!