Your One-stop Solution for Precision Investment Castings

As an established investment casting specialist with 13+ years of expertise, Kellyder offers unrivaled quality, value, and delivery performance. Our full-service capabilities include design support, prototype development, precision wax tooling, ceramic shell building, vacuum melting, casting, finishing, and inventory management – all under one roof. This enables complete production control to optimize cost, quality, and lead times.

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Investment Casting Process

Investment casting is a precision manufacturing process for the production of metal components. Sometimes dubbed the lost wax method, it essentially involves creating a precise replica of the desired finished metal part. First an expendable wax pattern is made, around which liquid ceramic is applied, followed by drying and layers built up by repeated dipping and stuccoing.

This ceramic shell mould, once complete with passages, is subjected to autoclave steam treatment to eliminate the wax and consolidate the ceramic structure prior to pouring at high temperature and atmospheric control. The technique enables complex, hollow investment steel castings with exceptional accuracy and surface finish for critical applications.

We utilize a modern lost wax approach with vacuum assistance for flawless castings with smooth surfaces and sharp detail replication. Your 3D model is reviewed by expert engineers before precision wax patterns are made. Repeated ceramic layers coat patterns, which are then fired and molten metal poured in at 1500°C. Additional services like heat treatment, CNC machining and finishing can be provided to customer specifications.

Service Features

Customized for Your Application

We specialize in providing exceptional quality castings at economical pricing coupled with best-in-class customer service and technical support.

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Get in Touch with Our Experts

Send your requirements to our experts to get in initial contact and analyze your project to plan for a customized and personalized solution.
  • Respond to the request within 2 hours
  • 30 days to complete the mold
  • Sample production in 7 days

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Precision Investment Castings in Exotic Materials

Kellyder possesses extensive expertise in vacuum melting and casting highly reactive exotic alloys using stringent process controls. Our foundry is equipped to handle small batches along with high volume production.

  • Stainless Steel

    We specialize in precision castings of 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, 316, 420 and other 300 series stainless steels. All castings are solution annealed and aged hardened to optimal mechanical properties.

    We demonstrate exceptional conformance to ASTM, AMS and other industry standards. Our expertise also extends to cast equivalents of wrought grades.

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  • Al, Mg and Cu Alloys

    Kellyder demonstrates reliable vacuum arc melting and investment casting expertise for titanium, aluminum, magnesium and copper alloys – including difficult reactive grades.

    We combine ZrO2 shell molds with high integrity melting, filling and solidification techniques to repeatedly deliver certified aerospace quality castings. Please inquire for our full alloy capabilities.

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Precision Finishing Processes for Investment Castings

Investment Casting Finishes

Kellyder offers a wide array of finishing processes to enhance aesthetic appearance, improve functional performance, or achieve critical dimensions on stainless steel and exotic alloy precision investment castings.

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As-Cast FinishTitle 1

The as-cast condition directly out of the ceramic shell mold offers a cost-effective option when surface properties can be utilized as is. Minimal manual grinding/deburring provided.

Abrasive FinishingTitle 1

Uniform abrasive finishing like barrel tumbling or as-required spot grinding/linishing provided to offer enhanced flatness and improved cosmetic appearance.

PolishingTitle 1

Manual or automated buffing/polishing provided to obtain soft satin matte textures or brighter polished finishes - ranging from brushed to high gloss mirrors. Great for decorative components.

Metallic CoatingsTitle 1

Functional metallic coatings including nickel, copper, zinc and precious metal plating provided to enhance corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, solderability or other surface properties.

Paint and Dry Film CoatingsTitle 1

Polymer coatings including powder coating, epoxy, polyurethane, silicone etc can be applied on investment castings to obtain thickness, chemical, wear and UV resistance properties. Aesthetic colors/effects.

CNC MachiningTitle 1

Precision CNC milling, turning, drilling and other machining processes provided either for critical dimensions not achievable in casting or for enhanced surface finish requirements. Hole tolerances within 0.02mm demonstrated.
NameDescription
As-Cast FinishThe as-cast condition directly out of the ceramic shell mold offers a cost-effective option when surface properties can be utilized as is. Minimal manual grinding/deburring provided.
Abrasive FinishingUniform abrasive finishing like barrel tumbling or as-required spot grinding/linishing provided to offer enhanced flatness and improved cosmetic appearance.
PolishingManual or automated buffing/polishing provided to obtain soft satin matte textures or brighter polished finishes - ranging from brushed to high gloss mirrors. Great for decorative components.
Metallic CoatingsFunctional metallic coatings including nickel, copper, zinc and precious metal plating provided to enhance corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, solderability or other surface properties.
Paint and Dry Film CoatingsPolymer coatings including powder coating, epoxy, polyurethane, silicone etc can be applied on investment castings to obtain thickness, chemical, wear and UV resistance properties. Aesthetic colors/effects.
CNC MachiningPrecision CNC milling, turning, drilling and other machining processes provided either for critical dimensions not achievable in casting or for enhanced surface finish requirements. Hole tolerances within 0.02mm demonstrated.

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Applications of Inveatment Casting

Serving Mission-Critical Applications Across Industries

Leveraging stringent process control and certified exotic materials, Kellyder specializes in small to medium sized precision investment steel castings for critical applications across automotive, aerospace, medical.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Leveraging the Unique Benefits of Investment Casting

Investment casting offers unrivaled design flexibility, accuracy, and material properties by eliminating draft angles and parting lines. However, higher initial tooling costs can constrain economical batch sizes.

Your Growth Partner in Investment Casting

Why Choose Us

Join numerous global OEMs and leading manufacturers who rely on our specialized large scale foundry for precision metal casting across sectors.

Answers to Common Questions

Below we address some of the frequent doubts about capabilities, process limitations, timeframes etc from global customers exploring precision investment casting services for their components.

What Are Your Standard Delivery Timeframes?

Prototype sampling with rapid tooling averages 4-6 weeks from order confirmation to casting dispatch after pattern approval. For volume batches using higher durability production tooling, standard delivery schedules are around 10-12 weeks from firm order. We readily accept fast-track requests for urgent shipments depending on current shop floor loadings and capabilities.

What Design Tolerances Do You Maintain?

Our process controls allow maintaining dimensional tolerances within ±0.1% for most geometries. By optimizing pattern dies and accounting for all internal variables, exceptional accuracies approaching ±0.002mm are repeatedly achieved for critical precision applications. Statistical process data can be shared during engineering discussions.

What Are The Size and Weight Limitations?

No standardized weight restrictions really exist. We have demonstrated investment casting expertise for part weights ranging from barely 50 grams for medical implants to over 500 pound large aerospace structural casings. For heavier sections, deployed methodologies ensure dimensional integrity despite the longer solidification timeframes.

Which File Formats Do You Accept?

Vector and 3D formats including STEP, IGES, XT, Parasolid, SolidWorks, CATIA along with other standard CAD file types can be directly imported into our engineering software system. We also work with generic formats like PDF, JPEG and DXF files.

What Alloys Cannot Be Investment Cast?

Barring some highly exotic refractory grades, we possess reliable vacuum melting and casting expertise for most ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including reactive superalloys. So do not hesitate to inquire about your specific material requirement even if not explicitly mentioned in our alloy list. We specialize in precision investment steel castings after all!

What Post-Casting Services Do You Offer?

To save time and cost at your end, Kellyder provides fully finished and certified cast components. Our in-house capabilities include heat treatment, precision CNC machining, surface finishing processes etc. We also offer specialized testing and inspection services to validate critical performance characteristics.

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Our experts are online 24h, will respond quickly within two hours of receiving your demand, and immediately customize personalized one-stop solutions for you according to the information and drawings you provide.

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