Industries
The overview describes typical uses of investment casting in each industry and the considerations that go with them. It is a description of the technology's fields of application, not a list of LOSTWAX approvals or customer references. Regulated sectors such as aerospace, medical devices, defence and railways require sector-specific qualifications that must be confirmed for the supply chain of each project.
Aerospace
- Components
- Structural brackets, housings, fuel and air system parts, turbine hardware
- Materials
- Precipitation-hardening stainless steels, nickel superalloys, aluminium, titanium
- Considerations
- Sector-specific quality system approvals, special-process control and full traceability are mandatory and must be confirmed per project.
Automotive
- Components
- Turbocharger and exhaust components, rocker arms, shift and locking parts, brackets
- Materials
- Low-alloy steels, heat-resistant steels, stainless steels
- Considerations
- High volumes, process capability evidence and cost pressure; investment casting competes where geometry rules out forging or sintering.
Motorsport
- Components
- Uprights, suspension and gearbox parts, exhaust collectors, turbo housings
- Materials
- High-strength steels, titanium, nickel alloys, aluminium
- Considerations
- Small batches and short lead times favour printed or machined patterns instead of hard tooling.
Energy
- Components
- Burner parts, nozzles, valve trim, instrumentation housings, fasteners and clamps
- Materials
- Heat-resistant steels, Cr-Mo steels, stainless steels, nickel alloys
- Considerations
- Elevated temperature, thermal cycling and long service life; material certification to pressure-equipment rules where applicable.
Power generation
- Components
- Turbine blades and vanes, seal segments, hydro runner components, fuel nozzles
- Materials
- Nickel and cobalt superalloys, 13Cr-4Ni martensitic steel, 12 % Cr steels
- Considerations
- Creep, fatigue and erosion; hot-section parts usually require vacuum casting and extensive NDT.
Oil and gas
- Components
- Valve bodies and trim, choke and flow-control parts, downhole tool components, instrumentation fittings
- Materials
- Duplex and super duplex, CA6NM, nickel alloys, low-alloy steels
- Considerations
- Sour-service hardness limits, impact toughness, corrosion testing and third-party inspection are common contractual requirements.
Pumps and valves
- Components
- Impellers, diffusers, casings, valve bodies, discs, balls, seats and stems
- Materials
- CF8M / CF3M, duplex grades, CA6NM, bronzes, nickel alloys
- Considerations
- Hydraulic surfaces benefit from the as-cast finish and thin vanes; pressure tightness depends on sound feeding of flanges and junctions.
Marine
- Components
- Deck and rigging hardware, propeller and waterjet parts, seawater pump and valve components
- Materials
- CF8M, duplex, nickel-aluminium bronze, silicon bronze, Ni-Cu alloys
- Considerations
- Pitting and crevice corrosion in seawater, galvanic compatibility and, where required, classification-society material approval.
Defence
- Components
- Mechanism parts, mounts, housings, vehicle and equipment hardware
- Materials
- Quenched and tempered low-alloy steels, PH stainless steels, aluminium
- Considerations
- Export-control, security and customer-specific qualification requirements apply and must be clarified before any technical data are exchanged.
Medical equipment
- Components
- Instrument handles and jaws, device housings, equipment mechanisms; implants as a separate regulated field
- Materials
- Martensitic and PH stainless steels, 316L types, cobalt-chromium, titanium
- Considerations
- Medical-device quality system and regulatory requirements govern the supply chain; suitability must be confirmed case by case.
Industrial machinery
- Components
- Levers, cams, clamps, nozzles, gear housings, textile and packaging machine parts
- Materials
- Carbon and low-alloy steels, stainless steels, tool steels where applicable
- Considerations
- Replacing welded or multi-part machined assemblies with one casting; the business case depends on annual quantity and machining saved.
Robotics
- Components
- Gripper fingers, joint housings, end-effector brackets, sensor mounts
- Materials
- Aluminium, PH stainless steels, low-alloy steels
- Considerations
- Stiffness-to-weight optimisation with hollow and ribbed shapes; accurate interfaces are machined after casting.
Automation
- Components
- Pneumatic and hydraulic valve blocks, actuator parts, connector housings, clamping elements
- Materials
- Stainless steels, aluminium, low-alloy steels
- Considerations
- Many variants in moderate quantities; modular dies and inserts keep tooling cost per variant low.
Agriculture
- Components
- Tines, knife guards, coupling parts, hydraulic fittings, wear parts
- Materials
- Carbon and low-alloy steels, heat-treated to hardness
- Considerations
- Abrasive wear and impact at low part cost; heat-treatment consistency matters more than tight tolerances.
Railway
- Components
- Brake system parts, door and coupler mechanisms, interior hardware, pantograph components
- Materials
- Low-alloy steels, stainless steels, aluminium
- Considerations
- Fatigue loading, long service life and documented traceability; railway-specific supplier qualification where required.
Chemical processing
- Components
- Pump and valve wetted parts, mixer and agitator elements, spray nozzles, thermowells
- Materials
- CF3M, CN7M, 6 % Mo austenitics, duplex, Ni-Cr-Mo alloys
- Considerations
- Alloy selection for the actual medium, concentration and temperature; corrosion tests and solution-anneal records are frequently specified.
Food processing
- Components
- Pump rotors and housings, valve bodies, filling and dosing parts, cutting and forming tools
- Materials
- CF8, CF3M and related austenitic grades
- Considerations
- Hygienic design: smooth, crevice-free, cleanable surfaces; surface roughness and porosity limits on product-contact areas.
General engineering
- Components
- Hardware, hinges, locks, tool parts, architectural fittings, prototypes and spare parts
- Materials
- The full range from carbon steel to stainless steel and copper alloys
- Considerations
- Deciding whether the part is a casting at all: a short process comparison usually answers this before any tooling is ordered.
Choosing the right partner for an application
For any application, three questions decide whether a casting source is suitable: can it produce the geometry in the required alloy with the required soundness; can it demonstrate this with the specified tests and documents; and does it hold the qualifications the end use demands. LOSTWAX answers these questions for each enquiry on the basis of the drawing and specification; see capabilities and contact.