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P.I. Castings Ltd - one
of the longest established manufacturers of
investment castings in Europe and one of only
a few with the capability to produce high
integrity castings in both aluminium and
steels from one location.
Investment castings are produced for
all types of industries including aerospace, defence,
medical, electronics, transport, mechanical equipment and
general engineering and can be supplied fully machined,
treated and ready for assembly.
In our business there is no substitute for experience. We
have been making precision investment castings by the lost
wax process for over 55 years and have a wealth of
knowledge, which is invaluable when giving our customers
technical advice from the early design stages through to
full production. This is backed up by some of the most
comprehensive in-house facilities of any investment
casting company, including heat-treatment, x-ray,
spectrographic analysis, mechanical testing and
co-ordinate measuring machines. We also have our own Rapid
Prototyping machine for producing rapid prototype
investment castings without the need for tooling.
Our customer-orientated team has the experience and
flexibility to meet the most stringent technical, quality
and delivery requirements enabling P.I. Castings to
achieve preferred supplier status with many major
aerospace, defence and engineering companies.
THE ADVANTAGES OF INVESTMENT CASTING
Investment castings can offer many
advantages in the production of metal components,
especially where complex shapes are required.
With investment castings, most rough machining operations
can be eliminated; there is a greater freedom of design;
lighter and cleaner looking components can be made;
assembled items may be replaced with ‘one-piece’
investment castings - all these advantages embodied in the
widest range of materials.
WHAT INVESTMENT CASTINGS CAN OFFER
Dimensional Tolerances
Generally ±0.125mm per 25mm (±0.005" per inch)
depending on component configuration. No casting joint
lines, no draft taper.
Surface Finish
Typically 3.2 microns (N8, 125 CLA)
Tooling
Aluminium dies are used to produce wax patterns.
Tooling costs are relatively low; modifications are
usually easy and tool life is excellent.
Size Range
Investment castings can be made from less than 5mm
long to more than 600mm.
Quantity
Depending on size and complexity, batch quantities as
low as 25 can be economical. More typical quantities are
hundreds or thousands and we have the capability of
producing thousands of investment castings per week.
Quality
Approved to produce investment castings to ISO 9001:2000
including Aerospace sector AS9100 and AECMA EASE, NADCAP
approval for NDT. Also approved independently by many UK
and international organisations.
Machined Parts
Fully finished investment castings can be supplied
includes machining, alochroming, fitting threaded inserts,
painting, polishing or sub-assembly .
MATERIALS FOR INVESTMENT
CASTINGS
RAPID PROTOTYPING OF INVESTMENT CASTINGS
P. I.
Castings Ltd is a leader in the production of investment
cast metal Rapid Prototypes having been involved for 20
years since the first stereolithography machine arrived in
Europe.
Only a couple of independent investment casting companies
in the UK have their own Rapid Prototyping equipment and
we are one!
P. I. Castings can take your CAD designs and turn them
directly into a pattern, which can be used to produce
investment castings in our usual range of metals including
aluminium, steel, stainless, brass, bronze, zinc, etc.
Apart from using our own 3D Printer, we have made
thousands of investment castings with all the other Rapid
Prototyping techniques, including Stereolithography,
Quickcast, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and rubber
mould methods. There is no single technique which is
suitable for all investment casting applications and we
will advise you on the most suitable to produce your
component.
Design for Rapid Prototyping - The required
component must be designed as a 3-D solid or surface
representation. All of the required design features such
as corner radii and machining allowances must be included
in the CAD design, as they will be faithfully reproduced
on the model used to produce the investment casting. It is
essential to discuss technical and design details with our
engineers at an early stage to ensure that the component
features are suitable for the casting process.
Size,
Tolerance and Surface Finish - P. I. Castings have
made Rapid Prototypes with dimensions up to 660mm.
Dimensional tolerances depend on the configuration of the
part and would be wider than normal investment casting
tolerances produced from conventional tooling.
Depending on the process used, the models may not have as
fine a surface as a normal investment casting, but it is
possible to smooth the models to give a generally
acceptable surface finish.
Material - Parts can be cast in the same wide range
of materials used for production investment castings,
including Low Alloy steels, Stainless steels, Nickel and
Cobalt based alloys, Carbon Steels, Magnetic irons,
Aluminium, Zinc, Brass and Bronze.
Cost - The cost of making rapid prototype models
will depend on size, configuration, quantity and the
technique used. The height of the rapid prototype model
particularly affects the build-up time and cost. In the
investment casting operations, the largest influence on
price is the quantity required as well as casting
complexity and the material.
Data Required - For producing rapid prototype
models, an STL file of the solid 3D CAD data is required.
If you do not have an STL facility, then please send an
IGES solid model file and we will convert it.
Facilities for Investment Casting
Extensive facilities for the manufacture and
testing of investment castings are can be found at P.I.
Castings Ltd, including: -
Three-dimensional co-ordinate measuring;
shadowgraph projector.
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X-Ray (3 sets); real-time x-ray
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Dye Penetrant; magnetic flaw
detection
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Spectrographic analysis; mechanical
testing; metallography
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Heat-treatment for steels and
aluminium
investment castings -
Rapid Prototyping – 3D Systems
Thermojet Printer
ATR GROUP LTD
P
I Castings Ltd is part of the privately owned
ATR Group which also includes:-
Metal
Injection Mouldings Ltd –
Manufacturers of small components in steels,
nickel and cobalt alloys, tool steels and
magnetic irons, with excellent mechanical
properties. The metal injection moulding
process is ideal for small parts with
complex shapes and intricate detail offering
potentially significant cost savings, when
compared to other manufacturing methods. The
metal injection moulding process compliments
the investment casting process, where small,
detailed parts are required in high
quantities
www.pi-castings.co.uk/mim/
Turbotech
Precision Products Ltd –
Specialists in the manufacture of aluminium
compressor wheels for automotive diesel
turbochargers. Turbotech manufacture
compressor wheels, mainly for trucks and
heavy vehicles for customers world-wide.
www.pi-castings.co.uk/pic/
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