DISCOVER what sets Signicast dramatically apart from the competition. And how those differences directly benefit you.

Welcome to Signicast, the investment industry The information contained in this brochure is leader. By working better, faster, and smarter than intended to be a well-grounded starting point for the competition, Signicast is able to provide you with: both buyers and designers of investment castings. 1. Unprecedented -Times for New Many investment castings have special requirements Product Launches. that fall outside the scope of this brochure, or are not discussed. Signicast’s highly skilled Technical Sales 2. True Just-in-Time Delivery – Every Time. and Engineering staff are available to consult with 3. The Highest Level of Quality. you regarding these needs and any other questions 4. Technologically-Advanced Processes you may have. and People. The state-of-the-art advances rapidly in this business. Signicast is committed to satisfying customers like And for more than half a century, Signicast has been you. The company’s progressive management team one of the foremost companies advancing it. The is focused on harnessing emerging technologies to experts at Signicast believe if something can be provide you with the highest-quality components at investment cast at all, they can find a way to do it. a competitive cost, on time, all the time. Let them prove it to you. THE PROCESS INITIALLY MACHINED PREVIOUSLY FORGED • CA-40 stainless • CA-15 • 90% of forged weight • 50% cost savings ADVANTAGE was machined away Investment casting is considered a “net shape” or RECREATED FROM “near net shape” process. A • 8620 Almost any configuration can be investment cast. A combination of Signicast’s advanced processes, • Cast internal spline The key to economical use of this process is to fully extensive automation, and proprietary technologies • Eliminated machining and utilize its flexible capabilities and incorporate as allows Signicast to reduce a standard 12-week broaching much value added into the cast piece as possible. industry lead time to one to four weeks. The result No other working process provides the design is true Just-In-Time manufacturing capability. freedom and variety of alloy selections available with CONVERTED FROM investment casting. A FABRICATION • 8620 alloy PROCESS COMPARISONS • Reduced cost

Tolerance Design Alloy Size Lead Volume Surface Tool Machine • Improved quality Process Capability Freedom Selection Range Time Capability Finish Cost Cost Investment Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Short All Good Average Low Casting HALF THE COST Casting Excellent Excellent Poor Good Long High Good High Low This single-piece investment casting was INITIALLY SAND CAST Powdered Excellent Fair Good Fair Long High Excellent Average Low originally an assembly of two machined • 4140 alloy Metal components. Eliminating almost all • Closer tolerances Excellent Good Fair Fair Short High Excellent High Low machining meant a 50% cost savings to • Eliminated machining Forging Fair Fair Good Fair Long High Fair High High the customer. • Better cast finish Sand Fair Good Good Good Short All Fair Low High Casting Fabrication Fair Fair Good Good Medium All Fair Low High BETTER At Signicast, high quality standards are met the first time. There are no rework loops. Operators are Machined, assembled products – such trained and empowered to identify and rectify quality INNOVATION AND as this motorcycle foot peg mount – can problems in-process. be supplied in two weeks or less, and may include multiple castings, purchased REDUCED LABOR COSTS FLEXIBILITY components, and multiple finishing Individual parts are automatically loaded into operations. hydraulic fixtures by robots, eliminating manual In terms of quality, only a handful of the world’s loading/unloading and reducing set-up time. investment casters come close to Signicast. Signicast can handle all your casting requirements, Signicast’s Continuous Flow Manufacturing philosophy CONTINUOUS FLOW from simple to complex. Large or small. Medium Manufacturing throughput of less than one week is a Signicast’s unique proprietary software monitors affects every aspect of the process including MANUFACTURING or high volume. Jobs you’ve been told “can’t be Signicast exclusive. Continuous Flow Manufacturing and controls the process on a real-time basis – 24 production, material handling, and information done.” Signicast continuously adapts to what the – production runs non-stop, with the ultimate goal hours a day, seven days a week – ensuring schedules processing. For example, Signicast uses an Automatic Continuous Flow Manufacturing production runs customer wants. It’s Signicast’s responsibility to of increasing plant efficiency, utilization and speed remain 100% on time. Storage/Retrieval System in an innovative way: as a non-stop, increasing plant efficiency, utilization, make any component work within the framework of – has revolutionized this industry, and Signicast material handling system. This eliminates time spent and speed. What typically takes others up to 12 the manufacturing plants. undisputedly reinvented the process. AUTOMATIC looking for and moving work pieces. weeks to do, Signicast does with its Continuous Flow Manufacturing process in 5-10 days. Signicast’s state-of-the-art manufacturing complex Signicast’s goal is to assist customers in increasing JUST-IN-TIME (JIT) in Hartford, Wisconsin is the showplace for complete- TOTAL VALUE profits, without compromising quality, speed, or value. to-print, Continuous Flow Manufacturing. The entire JIT manufacturing eliminates costly inventory by How does Signicast do it? Through commitment to complex – from top to bottom, one end to the other – is enabling you to receive small quantities of product, Whether you’re looking for castings only, a complete- advanced Continuous Flow and complete-to-print designed to facilitate the efficient, unbroken flow of delivered frequently, according to your schedule. to-print product – including machining, assembly, manufacturing processes. product. The total size of the facility stands at more and finishing – or other special services, Signicast than 650,000 feet, with virtually every inch INDUSTRY LEADING SPEED offers the best total value option and will continually Rather than large batches moving from station to strive to find ways to improve processes. If there is of it devoted to helping customers maximize their At Signicast’s Hartford complex, castings flow from station, an unbroken stream of individual components a better way of doing things, Signicast wants to be profitability. wax patterns to metal casting in just 4.3 days, (6 if flow continuously through the plant. Orders, even small the first to find and implement it. heat-treated, 8-10 if machined); tops in the industry ones, go from entry to shipping without interruption. by far.

For this shifter lever, only six manufacturing days are required to complete the cast, heat treatment, mill, tap, and broach operations. SIGNICAST FACILITIES Automated manufacturing systems, incorporating robotics, eliminate material handling, making delivery Signicast consistently demonstrates its growth of your job faster than any other investment caster. philosophy. In 1972, the company moved to its current THE PROCESS Milwaukee site and has undergone nine expansions Many customers simply provide their production there since that time. In 1993, Signicast continued schedules and Signicast develops a delivery program Most any configuration can be investment cast. to grow and expand in Hartford, Wisconsin and to accommodate their work flow. Flexibility is critical broke ground for the new corporate headquarters to success with JIT, and Signicast is equipped to TOOLING PATTERN INJECTION Injecting wax at this temperature gives Signicast and additional manufacturing complexes – making handle radical shifts in output when you are faced A specially formulated wax is injected into a die several advantages. Since the wax is in a semi-solid the Hartford facility the most advanced of its kind Initially, before the casting process begins, an with unexpected spikes in demand for your product. to produce the pattern for the part. One pattern state when injected, the part undergoes less shrinkage in the world. Signicast utilizes digital and robotic injection die is constructed to produce precise must be made for each finished part to be cast. through the solidification process. In turn, the pattern automation designed and implemented in-house wax patterns. All tooling is constructed of 7075 Signicast incorporates the cellular manufacturing This pattern is an exact replica of the metal part possesses better dimensional stability and resists by Signicast’s employees. Accelerated production T6 aluminum at Signicast, Using CAD/CAM-driven philosophy. Each manufacturing module operates to be produced, with allowances to compensate flash and cavitation (or sink) when cooling. and a significant increase in casting quality, are the CNC milling and EDM machines. The injection die is independently, benefiting from the resources of a for volumetric shrinkage during the process. result of unconventional thinking that has yet to be typically automated to produce patterns efficiently large company and the flexibility of small teams. The pattern also includes one or more gates to guide PATTERN ASSEMBLY imitated by any competitor. and contains numerous controls and monitoring molten metal into the part during the solidification The individual wax patterns are assembled onto a devices to provide dimensionally consistent patterns. process. wax sprue to form a mold or tree. The number of For many high-volume applications, multi-cavity patterns assembled per mold varies, dependent upon dies are used. Signicast uses a patented system that was invented the size, weight, and configuration of a given part. HARTFORD COMPLEX WAX CELL and developed in-house for automatically distributing semi-solid wax to the injection presses. It is unique in SHELL BUILDING CELL SIZE OF EXPANSION SIZE OF PLANT YEAR MODULE Signicast Time: 14 hours (SQ. FT.) (SQ. FT.) the industry in its ability to control wax temperature SHELL BUILDING 1993 1 66,081 66,081 Traditional Time: 96 hours within +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit, which is important Signicast Time: 29 hours 1995 Support 30,144 96,225 for dimensional conformity. 1997 2 76,372 172,597 Traditional Time: 168 hours 2000 Support 21,309 193,906 2001 5 76,234 270,140 2003 3 82,654 352,794 2006 4 85,085 437,879 2012 Skywalk 9,148 447,027 2014 6 96,642 543,669 2014 7 110,890 654,559

MILWAUKEE COMPLEX

SIZE OF EXPANSION SIZE OF PLANT YEAR (SQ. FT.) (SQ. FT.) 1972 - 11,360 1974 12,000 23,360 1975 1,550 24,910 1978 20,885 45,795 1984 10,120 55,915 1985 13,518 69,433 1988 7,920 77,353 1989 9,572 86,925 1990 11,579 98,504 CASTING REMOVAL COMPLETE-TO-PRINT NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING A ceramic mold is created by dipping or “investing” the CASTING CELL Metal castings are removed from the runner using Casting all features of a part for use in a final assembly All sample castings are nondestructively tested in assembled patterns in liquid ceramic slurry, draining, CASTING abrasive wheel cutoff saws or a more economical is the optimum use of the investment casting process. order to establish first article quality. Nondestructive and then with a dry “stucco” sand. After Signicast Time: 18 hours proprietary process. However, some applications require more than can Testing is generally not required on production drying, this process is repeated several times until Traditional Time: 72 hours be supplied by investment casting alone. commercial castings. Listing of nondestructive tests a specified shell thickness results. The ceramic shell FINISHING CELL in order of increasing costs: ranges in thickness from 3/16” to 1/2” depending Molten metal is poured into the pre-heated molds. A cost savings is generated if the casting can be used • Magnetic Particle on the size of the part being produced. GATE GRINDING Typical pouring temperatures are approximately 3000 The material protrusion left from the gate, called the in the as-cast condition, but if premium tolerances, • Fluid Penetrant degrees Fahrenheit for steel. Before and after casting, surface finish, or are required, Signicast can • X-Ray Advanced technology has allowed Signicast to gate witness, is ground to print specification using every melt is analyzed spectrographically to assure supply complete-to-print components – adding only incorporate robotics into this operation. Signicast a fixture for repeatability and efficiency. compliance with customer specifications. one additional day to the overall lead time. Signicast CERTIFICATION utilizes sophisticated shell-drying technology to dedicates an entire facility solely to complete-to- • Chemical Certification – Can be provided at an reduce the total time to build a shell to one day from FINISHED CASTINGS The investment casting process is unique in the broad print manufacturing. The result is a high-quality, additional cost. the typical one-week average. Stable, economical, Signicast Time: 20 hours range of alloys that can be cast. Most any alloy can be high-value product that’s ready to ship straight from • Mechanical Property Certification – Adds to environmentally safe water-based slurries are used. Traditional Time: 96 hours investment cast economically. Signicast specializes our docks in as few as 4.3 days from start to finish. cost. Consider a combination of Chemistry and in ferrous, air-melted alloys. Recommendations and Hardness Certification instead. Marking each DEWAXING AND FIRING The final cleaning operation is performed using a a guide to material properties in the Alloy Properties casting with a heat number adds traceability, Signicast Time: 5 hours blast with abrasive grit or steel shot. This blasting section of this brochure will assist you in choosing but also adds an operation and cost. Traditional Time: 48 hours produces a surface finish of 90-125 microinch Ra. an economical alloy to meet your needs.

The wax is melted out with steam heat in an autoclave CLEANING and is recycled. Firing at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit Signicast Time: 12 hours fuses the ceramic particles so the mold can withstand Traditional Time: 72 hours the pressure and temperature of the molten metal. It also removes all traces of organic materials. This The ceramic shell is removed from the metal mold pre-heat improves the ability to cast fine detail. It with high-pressure jets of water. Any ceramic material also improves the feed of liquid metal to compensate remaining in pockets or holes is dissolved away in a for volumetric shrinkage. hot chemical bath to ensure part cleanliness. FINAL FINISHING SERVICES INCLUDE: • Powder Coat • coatings Painting • • Milling • Painting THE TOP 5 REASONS • Drilling • Special cleaning/ • Tapping packaging you should let Signicast finish your component: • Surface Grinding • Pickling • Broaching • Special machining/ 1. THE HIGHEST QUALITY: • Assembly grinding Signicast has in-cycle part checking and cutter PAINTING • Multi-Spindle and • Plating compensation systems that verify quality through the Turning Lathes use of contact probes and lasers. MACHINING COMPONENT ASSEMBLY Signicast has extensive machining capabilities in- 2. THE BEST EQUIPMENT: HEAT TREATMENTS house. Signicast consistantly invests in the Finishing Division Heat treatments are used to control hardness, to ensure our machine tools remain top-of-the-line. mechanical properties, and resistance. Signicast Time: 24 hours All machinery receives scheduled maintenance so Signicast can provide a wide range of heat treatment Traditional Time: 336 hours unexpected shutdowns won’t interfere with your lead operations in-house or at highly qualified local times. suppliers. Unless otherwise indicated, all alloy The Machining Division is utilized for major machining are quoted with a normalize or anneal. All 300 Series tasks that require CNC turning, milling, honing, or 3. DRAMATICALLY REDUCED LEAD TIMES: stainless steels and 17-4PH are quoted with a solution special operations. Any requirement from a simple Customers who utilize Signicast’s finishing services anneal. tapping operation to complex finishing of an entire receive completely finished components on time and part is performed. Signicast’s machining facility is enjoy the industry’s shortest lead times. Signicast Time: 20 hours used only to machine investment castings produced Traditional Time: 72 hours 4. ONE LESS SUPPLIER TO WORRY ABOUT: by Signicast. With years of experience devoted strictly Finishing your newly cast component at another facility SPECIAL MACHINING/GRINDING • Solution Anneal • Martemper to castings, Signicast’s technicians have become true just doubles your headaches. You already trust Signicast • Quench and Temper • Spheroidize Anneal experts in managing all aspects of complete-to-print • Induction Harden • Carbonitride to provide you with the best components in the industry manufacturing. • Anneal • Meloniting – why not to finish them as well? • Carburize • Normalize • Austemper • Age Harden In addition to the traditional machine shop 5. BETTER COMPONENT DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE: • Isothermal Anneal • Nitrotec capabilities, Signicast also provides in-line machining Since all of Signicast’s modules work together • Nitride at the Hartford facility. Drill, tap, ream, and grind seamlessly, excellent internal coordination and equipment have been placed directly in the casting communications generate improved component designs, facility – allowing final finishing to be included in the faster product launches and fewer mistakes – all with Continuous Flow Manufacturing stream, thus reducing less management on your part. the total time involved in producing a complete-to- The bottom line: having Signicast finish your part can print component. save you time and money.

ASSEMBLY/KITTING/FINAL PACKAGING of cast component and other pieces for sale to the consumer.

Signicast Time: 12 hours Traditional Time: 168 hours FASTER GETTING TECHNICAL Technical service is a priority at Signicast.

Early supplier involvement means Signicast’s in-house In addition to tool-making, Signicast utilizes technical staff and CAD capabilities are available to simulation software to simulate solidification during help you, at your site, or here at Signicast, during the the casting process including: part geometry, gating, Signicast plays a major role in expediting time-to- The most effective options to prototype investment The technology of rapid prototyping is changing and formative stage of product design – improving the sprue configuration, and temperature trials. The result market for new products, being well versed in utilizing castings include hard tooling, stereolithography (SLA improving continuously. Be assured, Signicast will way your existing component is produced, even if it is a significant time savings by eliminating multiple prototyping to simulate a production part in a minimal or STL), and Multi- Modeling. stay on top of all new developments. was previously manufactured by another cast process. trials and achieving a high quality, repeatable process time frame. Customers appreciate the advantages provided by the first time. Signicast has the expertise to transfer Signicast prototype experts can assist you in selecting Signicast’s extensive technical capabilities. data between CAD software systems. The best prototyping option to pursue is dependent on the best process for a particular situation. Cast metal the complexity of the component, the surface quality prototypes can be produced in as few as five days. TECHNICAL SERVICES RAPID PROTOTYPING desired, the time frame allowed, and the quantity of Consult Signicast to determine the shortest and most Prototyping can be an effective way to evaluate design CAD – MAKING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME pieces required. economical path to your rapid prototyping needs. Accurate detail of design geometry can be effectively feasibility and productivity. However, at this stage of communicated through the use of three-dimensional a product’s life cycle, timing is essential. A delay of CAD data. Signicast is able to build high-quality wax weeks can result in lost market share. injection tooling using CAM-generated cutter paths and CNC machines. Among the many benefits of FROM 17 PIECES TO ONE CAD tooling are: This part was originally an assembly of 17 pieces. • Reduced project time and a higher degree of The one-piece, 8.8 lb. investment casting – made interpretation using customer CAD model. of WCB alloy – provided a tremendous savings • Higher efficiency in building complex tools. and eliminated dimensional variation found in the weldment. This part was the result of Concurrent Product Development between Signicast and the customer. SMARTER NORMAL LINEAR TOLERANCES PREMIUM LINEAR TOLERANCES GENERAL LINEAR TOLERANCES Normal linear tolerances for normal dimensions reflect All three sources of variation can be reduced by: What about dimensions that are on a or CAD DESIGN GUIDE these three sources of variation: • Part redesign, including addition of tie bars, simply to describe the shape? These dimensions • Prediction of Part, Shrinkage Factors (20%). ribs, and gussets to contain shapes. can be most economically produced by applying a • Diemaker and Tooling, Tolerance (10%). • Tuning of wax injection tooling after the first broader General Linear Tolerance. DESIGN GOALS NUMBER OF GATES • Process Variation (70% of linear tolerance). sample to meet nominal dimensions. ENGLISH (inches) METRIC (millimeters) Signicast’s goal is to work in partnership with the When possible, a part should be designed so that a • Straightening/. customer to produce high quality investment cast single gate can feed the part. This will generally yield This variation is a combination of part configuration • Additional inspection/gaging. Dimension Tolerance Dimension Tolerance components that will provide superior performance more pieces per mold and reduce the pour weight effects that result in non-uniform shrinkage, and all • Machining. Up to 2.00” +/- .020 Up to 50mm +/- 0.50 Each Addtional Each Addtional other process variation in producing a wax pattern, +/- .010 +/- 0.25 and durability. This requires sound mechanical design per mold. Single gate feeding also enhances the 1.000” 25mm of the final component and the investment casting, dimensional stability of a given part by providing a ceramic mold, and the casting. All of these can assist in obtaining tighter-than-normal reliable process controls, consideration of marketplace directional solidification pattern. tolerances. There are additional costs associated with economic requirements, and clear communication ENGLISH (inches) METRIC (millimeters) the last four bullets. Signicast will work with the Another strategy that works well is to incorporate among all parties. CASTABILITY Dimension Tolerance Dimension Tolerance customer to meet the design requirements in the these types of features into a 3-D CAD file for the part, Up to .500” +/- .007 Up to 15mm +/- 0.20 most economical manner. but not dimension them for inspection purposes. The If a design contains features that will raise scrap Up to 1.000” +/- .010 Up to 25mm +/- 0.25 feature is then tooled per the design, but valuable In any manufacturing process, the price of a product or rework rates (and piece price), the Signicast Up to 2.000” +/- .013 Up to 50mm +/- 0.35 Premium tolerance capability can be achieved, but inspection and evaluation time is used only for will increase as the dimensional tolerance and Estimating Engineer will recommend design Up to 3.000” +/- .016 Up to 75mm +/- 0.40 inspection criteria become more stringent. Early must be considered on a part-by-part, dimension- features important to the customer. modifications to keep the piece price down. Up to 4.000” +/- .019 Up to 100mm +/- 0.50 involvement and input by Signicast’s technical staff by-dimension basis. Signicast is capable of holding Up to 5.000” +/- .022 Up to 125mm +/- 0.55 allows customers to overcome traditional casting +/- .002” in some features, although +/- .004” per TOOLING LINEAR TOLERANCES Up to 6.000” +/- .025 Up to 150mm +/- 0.65 tolerance issues. This is accomplished by innovation inch is a more typical premium cast tolerance. • Signicast utilizes a system of tooling standards The investment casting process is capable of excellent Up to 7.000” +/- .028 Up to 175mm +/- 0.70 and technology to provide 100% conformance to Up to 8.000” +/- .031 Up to 200mm +/- 0.80 to ensure uniform high quality design and repeatability. As-cast process capability of +/- three specifications as-cast, delivered on time, at the lowest Up to 9.000” +/- .034 Up to 225mm +/- 0.85 Premium tolerances may add secondary operations fabrication of wax injection dies which are standard deviations when a single point location is total cost. The most important guideline to remember Up to 10.000” +/- .037 Up to 250mm +/- 0.95 and cost to a part. It is important to designate tight generally guaranteed for the life of the part. repeatedly measured is typically +/- .003 to +/- .004 is to get Signicast involved early in the design stage. Allow +/- .003” for each Allow +/- 0.1mm for each tolerances that are necessary to part function and • Type of tooling in order of least expensive tooling, per inch. However, tolerance capability is largely additional inch. additional 25mm. leave the rest open to normal linear tolerances. but highest piece price: influenced by part configuration. Symmetrical shapes SIZE AND WEIGHT »» MANUAL – Prototype or low volume with uniform wall sections will solidify with much production work. Part size and weight are the most critical factors less variation and distortion than non-symmetrical, in determining part cost because mold capacity is non-uniform shapes. limited by both size and weight. The more pieces that can run on a mold, the lower the part cost. Unnecessary mass should always be removed to MAXIMIZING RESULTS reduce part weight. Replacing machined surfaces with tightly controlled cast features provided the customer with a $500,000 annual savings. This was made possible by Signicast’s “total component thinking” and a complete understanding of the component part and assembly. »» SEMI-AUTOMATIC – Parts that are too large »» PRE-FORMED CERAMIC CORES – High cost or fragile for fully automatic. for specialized shapes. Used instead of FLATNESS & STRAIGHTNESS POSITION ORIENTATION PROFILE »» FULLY AUTOMATIC – Higher volume parts soluble pattern because coring would not that can be ejected into a water bath. be properly coated during shell building It is less labor intensive and increases process. productivity. • More cavities mean higher tooling cost, but also FLATNESS AND STRAIGHTNESS increases productivity. Parts will be held flat and/or straight to .005” per inch • Configurations that do not allow metal cores of length. Heavy part sections may be dished, up to in tooling to be drawn due to undercuts or an additional .010”. Unless otherwise agreed, feeler complicated internal shapes must be treated gauge and surface plate (or straight edge) methods in one of the following ways: will be used to inspect flatness and straightness. »» COLLAPSIBLE CORES – Lowest piece price, ORIENTATION RADII For accuracy, repeatability, and reduced piece cost, higher tooling cost. Straightening sometimes cannot be avoided and Signicast builds a gate grind fixture for all parts. »» LOOSE INSERTS – Best for low volume parts, does add to costs. Do not specify tighter flatness, A good production tolerance is +/- 0.5 degree or Normally, large fillet and corner radii reduces stress Uncontrolled hand belting is avoided. When possible, not an option for fully automatic tools. straightness, roundness, etc. requirements than you +/- .008” per inch of length. This figure may vary, in the part and improves appearance. Design with design the part so the gate can be put on a flat surface »» MULTI-PIECE WAX ASSEMBLIES – Best for actually require. The actual straightening costs are depending upon the shape of the piece. the largest fillet radii that are practical. Allow .030” rather than a curved surface. certain configurations, tolerance control often dependent on the tightness of the tolerance R minimum outside corner radii where practical. suffers along with increased part price. specified. Signicast generally straightens parts using PROFILE Sometimes outside corners must be tooled sharp, Gate witness tolerances in order of increasing costs: »» SOLUBLE WAX – Requires additional die sets that will be included in your tooling price. but this is avoided whenever possible. Profile holds the same tolerances and basic principles • Break-off witness – .060”-.120” max. depending die for the soluble wax and increased as Flatness and Straightness except for curved on part size. labor for injection and removal of the POSITION GATE WITNESS surfaces. • Plunge Grind – .010”-.025” maximum witness. soluble pattern. Provides excellent Linear tolerance of longest basic dimension. Each part is gated into one or more heavy sections. • Flush Grind – to minus .010”. flexibility at moderate additional cost. Concentricity is not a simple characteristic to SURFACE TEXTURE Normally, a .060” to .120” high gate witness left • Swivel Grind – Grind to dimension.

measure. Consider changing the control to a runout Roughness (Ra), as measured by a stylus instrument, on the part will allow best manufacturing economy. or position notation. will be 125 microinch maximum for parts of small Advise if this is objectionable. sections that weigh 0.5 pound or less. Larger parts CERAMIC CORING may be rougher than 125 microinch. If this is Gates can be removed flush to the adjacent surface important for part function, be sure to make these or ground to a specific dimension, but this often needs known. Secondary finishing operations can be results in a higher manufacturing cost. used to improve this surface texture.

PLUNGE GRIND FLUSH GRIND

BREAK-OFF WITNESS SWIVEL GRIND

SOLUBLE WAX HOLES WALL THICKNESS SPLINES/GEARS/THREADS EXTERNAL SPLINES Through holes (round or other shape) and slots may Minimum wall thickness and corner radii depend Gear and thread profiles can be produced with be cast to: upon part configuration and size. Small investment accuracies of +/- .004” per .5” of pitch. Longer

SIZE MAX DEPTH castings may have walls cast to .030” thickness. lengths or larger diameters can be held to normal .040” - .080” 2 x hole diameter Medium to large castings require .060”-.100” walls or premium linear tolerances as necessary. .081" - .200" 3 x hole diameter depending on the part geometry. .201" - .400" 4 x hole diameter GAGING .401" + 6 x hole diameter SPLINED COUPLERS Signicast performs a 100% visual inspection of all parts. If dimensional verification is required, a Preformed ceramic coring may allow hole depths up sampling plan and process control is less expensive to 30 x diameter, at additional costs. than 100% gaging of each part. • Important: Whenever custom gages are used, BLIND HOLES there should be identical gages at Signicast In blind hole design, large corner radii blending from and at the customer’s facility. SPUR GEARS the part surface to the hole are necessary to provide • Fixed gages such as go-no-go are less expensive adequate core strength. Bottoms of blind holes should to use than gages with dial indicators. be full round or radiused as much as possible. LETTERS/NUMBERS/LOGOS Blind holes may be cast to:

BLENDING SIZE MAX DEPTH CORNER RADII

.040" - .120" .5 x hole diameter .5 x hole diameter CAST THREADS

.121" - .400" 1 x hole diameter .060” - .090”

.401" + 2 x hole diameter .091” - .180”

• Preformed ceramic cores can be used to allow greater blind hole depths, but add significant Normally, raised letters or numbers in protective cost to the casting. depressed pads are easiest to manufacture. A .020” INTERNAL SPINES • Incorporate countersinks and counterbores with high character on a depressed pad yields sharp, the cast holes for improved economy. castable features. Specify exact text and dimensions of the figures. Logos can be investment cast to almost any design.

THROUGH HOLES / SLOTS CAST FEATURES: BLIND HOLES

REFERENCES:

Investment Casting Handbook, 1997 – Shows many applications, design data, alloy selection information, and quality control information.

Dimensioning and Tolerancing – ANSI Y 14.5 – An excellent engineering drawing standard published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This standard defines symbols, describes tolerance and datum methods, and contains valuable information to assist design of mating components. ALLOY GRADE ALLOY PROPERTIES Choice of alloy listed from least to greatest cost. Plain Carbon and Low Alloy Steels 8620, 4130, 4140, WCB, and 1035 are best choices due to high volume. Choose your material properties wisely. 400 Series Stainless Steels CA-15 (410), 440C are best choices. Specify 416 if necessary for machinability. 300 Series Stainless Steels CF-8M (316), CF-3M (316L), CF-8 (304) are best choices. Specify CF-16F (303) if necessary for machinability. ALUMINUM ALLOY 17-4PH Blend of corrosion resistance and strength. ALLOY TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS RANGE LEAST EXPENSIVE CONDITION (ANSI EQUIVALENT) STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE OR MAX Tool Steels Costs vary widely depending on grade. S7, D2, H13 are commonly poured. A356 T6 34,000 24,000 3.5 70-105 Rb Monel Choose based on end use. CARBON AND LOW ALLOY STEELS Based Alloys Alloy CW2M is a good choice for corrosion resistance.

TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS RANGE Cobalt Based Alloys All grades pour well – choice is based on end use and cost. ALLOY CONDITION STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE OR MAX MOST EXPENSIVE

IC 1010 Annealed 50-60,000 30-35,000 30-35 50-55 Rb IC 1020 Annealed 60-70,000 40-45,000 25-40 80 Rb 400 SERIES STAINLESS STEELS IC 1025 Annealed 63-73,000 42-47,000 25-35 80 Rb TOOL STEELS ALLOY TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS RANGE WCB* Normalized 70-95,000 36-42,000 22-30 78-93 Rb CONDITION HARDNESS (ANSI EQUIVALENT) STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE OR MAX Annealed 65-75,000 45-50,000 20-30 75 Rb ALLOY ANNEALED WITH SLOW Annealed - - - 100 Rb CYCLE ANNEAL MAX. HARDENED RANGE IC 1030 CA-15* (410) COOL MAX. Hardened 85-150,000 60-150,000 0-15 20-50 Rc Hardened 95-200,000 75-160,000 5-12 94 Rb-45 Rc IC A-2 20 Rc 27 Rc 47-60 Annealed 70-80,000 45-55,000 20-30 80 Rb Annealed - - - 100 Rb IC 1035* IC 416 (416) IC A-6 100 Rb 48-59 Hardened 90-150,000 85-150,000 0-15 25-52 Rc Hardened 95-200,000 75-160,000 3-8 94 Rb-45 Rc Annealed - - - 25 Rc IC D-2 35 Rc 50-59 Annealed 80-90,000 50-60,000 20-25 100 Rb CA-40 (420) IC 1045 Hardened 200-225,000 130-210,000 0-5 30-52 Rc IC H-11 100 Rb 46-55 Hardened 100-180,000 90-180,000 0-10 25-57 Rc Annealed - - - 30 Rc IC H-13 100 Rb 45-53 Annealed 90-110,000 50-65,000 20-25 100 Rb IC 431 (431) IC 1050 Hardened 100-160,000 75-105,000 5-20 20-40 Rc IC 1-M-2 30 Rc 61-63 Hardened 125-180,000 100-180,000 0-10 30-60 Rc Annealed 30 Rc IC 440A (440A) IC M-2 30 Rc 61-63 Annealed 100-120,000 55-70,000 12-20 25 Rc Hardened 35-56 Rc IC 1060 IC O-1 100 Rb 44-57 Hardened 120-200,000 100-180,000 0-5 30-60 Rc Annealed 35 Rc IC 440C* (440C) IC S-1 100 Rb 44-57 Annealed - - - 100 Rb Hardened 40-60 Rc IC S-4 100 Rb 42-53 IC 4130 Annealed - - - 36 Rb Hardened 130-170,000 100-130,000 5-20 23-49 Rc IC 17-4 (CB7CU-1) IC S-5 100 Rb 37-59 Hardened 150-190,000 140-160,000 6-20 34-44 Rc Annealed - - - 100 Rb IC S-7 100 Rb 35-57 IC 4140* Annealed 100-115,000 75-85,000 20-30 94-100 Rb Hardened 130-200,000 100-155,000 5-20 29-57 Rc CD-4MCu Hardened 135-145,000 100-120,000 10-25 29-32 Rc Annealed - - - 100 Rb NICKEL BASED ALLOYS IC 4150 TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS Hardened 140-200,000 120-180,000 5-10 25-58 Rc ALLOY CONDITION STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE RANGE OR MAX Annealed - - - 20 Rc IC 4330 Alloy B Annealed 75-85,000 50-60,000 8-12 90-100 Rb Hardened 130-190,000 100-175,000 5-20 25-48 Rc 300 SERIES STAINLESS STEELS Alloy C Annealed 75-95,000 45-55,000 8-12 90 Rb-25 Rc Annealed - - - 20 Rc CW-2M Annealed 72-87,000 40-45,000 20-30 75-90 Rb IC 4340 ALLOY TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS RB Hardened 130-200,000 100-180,000 5-20 20-55 Rc CONDITION (ANSI EQUIVALENT) STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE MAX Alloy X As-Cast 63-70,000 41-45,000 10-15 85-96 Rb Annealed - - - 100 Rb IC 4620 CF-3 (304L) Annealed 70-85,000 40-50,000 35-50 90 Rb Monel A As-Cast 65-75,000 32-38,000 25-35 65-75 Rb Hardened 110-150,000 90-130,000 10-20 20-32 Rc Annealed 100-110,000 55-65,000 5-10 20-28 Rc CF-8 (304)* Annealed 70-85,000 40-50,000 35-50 90 Rb Monel S Annealed - - - 100 Rb Hardened 120-140,000 85-100,000 0 32-38 Rc IC 6150 CH-20 (309) Annealed 70-80,000 30-40,000 30-45 90 Rb Hardened 140-200,000 120-180,000 5-10 30-60 Rc Monel E As-Cast 65-80,000 33-40,000 25-35 67-78 Rb CK-20 (310) Annealed 60-75,000 30-40,000 35-45 90 Rb Annealed - - - 100 Rb IC 8620* CF-3M (316L)* Annealed 70-85,000 40-50,000 35-50 90 Rb Hardened 100-130,000 80-110,000 10-20 20-45 Rc COBALT BASED ALLOYS CF-8M (316)* Annealed 70-85,000 40-50,000 35-50 90 Rb TENSILE 0.2% YIELD % ELONGATION HARDNESS RC Annealed - - - 100 Rb ALLOY CONDITION IC 8630 IC 316F (316F) Annealed 70-85,000 40-50,000 25-50 90 Rb STRENGTH (PSI) STRENGTH (PSI) RANGE RANGE Hardened 120-170,000 100-130,000 7-20 25-50 Rc 3 As-Cast 48-53 Annealed - - - 20 Rc CF-16F (303) Annealed 65-75,000 30-35,000 35-45 90 Rb IC 8640 6 As-Cast 37-45 Hardened 130-200,000 100-180,000 5-20 30-60 Rc CF-8C (347) Annealed 70-85,000 32-36,000 30-40 90 Rb 31 As-Cast 105-130,000 75-90,000 6-10 20-30 Annealed - - - 25 Rc CN-7M (304L) Annealed 65-75,000 25-35,000 35-45 90 Rb IC 52100* 93 As-Cast 60-65 Hardened 180-230,000 140-180,000 1-7 30-65 Rc HK Annealed 65-75,000 35-45,000 10-20 100 Rb

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