Our Unique
Technology
We produce thin wall metal parts with high accuracy for the military, aeronautical, medical, energy and water production markets. Monitoring every step of the investment casting process with attention to detail, we subject the finished products to rigorous physical and chemical non-destructive tests to ensure world-class investment castings to meet your needs.
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U.P.C offers experienced and comprehensive solutions for a wide range of business needs, and can help you to work smarter and reach your goals. We deliver real business results through a people-centered approach and providing the right expertise according to your needs.
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Our Unique Technology
The “Lost Wax” casting techniques goes back to the time of the Pharaohs and to the sculptors of ancient Athens who used it to create their magnificent bronze masterpieces. In modern times this ancient technique can be used to make metal parts with high accuracy that cannot be produced by normal manufacturing techniques -- complex turbine blades, accurate sight system made of Invar, or highly corrosive and high temperature alloys parts for various application.
Investment Casting can produce complicated shapes that would be too costly, difficult or even impossible to produce with machining. Given the advanced technology, design flexibility and lower costs, Precision Casting is the ultimate manufacturing process for metal parts. At U.P.C we do it quickly with accuracy, repeatability and versatility.
The Investment Casting process begins by designing a mold, usually from aluminum,
whose cavity is the exact negative of the end product. Into this cavity we inject a special wax that takes on the shape of the needed part and which can later be melted away to make room for the molten metal.
The wax pattern is fastened on to runners, which form the passages that later will be used to conduct the molten metal into the pattern’s cavity. The runners are attached to the pouring cup. Patterns, runners and pouring cups comprise the cluster, or “tree,” needed to produce the ceramic mold. The number of runners per section and their arrangement on the pouring cup can vary, depending on alloy type, size, and configuration of the casting.
The entire cluster is dipped in refractory ceramic slurry, which coats the wax pattern and forms a skin. It is then drained and coated with fine ceramic sand. After drying, this process is repeated again and againdepending on the size and complexity of the needed part, until a self-supporting shell of a robust thickness has been achieved. After this, the entire pattern is steamed at high temperature and pressure until the wax melts away leaving the hollow cavities with passages leading to them.
The next step is to place the ceramic mold into a pre-heated oven, usually in the range of 900 to 1100 degrees Celsius, to strengthen it while burning away any remaining wax residues.
At the same time, the metal is prepared by melting it to a liquid molten state and then it is poured into the heated mold. After everything cools down, the mold material is removed from the casting cluster by mechanical vibration or water pressure.
At this stage the part is cut from the runners and the castings are ready for secondary operations such as heat treatment, straightening, machining, finishing, inspection, non-destructive testing and shipment to the customer.
With Precision Casting we can use a wide range of metals: aluminum, copper, various types of super steel alloys, nickel,cobalt and even the sensitive invar. The basic technology is the same for all the metals with a difference in ceramics used and in the melting process. Tolerances of _+0.5 % of length are routinely achieved. U.P.C produces custom-made products ranging in weight from 5 grams to 55 kilograms. As far as size goes, U.P.C can handle parts measuring up to 700 millimeters length and a diameter of up to 500 millimeters. U.P.C can cast very thin wall parts, as thin as 1.4 millimeters.
One of the advantages of this technology, especially when it comes to steel alloys, is the flexibility it gives engineers to choose exotic metals without worrying about production problems or the high cost of the material. The modern technology of Precision Casting has come a long way. Whereas before it provided the raw material for the machining industry, today Precision Casting can produce an almost perfect part that requires minimal machining. Because the mold is formed around a one-piece pattern, it can produce very intricate parts with near-net shape configuration, precise detail and dimensional accuracy. Several parts can be cast as one unit eliminating the need for welding and thus reducing assembly, handling and inspection costs.
