Precision Casting Services
Precision casting, compared to die casting, has the advantages of low mold costs, complex shapes, tight tolerances, smooth surfaces, less machining, and material savings, providing the most cost-effective precision casting service for mass production of custom precision casting parts.
What is Precision Casting?
Precision casting, also known as investment casting or lost wax casting, begins with the creation of a precise wax mold that replicates the required final parts. The wax mold is then coated with a fine ceramic material to form a shell, which is heated to harden the ceramic shell and melt the wax mold, leaving a hollow ceramic mold. The mold is preheated to ensure that the molten metal (usually steel, aluminum or titanium) flows smoothly into the cavity. After the metal has been poured and solidified, the ceramic shell is cracked and the casting is finished. This process ensures excellent detail and dimensional accuracy, making it ideal for manufacturing complex parts with intricate features and tight tolerances, while also significantly saves materials and reduces machining.
Advantages of Precision Casting
High Dimensional Accuracy
Precision casting delivers components with tight tolerances and excellent dimensional consistency, often eliminating the need for extensive machining. This makes it ideal for parts requiring high precision, such as turbine blades, surgical tools, or complex gear components.
Complex Geometries
The casting process allows the formation of intricate shapes, thin walls, and internal cavities that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with machining or forging. This enables engineers to design freely without being constrained by manufacturing limitations.
Material Versatility
Precision casting supports a wide range of metals and alloys—including stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, titanium, and superalloys—making it suitable for applications with specific mechanical, thermal, or chemical requirements.
Excellent Surface Finish
With fine-grain ceramic molds and advanced process control, precision-cast parts feature smooth surfaces that reduce the need for post-processing. This is especially beneficial for aesthetic or aerodynamic parts where surface quality is critical.
Reduced Material Waste
By forming near-net-shape components, precision casting minimizes material removal during finishing and decreases raw material waste. This not only cuts costs but also improves sustainability across the manufacturing cycle.
Cost-effective
Unlike forging or stamping, precision casting doesn't require expensive tooling for each geometry. It offers cost advantages for low and medium production runs of complex parts, making it ideal for prototyping and specialized industries like aerospace and medical.
FastPreci Precision Casting Capabilities
Our precision cast parts are meticulously engineered to be seamlessly integrated with CNC machining, drilling, and surface finishing processes, ensuring the attainment of tolerances as tight as ±0.01mm. This meticulous integration is pivotal for the production of cost-effective, high-accuracy components, which are indispensable in the realms of aerospace, medical devices, industrial automation, and beyond.
Lowest | Highest | |||||
Dimension | 10mm | 500mm | ||||
Weight | 10g | 30kg | ||||
Wall Thickness | 1mm | 10mm | ||||
Hole Diameter | 2mm | |||||
Features | 0.5mm | |||||
Linear Tolerance | ±0.1mm | |||||
Angular Tolerance | ±0.5° | |||||
Roughness | Ra3.2 |
Materials Used in Precision Casting
FastPreci offers precision casting services using a wide range of high-performance alloys tailored to the specific needs of different industries. Our material selection ensures optimal mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and cost-effectiveness for both functional and aesthetic applications. We primarily work with the following material categories:
Carbon Steels
Carbon steels are widely used in structural and industrial applications due to their strength, toughness, and affordability.
Common Grades: 1020, 4130, 4140, 4340, 8620
Applications: Mechanical linkages, brackets, housings, automotive parts
Stainless Steels
Stainless steels offer excellent corrosion resistance, hygiene, and strength, making them ideal for medical, food-grade, marine, and outdoor environments.
Common Grades: 303, 304, 316 (austenitic), 410, 416, 440C (martensitic), 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH (precipitation hardening)
Applications: Surgical tools, pump bodies, marine fittings, valve components
Tool Steels
Tool steels are known for their hardness, wear resistance, and thermal stability—well-suited for high-stress and high-friction applications.
Common Grades: A2, D2, M2, O1, S7
Applications: Dies, cutting tools, industrial molds
Nickel-Based Alloys
Nickel alloys provide exceptional resistance to heat and corrosion, suitable for harsh operating conditions.
Common Grades: Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Monel M35-2
Applications: Turbine parts, chemical processing, high-temperature engine components
Cobalt-Based Alloys
Cobalt alloys are used for their wear resistance and thermal endurance.
Common Grades:Stellite 6,Stellite 21,FSX-414,Co-Cr-Mo(ASTM F75),MAR-M 509
Applications: Aerospace, valve seats, wear-resistant liners
Copper Alloys
Copper-based materials, especially aluminum and silicon bronzes, offer excellent corrosion resistance and conductivity.
Common Grades:
Silicon Bronze: C87300, C87500, C87600
Aluminum Bronze: C95400, C95500, C95800
Applications: Marine hardware, architectural castings, bushings, electrical terminals
Aluminum Alloys
Lightweight and corrosion-resistant, aluminum is ideal for applications that require both strength and reduced weight.
Common Grades:
Al-Si alloys: A356 (A356.0), A357 (A357.0)
Al-Si-Cu alloys: 319 (319.0)
Al-Si-Mg alloys: 443 (443.0)
Al-Mg alloys: 535 (535.0)
High-strength alloys: 206 (206.0)
Applications: Aerospace brackets, electronics housings, automotive suspension components
Titanium Alloys
Titanium alloys are valued for their superior strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance in demanding environments.
Common Grades:
α + β alloy: Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5), Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Grade 23)
Commercially Pure Titanium: Grade 2
High-strength titanium alloy: Ti-5Al-2.5Sn
Applications: Medical implants, aerospace parts, premium consumer electronics
Need help choosing the right material?
Our engineering team can help you select the most suitable alloy for your application based on mechanical performance, cost, surface treatment compatibility, and industry standards.
Precision Casting Surface Finishing Options
Surface finishing options not only augment the durability and service life of precision cast components but also prove particularly advantageous in challenging environments. Initiating early discussions on finishing specifications can optimize casting design and curtail total production expenditures.
Finishing Option | Process Description | Typical Applications / Benefits |
Shot Blasting / Sand Blasting | Propelling abrasive media at high speed to clean, descale, or texture the casting surface. | Removes ceramic shell residue and oxidation; creates a uniform matte finish ideal for painting or further processing. |
Polishing / Grinding | Mechanically smoothing the surface using abrasives or polishing wheels. | Achieves a smooth or mirror-like surface finish; often used for aesthetic or hygienic parts such as medical or food-grade components. |
Anodizing(Aluminum alloys only) | Electrochemical process that forms a protective oxide layer on the surface. | Improves corrosion resistance, enhances appearance, and allows for coloring; ideal for aerospace and consumer electronics. |
Passivation(Stainless steel) | Chemical treatment that removes free iron and forms a passive oxide layer. | Enhances corrosion resistance and preserves the metal’s natural finish; commonly used in medical, food, and marine applications. |
Electroplating (e.g., Nickel, Chrome) | Electrochemical deposition of a metal coating onto the casting surface. | Improves surface hardness, corrosion resistance, and appearance; used in automotive, industrial, and decorative applications. |
Powder Coating / Painting | Applying a dry powder or liquid paint followed by curing to form a protective coating. | Provides both protection and customized appearance; ideal for machinery housings, brackets, and exposed industrial parts. |
CNC Finishing / Machining | Precision machining to enhance dimensional accuracy and surface finish. | Achieves tight tolerances and smooth surfaces on critical areas; ideal for components requiring assembly or mechanical fit. |
Precision Casting Applications
FastPreci offers bespoke high-precision cast components, meticulously engineered to satisfy the intricate geometries and stringent tolerances required by contemporary industrial and commercial sectors. Our precision casting solutions are unparalleled for crafting near-net-shape metal parts, ensuring exceptional dimensional precision and superior surface finish. Common Applications Include:
- Aerospace Brackets
- Engine Components
- Medical Device Housings
- Industrial Pump and Valve Bodies
- Robotic Arm Joints and Structural Parts
- Gears and Transmission Components
- Marine Hardware and Propeller Parts
- Instrumentation and Sensor Casings
- Custom Architectural Fittings
- UAV Components
Why Choose FastPreci
Fast
Lead time as fast as 3 days, accelerating your R&D and production progress, easily meet tight deadlines.
Precision
Tolerances as tight as 0.005mm, rich experience with advanced 5-axis CNC machines, mill-turn machines, and precision grinding machines, meets a variety of tolerance requirements.
Cost-effective
According to your functionality and quantity requirements, develop the optimal manufacturing process, combined with efficient self-owned factories to achieve optimal performance and cost.
One-stop Solution
From CNC machining to aluminum extrusion and heat treatment to surface finishing, from prototyping to mass production, easily and efficiently customize various parts.
Strict Quality Control
ISO 9001 quality management system certification, equipped with various quality inspection instruments including Zeiss coordinate, process and results can be controlled.
Dedicated Service
A dedicated account manager is available to provide fast response, individualized service, full support, and easy management of complex projects.
Precision Casting FAQ
Precision casting offers tight tolerances, typically ranging from ±0.1 mm to ±0.3 mm depending on the size and geometry of the part. For critical features, secondary CNC machining can be used to achieve tolerances up to ±0.01 mm.
Precision casting supports a wide range of metals, including stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum alloys, tool steel, and certain nickel- or cobalt-based alloys. Material choice depends on your performance requirements—such as strength, corrosion resistance, or wear resistance.
Tooling costs are generally lower in China due to mature supply chains, efficient mold-making techniques, and competitive labor rates. For small to medium-sized parts, mold investment can often be recovered quickly in medium-volume production.
Initial orders (including tooling development) usually take 4–6 weeks. Once the mold is ready, repeat orders typically require 2–3 weeks depending on part complexity and order quantity.
Yes. Precision casting often works in tandem with CNC machining to achieve tighter tolerances or specific surface features. Surface treatments such as polishing, anodizing, passivation, or coating can also be applied based on end-use requirements.
We support both low-volume prototyping and high-volume production. Typical MOQ starts from 50–100 pcs depending on the part, while our facilities are capable of scaling to tens of thousands of units with consistent quality.
For complex geometries or parts with internal cavities, precision casting can significantly reduce material waste and machining time—making it more cost-effective, especially at medium to high volumes. CNC finishing can still be applied selectively where high precision is required.
Yes. FastPreci provides full traceability upon request, including material certificates (e.g., EN10204 3.1), dimensional inspection reports, and surface finish documentation. We also support PPAP, CMM, and custom quality protocols for critical applications.