Heat Treatment For Investment Die Cast Aluminum Parts

As a leader in the metal products industry, Jones Metal Products offers heat treating services to our customers, including aluminum heat treating on end products produced by investment casting foundries. 

What is Investment Die Casting?

Investment die casting is a method for precisely casting complex shapes. After a wax mold is designed in the form of the intended final product, the wax mold is dipped into ceramic until the latter forms a strong layer over the intended shape. After that, the wax is melted off, leaving a cavity in the center of the ceramic in the shape of the desired final product. This cavity can then be filled with metal, which hardens into the shape. Finally, the ceramic can be broken off, leaving just the final, metal product intact.

Heat Treat Investment Die Cast Aluminum Parts

Parts manufactured using investment die casting can be brought to us for heat treatment; this processing yields a high-quality aluminum product, ready for applications that include aerospace, defense and power generation. The specific aluminum investment casting treatment you choose will depend on your final applications, but some of the treatments we offer include:

• Aging, with dedicated ovens that have specific size and temperature capacities. Metal products that are 17 feet long can reach temperatures of up to 775°F, and separate ovens that hold smaller castings—up to 8 feet long—can reach up to 350°F. This helps stabilize the alloy by accelerating the types of physical changes it is expected to endure in its final application.
• Annealing, where aluminum castings are heated to a specific temperature and then gradually cooled down. This lowers the hardness of the casting, which can help enhance its plasticity if additional machining is necessary. It can also help reduce the residual stress on the castings.
• Quenching, with options for air, hot water, cold water and glycol quenching. This process   softens aluminum by heating the casting above a critical temperature and then rapidly cooling it.
• Solution treatment, where an aluminum alloy casting is held at a high temperature for an extended amount of time in order to allow the even, homogeneous dissolving of the alloy’s components.
• Stress relieving, where furnaces are used at lower temperatures than the critical temperatures used in some of these other treatments. This method helps take away some of the residual stress brought in during other manufacturing processes.

Let’s talk through your aluminum heat treating needs. Are you ready for a quote? Contact us online today or call 888-868-6535.