How to estimate your investment casting cost？

Since different facts directly affect the investment casting cost, the best method to estimate investment casting cost is to outline all factors that will impact your total cost. If you want to know about sand casting cost estimation, you can visit https://dawangcasting.com/.

The impaction of these various facts for each case will be different. Having better knowledge about them is essential for you to consider your castings when making your budget. So, take a look below at the factors that can influence the total investment casting cost calculator.

Investment casting is the most using method for the automotive, firearms industries, and railway. Here we can see unique costs in each metal due to various techniques, methods, and quality requirements.

Cost for the materials – Metals

Considering the casting process, every time, the amount of the material is larger than the final size of the product. That means we initially have to bear a considerable investment in casting costs to get a final quality product. 

The designing engineers decide the selection of metal according to the end use of the casting. Apart from that, factors such as availability, properties, and the price will influence the choice of materials. The starting cost of the metal plays a significant role in the final estimation for total production. According to the world economy and the availability, the total investment casting cost of the same alloy or metal will differ. In addition to that, the transport cost and other taxes can influence the price of materials. And finally, the lost wax casting cost.

Some metals are costlier than others metals. As an example, Titanium is more expensive than Aluminium. Using the Metal alloy calculator, you will quickly get a clear idea about the type of metal needed for the project. 

Working with a metal sourcing consultant to create an effective plan for future projects also will be effective in the investment casting cost calculator. Concerning the prices of metals, those are estimated according to the market, demand, and supply. Though there are thousands of steel types, we can categorize steel into four groups considering the financial value. 

Take steel as an example

The steel cost will also be different based on the region, demand, supply, time of the year, and industrial trend. Carbon Steel usually costs lower than stainless steel. But the cost of alloy Steel will differ according to the metal type, and the demand as alloy steels play a significant role in the construction industry.

When we consider Tool Steel, the most common type of tool steel is Carbon steel. Here the investment casting cost calculator would vary depending on the grade and size requirements.

When using a tool steel casting project, your foundry can support you choose the correct steel to reach your focused specifications.

When estimating investment casting cost, we can consider two main factors.  

· Cost of Direct Materials: The cost estimation is made on materials like cast metal or alloy that shows in the product.

· Cost of Indirect Materials: This consists of dispensable cores, molding sand, and feeding aids. 

Investment casting cost for design

The complexity of the design also mainly affects the investment casting cost. Complex structures may need some additional procedures and treatments. That will also can further add to the price of the investment casting products.
The quantity of shell layers is also caused to the investment casting cost. The more complex the design you want in the project, you will need more layers. And investment casting cost will be more expensive.

Labor cost for precision investment casting 

Any precision investment casting companies should add the Labor cost estimation when calculating the total investment casting cost. The average wage of a investment casting foundry worker also has a massive impact on lost wax casting cost estimation. 

Can we cut down on the labor cost? Considering the time calculations, which are needed for the investment casting mold building process, labor is essential for pouring the metal. And also, it’s important the hours required to remove the part from the mould then and clean it. Therefore we can’t remove the labor cost when making the precision investment casting cost calculator. 

Setup cost for metal investment casting

The setup cost per part for metal investment casting  is higher when making parts in fewer volumes (such as prototypes) than substantial volume orders. With increased volumes, the cost scales accordingly and the per metal investment casting costs will reduce.

Cost for Investment casting mold  

The investment casting mold cost can be estimated mainly according to the tooling material needed. For example, the manufacturing process of investment casting mold and the material of the parts being cut.

Therefore, the cost is determined by the material and manufacturing of the investment casting mold. The material is chosen depending upon the tool life needed, which is different from the quantity of the order.

After considering all these variables, you will get an accurate estimate of the investment casting mold cost of the project. Getting business decisions based on accurate estimates will be necessary for your bottom line.

Cost for investment casting products output 

The percentage of investment casting products weight to actual casting weight is called casting yield. The lower the casting yield, the higher the investment casting cost.

The connection between the price of the front section and the yield rate is the cost per kilogram of the front part of the casting = the cost of the previous section of the casting weight per kilogram.

The budget we have to spend for the front section of each kilogram of investment casting products is inversely proportional to the yield. Less the product, the effect would be considerable. The price of pouring the front unit of each kilogram of molten steel is 6 yuan. With these calculations, we can estimate the investment casting cost per Kg investment casting products. 

If there is a 45% yield, the lost wax casting cost for the front section of each kilogram of precision investment casting is 13.33 yuan. If there is a 30% production rate, the front part of the casting would be 20 yuan/kg. For the 60% production rate, the front part of precision investment casting would be 10 yuan/kg. It is less than 3.3 yuan from the average level. Processing amounts are deducted by 18.5%. For 304 stainless steel precision casting, the total cost is reduced by about 7%.

When the yield is 45%, the cost per kilogram of precision investment casting increases by 0.3 yuan for every one percentage point reduction. When the yield is 30%, for every one percentage point reduction, the cost of the front section per kilogram of precision investment casting is increased by about 0.67 yuan.

This shows that the impact of the yield on investment casting cost is very considerable.

The shells number also affects investment casting cost.

The investment casting shape is different from structure to structure. For complex designs, investment casting foundry should require more shells. Large metal investment casting generally requires three or more layers. Correspondingly, the fees charged by investment casting companies will be higher.

Investment casting foundry costs about 5.9 yuan to manufacture a kilogram of precision casting housing. Among them, the material costs accounted for 67.8%, fuel and power accounted for 23.9%, and wages 13.3%. At the price of 4 yuan/kg of shell material. 

The consumption of zirconium sand and zirconium powder accounts for about 63%, accounting for 42.7% of the total cost of shell making. The cost of silica sol is about 12.2% of the price of the shell. 

However, zirconium sand zirconium powder is only used for the top layer.

Conclusion

The above is our method of estimating the investment casting cost per kilogram, but this result will vary due to various factors. Therefore, if you want to know precisely the investment casting cost per kilogram of investment casting foundry, it is best to consider all factors separately before calculating.