Supplier's Category: All Investment & Sand Casting: Complex metal geometries and large-scale parts
Investment and sand casting produce complex metal geometries and large-scale parts by pouring molten metal into a mold formed around a pattern — investment casting (lost-wax) for fine detail and tight tolerance, sand casting for larger, simpler parts at lower tooling cost. Both suit shapes too complex or too large for stamping or machining alone.
The choice between the two comes down to part size, detail, and volume rather than material alone.
- Investment casting: fine detail, thin walls, tight as-cast tolerances, mid-to-high volume
- Sand casting: larger parts, lower tooling cost, better fit for low-to-mid volume
- Both: geometries impractical to machine from solid stock or stamp from sheet
Related terms: investment casting (lost-wax), sand casting, green sand molding, pattern and core design, as-cast tolerance, casting porosity inspection, riser and gating design, post-cast machining allowance, alloy pour temperature control
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Where each casting method is chosen
Casting method choice tracks the industry’s typical part size and tolerance needs.
- Aerospace and medical: investment casting for complex, tight-tolerance components
- Heavy equipment and industrial machinery: sand casting for large structural parts
- Valves, pumps, and fittings: both methods depending on size and volume