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Investment Casting
Process reliability, slurry control and consistent quality are integral for investment casting foundries. Nalco Water designs our service and product offerings to help foundries meet these critical business goals. Our quality products coupled with incomparable technical expertise and testing capabilities set us apart in the industry.
Nalco Water has been involved with investment casting for over 60 years. We hold the original patent on colloidal silica, and the first water-based ceramic shell was made with our materials.
Investment Casting Binder Case Studies
Enabling Production with Aerospace OEM Supplier
An OEM supplier produced aerospace EQ blades that resulted in a 100% hot tear. The molds were difficult to remove and nonfill was present in some castings. Nalco Water worked to mitigate hot tear and cracking, maintain green strength and improve additional casting elements with a new shell system.
Increasing Throughput with Shell Innovation
At an investment casting foundry, their shell room was functioning at capacity due to cabinet drying limitations. This meant a bottleneck in shell room for centrifugal casting and overall throughput concerns. Nalco Water tested a colloidal silica binder with unique rheology to improve shell build rate versus incumbent system.
Investment Casting Products, Consultation, Support and Diagnostics
Extensive Engineered Shell Product Offering
From binders to polymers, wax cleaners and beyond—Nalco Water offers a robust portfolio for engineered shells. Our investment casting product lines include:
- Multiple differentiated shell system offerings with the ability to meet specific customer needs
- Over fifteen different colloidal silica products
- Four high tech polymers
- Three slurry additives
- Two high-performance, environmentally friendly wax cleaners
- Four engineered flour and flour options
- Distributor for fused silica refractories and Christy Minerals STKO®
Consultation and Support from Shell Experts
Nalco Water can provide service and support to improve your shell room operation. These capabilities include:
- On-site consulting and process review
- Process control optimization
- MoR, Permeability, slurry physical properties, and SEM casting analysis to assist in the diagnosis of customer problems
Acidic Colloidal Silica at Investment Casting
In addition to our wide range of engineered shell products and support, we also offer acidic colloidal silica products for ceramic core manufacturing.
Ceramic cores can create complex geometries and are usually heated with high temperature. This demanding process requires strong, durable and reliable materials. Nalco Water’s acidic products are offer compatibility with a variety of ceramic materials and support stronger, more durable cores creation.
Nalco Water is a Colloidal Silica Leader
- First patented colloidal silica manufacturing process in 1941
- One of the largest colloidal silica manufacturers globally
- Innovative RD&E teams for customized product development
- Products designed for manufacturing efficiency, quality, and control
- Delivering high value through innovative particle design and quality support