By the very nature of what the combination of the potential of the investment casting process and the corrosion-resistant alloys we offer, pump and valve components make up a large proportion of the high-quality castings we manufacture for our valued clients. Â
The Process of Manufacturing Investment Cast Pump Parts
Pump and valve components require a unique combination of smooth surfaces, corrosion resistance, and pressure-retaining strength. The investment casting process is ideal for these kinds of components.
Investment cast pump and valve components start as wax injections using highly detailed aluminum injection dies to produce incredibly smooth surfaces on the patterns needed for the best hydraulic performance of the casting. For lower volumes or prototype samples, we can 3D print the pattern in plastic and use that in substitution of the usual wax pattern.
The patterns are coated with a ceramic slurry and allowed to dry and built up layer by layer until a seamless self supporting mold is formed. The pattern is melted out, and the mold is filled with a molten alloy suitable for the final application of the pump or valve component.
Pump Casting Applications
From centrifugal pumps to vacuum pumps through to the, our customers trust us to produce their critical components in a range of alloys from carbon steel, through to austenitic, duplex, and precipitation hardening stainless steels, to extreme service alloys such as Hastelloy, Monel, and Inconel.  Some of our clients require durable and strong alloys for use in their invincible chopper pumps, and for those we cast many hardenable steels, stainless steels, and white iron alloys. Our ability to utilize ceramic coring to form even the most complex of rotating impellers and expellers gives us a unique advantage to our clients.
Examples of Pump Products Produced:
- Centrifugal pump open and closed impellers, casings, and glands
- Vacuum pump components
- Seals and bushings
- Cutter Bars and plates
- Flow meters
- Flanges
- Diffusers
- Shaft Sleeves
What Types of Valves Can Be Investment Cast
There are many types of valves and flow control products that our customers produce, all engineered to perform at everything from everyday applications like water valves, to extreme pressure and corrosion conditions that their valving systems must handle without failure.
The wide range of materials that Niagara Investment Castings provides for pump manufacturers is the same family of metal alloys that valve manufacturers rely on as well, since they are generally in the same plumbing systems.
- Valve bodies
- Flapper and Butterfly Valve Discs
- Burst valve components
- Y Strainers
- Ball Valves
- Stems
- Bonnets
- Hand Wheels and Levers
Advantages of Investment Casting For The Pump and Valve Industry
From superior surfaces to lower overall costs, investment casting pump and valve components offer many advantages over other manufacturing processes.
Investment Casting Vs. Machining
Most machining operations can be replaced by investment casting.  The ability of investment casting to achieve near-net-shapes significantly reduces or eliminates the need for machining of pump and valve cast components.  Fast turnaround for higher volume production with less labour cost is also possible.
Investment cast impellers and butterfly valves, for example, are typically less expensive than machining the parts from bar stock.Â
Investment Casting Vs. Welding
Converting welded assemblies for pump and valve components to investment castings can reduce overall costs, especially with complex components. Labour cost is expended with each increase in the number of joints, the difficulty of the weld, the assembly difficulty, and the number of pieces being joined. In addition to the cost component, investment casting can be advantageous for improved part strength and uniformity, particularly with hard-to-weld alloys. Part appearance is also improved, since there will no longer be visible weld lines as welded and fastened parts can be cast as one piece. Investment casting lends itself to parts that will be higher volume runs if welding is involved.
Investment Casting Vs. Sand Casting
Due to the nature of the process, investment castings can be held to much tighter tolerances than sand castings. Investment casting offers near-net shape, thus reducing costly machining time.  Investment casting is also capable of producing castings with a much better surface finish and no draft angles being required, which means cast components address the need for tighter tolerances than sand castings. Finally, investment castings, in general, provide a much higher percentage of defect-free castings versus sand casting the same parts.
Investment Casting Vs. Forging
Investment casting does not have the expensive tooling costs as with forgings. Forging metal components also presents the concern of non-uniform internal stresses and parting lines, neither of which is present with investment cast parts. Forging does not offer the precision or fine detail and excellent surface finish of investment casting.
Choose Niagara Investment Castings for Your Pump & Valve Investment Cast Applications
With decades of experience manufacturing high-quality investment castings for the pump and valve industry, we are proud of our history of utilizing this unique manufacturing process to satisfy our clients’ requirements.
Contact us here to start the discussion today.