Investment casting tooling is an extremely important part of the production process. It is referring to the design and production of the metal form that is used to inject the wax patterns of the desired parts. These precise, high-quality tools can be used for a very large number of parts and runs, with consistent, reliable castings on an ongoing basis. Investment casting tooling requires a significant initial investment, though its long-term ROI more than justifies its cost. For short-run jobs or special applications, a rapid prototyping, 3-D printing process can make tooling unnecessary in some cases, greatly reducing the up-front cost and production time.
