Investment casting for Tübingen: Your 360-degree partner
Many design projects are delayed because crucial components are technically difficult to implement. We deliver investment cast parts that meet even complex requirements and provide you with ready-to-use functional parts. You benefit from personal support: from the initial consultation, through a feasibility check to on-time delivery.
When investment casting is the better choice
Not every component can be economically milled, welded or machined. Especially with complex geometries, limited space or precisely defined material usage, conventional processes quickly reach technical or economic limits.
In these cases, investment casting offers clear advantages. The process combines high design freedom with material diversity and consistent dimensional accuracy.
Typical starting situations:
- Welded assemblies are to be functionally simplified and manufactured as cast parts
- Milled parts are too costly or technically difficult to realize
- Round, organic or internal geometries are constructively required
- Requirements on thermal behavior or corrosion resistance must be met
Our Services
Technical Consulting
We support you from the first idea to the final solution. Together, we analyze the requirements, evaluate technical feasibility, and develop the optimal design. This guarantees a functional and economical implementation of your component.
Material Selection and Procurement
You receive an objective recommendation on the appropriate alloy and suitable material. Each melt is specifically composed in our production plants according to your specifications, ensuring complete traceability through spectral analysis and documentation. This ensures that your components always meet the required specifications.
Development and Production of Prototypes
For new projects, SBV Stahltechnik produces prototypes or sample parts on request. This allows you to check functions and dimensions at an early stage before series production starts. This minimizes the risk of defective developments and saves you costs.
Mechanical Processing and Surface Finishing
Depending on requirements, the mechanical processing, drilling, milling or grinding of your components is carried out. We coordinate these steps in our own plants and thus ensure quality control. Milling, drilling or polishing according to drawings ensure that you receive ready-to-assemble parts from a single source.
Logistics and Delivery
We offer flexible logistics solutions: from delivery on call to intermediate storage in Germany. You determine batch sizes and call-off cycles according to your needs. This keeps you flexible in production planning and minimizes storage costs.
Heat Treatment in Our Own Stainless Steel Hardening Shop
We conduct heat treatments in our own plant in Germany. This gives you defined material properties and benefits from short lead times. Delays by external service providers are completely avoided.
Secure a non-binding consultation at SBV now!
The Investment Casting Process Explained: Step by Step
Create Wax Model & Assemble Wax Trees
A precise wax model of the component is produced using a wax tool or 3D printing, then several wax models are assembled into a wax tree
Manufacture and Fire Ceramic Shells
The wax trees are dipped in liquid slip in several steps and then sanded. This creates 5-8 layers of ceramic with various coarse sands for flawless surfaces on the cast part and enough strength for the stresses during casting. The dried ceramic mold is heated using steam in an autoclave, and the wax melts out. The shell is then fired at >1,000 °C before casting.
Cast & Demold Components
During casting, liquid metal is poured into the fired and still >1000°C hot ceramic mold, after solidifying and cooling, the ceramic is destroyed and separated from the casting tree using vibration.
Separate Casting Tree & Process Components
The individual components are separated from the casting trees and the sprues are ground down. Subsequently, the components are blasted, annealed, and pickled. If necessary, mechanical processing and finishing by coating or heat treatment takes place now.
SBV Stahltechnik: Your Investment Casting Partner for Tübingen
We support investment casting projects technically and organizationally. From the consultation on the first model to the finished delivery, we ensure that each component fits the application and project goal. We offer a combination of experience, equipment, and customer focus that is unique in this form.
Our strengths at a glance:
- Associated plants in Asia for cost-effective production of top-quality parts. Over 100 CNC machining centers and more than 20,000 square meters of production space are available at each location.
- Technical consulting on geometry, material selection, and casting-oriented design. You speak directly with experts.
- Certified processes according to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001. This meets the common requirements for quality, environment, and occupational safety.
- Flexible project management with intermediate storage in Germany and demand-based delivery on call.
- Construction and prototyping even for small series, for example via rapid prototyping using 3D printing of wax models.
- Own stainless steel hardening shop in Germany. This allows material properties to be specifically set and lead times to be shortened.
Materials & Properties
We manufacture investment cast parts from:
- Stainless steel, including 1.4308, 1.4404, 1.4469
- Aluminum for components with low weight and good corrosion resistance
The selection of materials is carried out in close coordination with you. It is based on the medium of use, temperature load, mechanical stress, or cleaning requirements. In our stainless steel hardening shop, we optimize the material properties specifically for your application.
How a Project Is Conducted at SBV Stahltechnik
Inquiry & Initial Assessment
A drawing and/or CAD model is enough. We check feasibility, material selection and castability, including evaluation of the required tolerances, in close coordination with our customers.
Consultation & Offer
Technical clarification, material consulting and casting optimization: Based on this, we create a reliable offer including tool costs, delivery time and processing options.
Toolmaking & Prototypes
After commissioning, we start with tooling and first samples for dimensional inspection, possibly with an initial sample inspection report (ISIR). Alternatively, small series or prototypes can also be produced without tooling using 3D printers.
Series Production & Processing
Casting, demolding, mechanical processing, surface finishing, and heat treatment, all from a single source.
Delivery & Logistics
Series delivery according to framework contract, call-off, or one-time delivery. On request with buffer storage near the customer and individual packaging.
Do you have a specific component or want to know if an existing part can be economically replaced by investment casting?
We review your requirements free of charge and without obligation.
Get in touch now. We provide personal consultation and show you what is possible with investment casting.
