01
Wall thickness drifts mid-run
A 1.5 mm wall that reads 2.2 mm on the drawing but 1.2 mm at the wax stage will fail pressure testing. If nobody measures the wax pattern, you find out at final assembly, not at the foundry.
Investment Casting
Investment Casting
Lost-wax casting for thin-wall, tight-tolerance OEM parts, then finished on our own CNC machines. One supplier from wax pattern to packed part, with a DFM review back within 12 hours.
±0.005 mm machiningNo minimum order quantity12-hour DFMISO 9001 / IATF 169493–5 day shippingNDA on request
2011Casting and machining since
3Wholly-owned plants
127High-precision CNC machines
99.99%Qualification rate
Where castings go wrong
Four problems that show up after the pour
These are the failures buyers bring to us most often. All of them start before the metal is melted.
02
The foundry quotes, then a trader delivers
You approve a sample from one shop. Production moves to a second shop you never visited. Porosity, gate marks and heat-treat records change without anyone telling you.
03
Machining re-datum kills the casting
The casting arrives good. Then the machine shop picks a new datum and pulls the boss off-center by 0.3 mm. Nobody owns the stack-up because two vendors each blame the other.
04
Small lots get refused
You need 40 pieces for a pilot build. Three suppliers quote four-week lead times or a tooling charge that only makes sense at 5,000 pieces. The pilot slips a month.
How we run it
From wax pattern to finished casting under one roof
Casting tolerance and machining tolerance are solved together, not by two vendors passing blame.
Process control
We control the wax, so the wall stays where the drawing says
Thin-wall parts live or die at the pattern stage. Wax injection pressure, die temperature and dwell time set the wall before any metal is poured. We measure the wax pattern, not just the finished casting, and record the shrinkage allowance we applied.
That record travels with the job. When a run repeats six months later, the next shop floor uses the same numbers instead of guessing. Wall thickness on thin-wall parts typically holds within ±0.13 mm as-cast, then tightens further where we machine.
- 1Wax pattern checkWall and feature dimensions verified before shelling
- 2Documented shrinkageAllowance recorded per alloy and per geometry
- 3Repeatable runsSame parameters reused on the next order
Machining
Casting and CNC finishing quoted as one tolerance stack
A raw casting rarely meets a print on its own. Datum faces, bores, threads and sealing surfaces need cutting. Because we run 127 CNC machines in the same group, the casting and the machining are planned together from the start.
We agree the datum on the casting model before tooling is cut. That single decision removes most of the mismatch that shows up when a foundry and a machine shop work from separate drawings. Final tolerances reach ±0.005 mm where the function needs it.
- 1Datum agreed up frontMachining datum defined on the casting model
- 25-axis finishing16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured faces
- 3100% inspectionRaw material, in-process and final checks before shipment
Selection guide
When investment casting is the right call
Compare against the alternatives before you commit to tooling.
| Factor | Investment casting | Die casting | Sand casting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best part size | Small to medium, under 50 kg | Small, high volume | Medium to large |
| Wall thickness | Down to about 1.5 mm | 2–3 mm typical | 4 mm and up |
| Tooling cost | Wax die, moderate | Steel die, high | Pattern, low |
| Volume sweet spot | Tens to tens of thousands | Tens of thousands and up | One to hundreds |
| Surface as-cast | Ra 3.2–6.3 μm | Ra 1.6–3.2 μm | Ra 6.3–12.5 μm |
| Best for | Complex internal passages | Simple, thin, high volume | Large, simple, low volume |
What we cover
Casting and machining services around the part
One page, one purchase order, one inspection report.
01
Investment Casting
Lost-wax casting for thin-wall and complex internal geometry. Wax die, shell building, pour, knockout and cut-off handled as one job.
02
5 Axis CNC Machining
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured faces, angled holes and sealing surfaces that a 3-axis setup cannot reach in one fixturing.
03
CNC Milling & Turning
27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills and 16 mill-turn centers cover bores, threads, grooves and turned diameters on cast blanks.
04
Rapid Prototyping
Wax patterns printed or cut for fit checks before the production die is committed. Useful when the geometry is still moving.
05
Metal Die Casting
When volume climbs past the point where a steel die pays for itself, we move the part to die casting and keep the same finishing line.
06
Part Surface Finishing
Anodizing, plating, powder coating, bead blasting and laser marking. Minimum laser character height 1.5 mm.
Scope
What is included in a casting order
Applies to standard orders unless your print says otherwise.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Materials | Aluminium, stainless, steel, copper alloys, titanium, Inconel |
| Casting tolerance | Per ISO 8062 grade agreed at quote stage |
| Machined tolerance | ±0.005 mm where the print requires it |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm fine, Ra 0.8–1.6 μm high, Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment; reports on request |
| Minimum order | None, from one prototype to 10,000+ parts |
| Certifications | ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016, ISO 27001:2022 |
Why GreatLight
Numbers we are held to
Fifteen years in Dongguan, three plants, one quality system.
15Y
Casting and machining since 2011
The same engineering team has handled wax dies, shells and CNC finishing long enough to know which features will fight back.
±0.005
Machined tolerance in mm
Equivalent to ±0.0002 in. Applied to the faces and bores that seal, locate or rotate, not to every surface on the print.
127
High-precision CNC machines
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers under one roof.
12h
Quotation and DFM turnaround
Drawing review, material advice and a price back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval.
0
Minimum order quantity
One prototype or 10,000 parts. Tooling is amortized honestly instead of hidden in a setup charge.
99.99%
Qualification rate
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection on every order. Reports on request.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians on staff
4,000 mmMaximum processing size
<2%Historical late-delivery rate
Industry requirements
What these sectors demand, and what we deliver
Aerospace brackets
Thin ribs, tight datum control, full traceability from melt to finished face.
- ±0.005 mm
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm
- 100% inspection
Automotive and EV housings
Sealing faces and bolt patterns machined after casting so the stack-up closes.
- IATF 16949
- ±0.005 mm
- 3–5 day ship
Medical instrument bodies
Small stainless parts with internal passages that cannot be drilled afterwards.
- ISO 13485
- Ra 0.2–0.8 μm
- No MOQ
Robotics and automation arms
Cast joints and brackets finished on 5-axis to hold position over repeated cycles.
- 16 five-axis centers
- ±0.005 mm
- 99.99%
FAQs
Questions engineers ask before committing to tooling
What wall thickness can you cast?
For most alloys we work down to about 1.5 mm on small parts, and thicker as the part grows. Thin walls are limited by how far the metal flows before it freezes, so a 1.5 mm wall on a 20 mm part is easier than the same wall on a 300 mm part.
Send the model and we will tell you which walls need thickening before the wax die is cut. Changing a wall on a screen is free. Changing a wax die is not.
How do you hold ±0.005 mm on a casting?
The casting itself does not hold that. Machining does. We cast close, then cut the functional faces, bores and sealing surfaces on CNC with the datum agreed before tooling.
±0.005 mm is applied where the print calls for it. Putting it on every surface raises cost with no functional gain.
What is the minimum order quantity?
None. We run one prototype or 10,000+ parts. For a pilot build of 40 pieces we quote the real tooling cost and amortize it across the order instead of hiding it in a setup fee.
If the pilot turns into production, the same wax die and the same machining program carry over.
Which materials do you cast and machine?
Aluminium grades including 6061, 6061-T6, 2024, 5052, 5083, 6063, 6082, 7075 and ADC12. Stainless including 303, 304, 316, 316L, 420, 430, 431, 440C and 17-4PH. Carbon and alloy steels such as 1018, 1045, 4130, 4140 and 4340. Copper and brass, titanium TA1, TA2 and TC4, plus Inconel and magnesium AZ31B and AZ91D.
Tell us the service environment and we will flag alloys that are hard to cast thin or hard to machine clean.
How fast can I get parts?
Quotation and DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and parts ship in 3–5 days for standard scope.
Casting adds a shell-building and pour cycle that a pure machining job does not have. We will give you the real schedule rather than a number that slips.
Can you machine a casting made elsewhere?
Yes, if the geometry and datum are workable. Send the casting drawing or a sample with the machining print. We check stock allowance on the faces to be cut before quoting.
If the existing casting has too little stock in one area, we say so instead of machining through the wall.
How do you handle confidentiality?
Uploads are secure and confidential. We sign an NDA on request before drawings are shared, and tooling built for your part is not used for anyone else.
Files stay with the job. We do not circulate customer geometry between plants without a reason tied to your order.
What inspection do I get?
Every order gets a raw material check, in-process monitoring and a final inspection before shipment, covering 100% of the parts. Dimensional reports and material certificates are available on request.
If your print needs first article inspection or a specific report format, say so at quote stage so it is built into the plan.
Send the drawing. Get a real casting and machining plan.
Quotation and DFM analysis within 12 hours, no minimum order quantity, and 100% inspection before anything ships.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantity
