Probably the most important document in any investment casting foundry quoting effort is the part drawing. The more information that is on the drawing, the less chance that there will be for mis-understanding. Although facsimile copies may be suitable for quotation purposes, it is not recommended that they be used to build tooling and produce castings. Very often some portions of these copies will be illegible. A hard copy of drawings should be provided whenever possible. All drawings should clearly state the following information:
- PART NUMBER
- PART NAME
- REVISION LEVEL
- ALLOY (S)
- TOLERANCES
- FINISH REQUIREMENTS
- CRITICAL DIMENSIONS
- MACHINING REFERENCE POINTS (if applicable)
- INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS
- HEAT TREAT CONDITION
It is strongly recommended that separate drawings be developed for castings and machining. The investment caster’s quality control department and your incoming inspection department should be provided with drawings showing exactly how the castings are to be received at your dock. This will eliminate confusion and possibly costly delays.
