Spotlight
Texas Precision Metalcraft Enters Investment Casting Institute's 25th Annual Casting Contest
Texas Precision Metalcraft is proud to announce its entry into the Investment Casting Institute’s 25th Annual Casting Contest, showcasing an advanced investment casting solution that demonstrates the performance, engineering precision, and manufacturing capabilities possible through world-class investment casting.
The featured component is a 6-inch ThermoLens Ball, a specialized furnace camera housing designed for use in steam methane reformer applications within the oil and gas industry. Manufactured from CH-20 alloy, the part protects sensitive thermal imaging equipment while operating across two dramatically different environments: one side is exposed to temperatures approaching 1,600°F while the opposite side maintains a controlled ambient environment for the camera electronics.
The project highlights the advantages of investment casting over traditional machining. By redesigning the component as a precision investment casting instead of machining it from 8-inch bar stock, the customer achieved an estimated 90% reduction in per-part cost while significantly decreasing material waste. The casting also enabled the integration of complex internal fluting that improves cooling performance—geometry that would have been prohibitively expensive or impractical to machine.
Beyond cost savings, the part demonstrates the sophisticated engineering required to manufacture high-performance castings. Its seamless, single-piece construction eliminates weld joints while maintaining precise wall thicknesses needed to withstand extreme thermal cycling, prevent atmospheric leakage, and protect sensitive electronics. Producing this geometry required advanced wax tooling, carefully controlled shell permeability, fluid flow, and cooling processes to ensure dimensional accuracy and structural integrity throughout the casting.
The Investment Casting Institute’s annual Casting Contest recognizes outstanding examples of innovation, complexity, and manufacturing excellence throughout the investment casting industry. Winners will be announced during the ICI’s 73rd Annual Technical Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 25–28, 2026.
At Texas Precision Metalcraft, we’re honored to showcase the engineering expertise and manufacturing precision that continue to help our customers solve complex design challenges while improving performance and reducing costs.
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