Need to find a permanent mold casting company...

[JigaWatt]

This topic may not exactly fit this forum, but I think this forum is more appropriate than any of the others.

Right now I am having a crude, 15lb, mild steel piece cut by machine shops. It is very similar to a "dumbell" weight, tolerances are very large, etc. I think it would be cheaper to manufacture them in the quantity I need to if we could cast them instead of cutting them out of sheet steel. It is no problem to find a machine shop or steel company who can do the cutting, but I haven't been able to find anyone who could cast the piece.

Can someone tell me who to contact concerning casting? I'm in Oklahoma City and would prefer to find someone in Oklahoma, but Dallas isn't far either. Is there an association of "permanent mold casters" or anything similar that would have listings?

Also, could someone give me some insight on cutting vs. casting? Right now it is a fairly simple cut on an X-Y table using a plasma torch. Cutting quantities of around 300 at a time, it is costing about $13 each. What quantity would I have to hit to make casting more cost effective? I know this may be impossible to answer without seeing a design, but any input would be appreciated. Also, there are other things I don't know, such as:
How many molds would typically be needed if 500 pieces need to be produced per month?
Can some one give me a ballpark estimate on permanent mold pricing? This is a simple piece, imagine a 7.5" disk, 1.25" thick, with a 1.5" ID hole in the center.

Thanks very much for any help! EE is my field, so I'm a little out of my area.

 

[ie3]

Should be very simple for any foundry. If surface finish is not critical sand casting is very economical. $13 is alot to pay for something like that.

 

[JigaWatt]

Thanks. I figured it could be cast much cheaper, but really didn't know for sure. I found a guy who apparently knows some local people who can help me with this.

If anyone knows of any foundry listings etc., I'd still be interested in seeing that.

Thanks for the help!

 

[MadMango]

Check out this site, chock full o' good stuff.

http://www.castingsnet.com

"The attempt and not the deed confounds us."

 

[Hush]

http://www.afsinc.org

 

[MikeMech]

If surface finish and/or flatness is important, be careful choosing your foundry. Green sand castings can get pretty ugly if the process is sloppy. You may want to try a foundry with a no-bake line, or an investment casting. The pattern costs may run you $500-$2,000, depending on the process and pattern shop.

A part like that shouldn't cost over $1.00 per lb for those quantities. Torch cut has the advantage of lower lead time and better material quality control.

Best Regards,
Mike
mike@usmech.net