Manufacturing Capabilities
Dom-Met is a one-stop- shop for our customers. We manufacture metal and plastic
components in any number of processes including casting, forgings, extrusions, formings
and stampings. Turnkey parts arrive in a “ready-to- use” state meaning they have been fully-
machined, painted, heat-treated, and/or sub-assembled according your needs. Regardless
of your specific requirements, our expert team helps you establish the optimal method,
source, and material/alloy for each application.
Our Speed-to- Market (S2M) program gets your parts from prototype to production and to
your loading dock quickly. S2M includes both domestic, offshore, and hybrid sourcing
options, along with warehousing and short lead-times to help you meet your JIT inventory
replenishment goals.
Use the links under the capabilities tab on the main menu to find out more.
CASTINGS
Castings can be produced from any metal that retains a shape at ambient temperatures. These forms are most commonly created through pouring molten metal into a consumable sand-molded cavity made by pattern tooling. Casting has several key advantages. It creates a part to near-net shape based on design criteria. Casting also provides a cost-effective and easily repeatable alternative to other manufacturing processes such as fabrication or machining.
The procurement of castings presents many challenges for purchasing departments due to the myriad manufacturing processes utilized today. Without a thorough understanding of these casting methods, it is easy to become confused when selecting the best process and supplier to meet your requirements. Domet has the experience and knowledge to assist with identifying the best process to meet your needs at the best possible price. Below are a few of the molding methods we employ today to satisfy our customers' demands.
Green Sand — Process that mulls raw sand, clay and water, which is then compacted around a pattern to create a mold. Most common type of molding, suitable for any production volume, and typically a low-cost option.
No Bake / Airset — Molding method utilizing raw sand combined with resins and binder to create a hard mold capable of improved surface finishes. Excellent for lower-volume parts where superior dimensional stability is required.
Shell — Resin-coated sand, typically of a smaller grain size than green and or no bake sand, which is applied to a heated pattern that activates the resin to create a hard-shell mold. Exceptional surface finishes can be achieved with reduced machine stock and/or draft.
Investment — Casting process in which wax replicas are coated with a slurry mix of ceramic refractory and sand, allowed to dry, and then heated to extract the wax, leaving behind a near-net-shape cavity. Capable of creating shapes that are not possible by any other molding method, particularly for small or intricate components. Widely used to eliminate additional machining expense.
Lost Foam — Can be utilized in two different methods; The first method is similar to investment, in which a polystyrene replica is coated with ceramic refractory and then molded in sand. The second method consists of foam patterns that are molded into a media similar to no bake or airset. In either method, molten metal is poured directly into the sand mold and evaporates the foam during the casting process, creating a part with no draft or parting lines.
Permanent Mold — Reusable metal tooling that can be used to create repeatable dimensional accuracy, typically used for decorative or ornamental products made from nonferrous materials.
Die Cast — Method in which molten metal is forced into a metal die under pressure. This process is suitable for repeatability of medium- to high-volume, intricate or close-tolerance parts.
Centrifugal — Process utilizing permanent tooling that is rotated while molten metal is introduced, typically used to manufacture pipe or other cylindrical products.
V-Process — Dry sand molding method that uses a vacuum to hold a membrane on the surface of the pattern, which is then backfilled with sand. Advantages are exceptional surface finish and tighter dimensional control than most conventional sand casting processes.
For more detailed information about the casting process, click here.
Cores are used when a casting design has a geometric profile that cannot be produced using standard pattern tooling alone. The most common uses of cores are to form internal passages or exterior features such as recesses or non-draft surfaces that cannot be drawn from the pattern. A variety of core manufacturing methods exist, however, the determination of which process to use has many factors, including size, surface finish, cost and design requirements of the part. The manufacturing of cores requires additional tooling (corebox) that can be made from wood, metal or plastic. The major core processes are as follows:
Isocure (Cold Box) — This type of core making mixes dry sand with two types of resin just prior to use. After the mixture is blown into the corebox, a catalyst is introduced that causes an instant bonding of the resins.
Shell (Hot Box) — The shell process combines premixed sand with resin prior to being blown into a heated corebox. The heat melts the resin, binding the sand together.
No Bake — Very similar to Isocure, except that the resin and catalyst are introduced to the sand simultaneously and the mixture must be formed immediately.
After castings are produced, the important finishing processes of shakeout, cleaning and grinding begin. Shakeout is the removal of the castings from the mold, typically by a vibratory or rotary method. After shakeout, all gates and risers are removed from the casting during cleaning, typically using some type of abrasive media such as steel shot or ceramics. The grinding process involves removal of all detrimental fins, riser connections or other unwanted protrusions, and can be a manual or automated operation.
After all finishing is complete, castings are inspected to appropriate customer requirements such as visual defects, dimensional accuracy or non-destructive test methods to assure customer satisfaction. Upon completion of all finishing and inspection operations parts are packaged to customer specification, which can include quantity, arrangement and any protective packaging that may be required.
The DOMET ADVANTAGE is that we offer unmatched resources and solutions to reduce the cost and frustration of purchasing castings. This is accomplished by applying our 300-plus years of foundry experience toward solving your casting issues. Our team is capable of assisting with all areas of the design and manufacturing process, including material selection to ensure critical design characteristics and identifying the appropriate process to provide the quality product you require. We also aid in design for manufacturability to keep production costs to a minimum and can help with converting expensive fabrications into reliable one-piece castings. Domet delivers value to our customers by ensuring consistent supply of the highest-quality part at competitive prices.
Domet also offers customer solutions to real-world issues such as small-quantity order requirements or guaranteed on-time delivery. This is typically achieved with Kanban or customized stocking/inventory arrangements, resulting in cost savings, reduced warehouse requirements and delivery in days rather than weeks.
In today's uncertain economy, many castings users are finding their supply chains interrupted as a result of sudden foundry closings, causing a potential shortage of raw material. Similarly, if you have an unexpected need for castings with a compressed lead time, Domet offers a rapid recovery solution to prevent avoidable, costly downtime in your system.
By incorporating Domet into your supply chain, you can eliminate the cost of identifying and managing multiple suppliers of castings. We offer a unique approach to the sourcing of castings by providing a reliable single-source solution to satisfy the most demanding requirements. Let us demonstrate how the DOMET ADVANTAGE can improve your business by providing quality castings and the lowest total cost of ownership with our signature customer service.
MACHINING
Machining is a group of processes used for removal of material to create shapes within desired tolerances. Domet offers a wide range of machining capabilities to our customers. We not only machine the castings, forgings and plastics that we manufacture, but we also supply machined fabrications and parts from bar stock or plate. In addition to the supplying of finished machined parts, we also provide these parts as subassemblies and can provide a finished turnkey solution as far down the value stream as the customer desires. This may include painting, plating, packaging and logistics management.
We work closely with our customers and subcontractors on part design, tooling and quality requirements on each project to minimize setup costs. This also aids significantly with progressing quickly through the first article sampling process and into production. Another service we offer is our ability to provide rapid prototypes to prove out designs before expensive tooling is purchased.
Machining capabilities include a complete range of processes:
Computer Numeric Control (CNC) — Machine equipment that is programmable for repeatability of shape and tolerance. Ideal for higher volume or complex parts and for utilization of customer-supplied solid models.
Grinding & Honing — Utilization of abrasives to develop the combination of a desired surface finish and precise tolerances. Primarily used to achieve flatness or cylindrical control in surface-to-surface mating components.
Gear & Spline Cutting — Gears are designed and manufactured to transmit torque or energy from one rotating shaft to another and can be supplied in varying tooth designs and profiles. Splines are utilized for positioning or locking parts to a shaft to prevent slippage under extreme torque applications.
Broaching — Incremental stock removal used in cases where typical machining is not practical due to feature configuration.
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) — Method in which material is burned off by use of a consumable carbon electrode. Ideal for cutting intricate shapes into hardened materials without the need for additional or secondary heat treatment.
Gun Drilling — Deep-depth drilling utilizing specialized tools that are capable of lubricating through an internal channel while in use. Allows for very large depth-to-diameter ratios.
Manual — Utilized as a low-volume, low-cost alternative to typical machining applications such as milling, drilling or grinding.
Chemical Milling — Precision material removal that is controlled by exposure time to a chemical etchant.
Prototypes — Initial parts produced to verify component design during research and development stage, which can provide critical information prior to investing in production tooling. Prototypes can be machined directly out of plastic, metal or wood, or made by using processes such as stereolithography (SLA) or selective laser sintering (SLS).
Domet offers customer solutions to real-world issues such as small-quantity order requirements or guaranteed on-time delivery. This is typically achieved with Kanban or customized stocking/inventory arrangements, resulting in cost savings, reduced warehouse requirements and delivery in days rather than weeks.
Our experience also extends into the verification of machined components. Working with our subcontractors, critical surfaces can be measured and documented using precise and repeatable processes. Measuring techniques can range from surface plate/height gauges to laser scanning. For ongoing production evaluation, specialized gauging can be developed depending on customer requirements.
TOOLING
Tooling is a form used to shape the casting cavity of a mold. Specific internal features and intricacies can be added with the use of a corebox. A wide range of cost-effective casting tooling can be constructed to meet your requirements, and, if tooling exists, we can adapt gating and rigging for utilization at the appropriate foundry. Several common types of tooling include:
Wood Patterns — This low-cost option is good for low to medium quantities and is very compatible with a large variety of equipment.
Metal Patterns — This option has a long tooling life with minimum wear and is highly adaptable to varied equipment.
Urethane Patterns — This low-cost option is durable and easily reproduced for additional impressions.
Foam Patterns — This option is an excellent choice for prototypes and single-use requirements and can also reduce the need for additional tooling such as coreboxes.
Coreboxes — This supplemental tooling can be constructed of any of the materials listed above dependent upon the geometry, tolerances, quantities and general casting requirements.
Tooling can be manufactured from a sample part, drawings or electronic files, including CAD drawings and solid models. Dimensional accuracy of the final tooling can be verified by manual or computer-aided layout inspection.
FORGINGS
Forging is a manufacturing process in which metal is formed through techniques including pressing, hammering or rolling to create a near-net shape part. The most significant benefit of the forging process is improved strength due to manipulation of grain flow within the material. Generally, a forging is achieved by preheating the metal to a specified temperature before it is formed into the desired shape.
Forged parts vary in size, shape and sophistication — from the hammer and wrench in your toolbox to close-tolerance precision components. Similarly, there is a wide variance in types of forging processes. Some of the most common methods of producing forged parts include closed or impression-die forging, cold forging, open-die forging and seamless rolled-ring forging. Domet is able to assist you in selecting the appropriate forging process to manufacture parts meeting all of your design criteria, while maintaining the highest level of quality.
PLASTICS
Plastic is a generic term used to cover a broad range of materials, including polymers, resins and composites that can be formed into shapes by various manufacturing processes.
Custom components can be manufactured to meet your requirements using new or existing molds or dies. In addition to part and tooling design, prototyping, bridge tooling and production, we can help you determine the manufacturing method appropriate for your specific needs.
Domet also provides many value-added services to complement our manufacturing capabilities. These services include inventory and logistics management, machining, painting, and subassemblies of plastic and/or metal components. An additional enhancement to your inventory and purchasing options is our ability to provide solutions for the supply of low-volume, complex or large parts.
Manufacturing Methods
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Injection Molding: Most common method for producing plastic parts, especially very small parts.
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Extrusion: Used for plastic tubing, pipe and shapes.
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Vacuum Forming: Commonly used with disposable thin-wall packaging.
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Thermo Forming: Normally used for short production runs of large-scale parts.
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Blow Molding: Typically used to make bottles and hollow containers, 1 oz to 10 gallon.
Tooling
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Plastic Injection Molds
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RIM Molds
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Blow Molds
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Extrusion Dies
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Gauges
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Fixtures
Other Services and Products
The ability to manufacture custom cables and wiring harnesses using a wide array of standard connectors is an important segment of our product offering. We can provide an off-the-shelf sample or create a functional prototype for testing and evaluation.
Domet can guide you in the conversion of metal parts to plastic, which can be cost effective, save production time and decrease the weight of the component. Parts that are not good candidates for conversion can still benefit from prototyping in plastic by reducing the time required to verify design criteria.
In conjunction with manufacturing parts that meet the stringent requirements of our internal quality system, we can readily produce parts to established electrical, medical, military and government specifications and ratings. Depending on the product application, parts can be produced in a clean room environment or undergo a sterilization process.
EXTRUSIONS
Extrusion is the process of shaping a material in a closed cavity by forcing it through a shaped die using either a mechanical or hydraulic press. The extrusion process can be performed hot, warm or cold depending on the type of material and the desired outcome. Although aluminum is the most commonly extruded material, this process can be used for a large variety of other metals as well as many plastics and ceramics.
Intricate cross sections and long continuous materials are ideal applications for extrusion. Significant benefits of extrusion include minimal need for secondary machining due to the creation of near-net shapes and the ability to withstand high deformation without tearing because no tensile stresses are introduced during the manufacturing process. Domet's extensive experience and consistent commitment to quality combine to ensure that your extruded parts will be manufactured using the appropriate method and delivered on time and error free.
PROTOTYPES
Design prototypes are initial parts produced to verify component design during the research and development stage, which can provide critical information prior to investing in production tooling. These parts can be molded or machined directly out of plastic, metal or wood.
Rapid prototypes use an automatic additive manufacturing process in conjunction with a three-dimensional CAD model to create a sample of the part. This is accomplished by applying successive layers of liquid, powder or sheet material. Typical processes include stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS).
Domet can aid in the manufacture of your design or rapid prototypes and manage the swift transition to full production by serving as a single-source supplier.
FABRICATIONS
Fabrication is the development of a part or component assembly utilizing multiple processes. Typical processes that are used for creating fabrications include shearing, punching, welding, bending, laser cutting, laser etching and marking, plasma cutting, and waterjet cutting.
Fabrications are sometimes used to prove out design prior to investing in more expensive fixed tooling. It is also common for fabrication to be required as a secondary process incorporating previously cast or machined components. Domet is fully capable of supplying your fabricated part, or we may be able to assist you in developing a lower-cost alternative by converting your part into a casting.
HEAT TREATING
Heat treating is the application of extreme temperatures over a specified length of time to alter the physical or chemical properties of a material and achieve a desired result, typically hardening or softening. Several common types of heat treating include:
Annealing — Cycle of heating and cooling used to increase ductility, soften material and relieve internal stresses.
Case Hardening — Process of hardening carbon steel by altering the elements at the material's surface.
Precipitation Strengthening — Extended hold at elevated temperatures used to increase the yield strength of malleable materials.
Tempering — Controlled reheating used to increase toughness and overall strength.
Quenching — Rapid cooling used to increase toughness or harden materials.
A heat-treatment process of particular interest in the casting industry is austempering, which can be used to provide excellent strength, toughness and fatigue characteristics in ductile iron at a price typically 20% less than steel. Austempered ductile iron can be tailored to provide a range of mechanical properties through manipulation of the times and temperatures used during heat treatment, as well as starting ductile iron chemistries. This specialty material is ideally suited for conversion of parts from costly forgings, weldments and assemblies. Domet has the experience and knowledge to assist with identifying the best heat-treatment process to meet your needs at the best possible price.
FORMING & STAMPING
Forming and stamping encompass a wide variety of manufacturing processes that are used to create a desired shape from a sheet, plate or coil material. Some of the most common of these processes include bending, drawing, spinning, coining, crimping, swaging, blanking, shearing, punching and perforating. Forming of metal using these techniques can be performed either as a single-stage operation or through a series of successive operations, depending on the complexity and size of the required final part. Domet understands your manufacturing concerns and can provide you with the appropriate stamped or formed part at the lowest total cost of ownership.
PAINTING & PLATING
Painting and plating include an array of methods to adhere a coating or finish to a metallic surface to improve either the appearance or functionality of the component. Some of the primary functional benefits to applying this type of surface coating can include increasing corrosion protection, durability, conductivity or shielding.
Painting industrial parts is not as simple as it may seem. There are many things to consider in addition to color and the overall appearance or branding of your parts. A variety of both wet and dry painting methods are available, such as dip, spray, brush, silk-screen and powder coating. Another important aspect of painting is consideration of the surface preparation and cleaning processes, which are crucial to ensure suitable adhesion. Finally, deciding upon the proper sequence to paint within the overall manufacturing process can affect the final finish of the part.
Plating is a process in which metal is deposited onto a conductive surface. One of the most common types of plating is electroplating, in which a thin layer of materials such as gold, silver, zinc, chrome or nickel are adhered to a part using electrical currents. Vapor, vacuum and sputter deposition methods are also commonly used to plate many metals. Nonmetallic materials such as plastics can also be plated in certain cases using a process called metallizing.
Domet possesses the knowledge and experience to help guide you through the decision-making process to find the appropriate surface coatings and processes to achieve your desired finish. As part of our dedication to providing the highest-quality parts, we can readily provide painting and plating that meets established electrical, medical, military and government specifications and ratings. We offer surface coating of your parts as a turnkey solution and will manage the manufacturing process to keep costs at a minimum.
TURNKEY COMPONENTS
A turnkey component is a subsystem composed of multiple parts or processes that are ready for immediate use upon receipt. As a vertically integrated company, Domet offers a cost-competitive option incorporating numerous manufacturing processes and can supply your products to the desired finished state. Allowing Domet to provide your turnkey components will streamline your purchasing and manufacturing processes.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Over the years, Domet has developed a select offering of high-quality commercial parts. Call 540-362-8500 for pricing and delivery information. Available parts include:
Pole Line Hardware — Galvanized Cast Iron
Distributing Rings — Nylon-Coated Cast Iron
Shot Blast Parts — Quality Replacement Parts for Most OEM Blast Machines