Although characteristics such as part complexity and size enter the picture, activity (or annual usage) basically defines the niche of each of the predominant casting processes. In other words, different processes are economically suitable for different jobs when the tradeoff between fixed cost (tooling) and variable cost (piece) is examined.

Sand casting involves temporary sand molds that are made from metal or wood patterns. Therefore, although up-front investment for tooling is low, piece prices can be considerably higher than Permold. The same can be said of investment casting (lost wax), which is only economical in very low quantity, prototype-natured work.

In pressure die-casting, the metal is "sprayed" into the mold under extremely high pressures. This leads to a lower cycle time and piece price, but the tooling cost ranges from 5 to 10 times the cost of Permold.

Thus, Permold's niche is a "middle-of-the-road" in terms of tooling and piece price. The range where Permold is often economically justifiable is between 1,000-100,000 pcs. annual usage. This range lends itself to most product life cycles as it allows for flexible quantities and the ability to ramp-up production without overwhelming fixed investment.

Our Permold process is similar to pressure-die casting with the exception that our metal is gravity poured into a mold as opposed to pressure injected. This fundamental difference is why our castings are superior in so many different ways.

  • denser casting
    Our unique GraviPour System reduces metal turbulence dramatically and therefore virtually eliminates pin-hole porosity commonly found in pressure-die casting. Moreover, even machined surfaces are pressure tight.

  • more flexible tooling
    Our tooling is much easier and more inexpensive to change down the road when compared to pressure-die casting. In fact, design changes to high-production dies can often cost as much a brand new Permold tool.
  • no "skin-effect"
    Permold castings posses consistent mechanical and physical properties throughout the cross-section. Large bulky castings are actually our cup of tea.  Thick and thin wall thicknesses, albeit challenging, are also much more castable.

  • fully machinable
    Need a tight dimension that just can't be cast? No problem. Our castings are fully machinable, and don't have characteristic micro-porosity found in some die-castings. Also, surfaces can be machined to mirror finishes. Try our full-scale in-house CNC Machining Division for all of your machining needs.

  • fully weldable
    Our castings are easily welded into assembly with excellent weld strength. Our castings are commonly welded with extruded aluminum tubing to make high-strength structural units. Most notably, our castings are welded into high-performance aluminum mountain-bike frames.

  • shorter lead-times
    Shorter tooling lead-times gets your product to market faster. Shorter production lead-times reduces your excess inventory.

  • short runs
         Stop paying set-up charges and short-run fees. Get lotsizes as low as 250 pcs. without surcharges.

  • better ductility
    Our Permold castings have better impact resistance and won't shatter. This is also known as "Louisville Slugger" resistant.
  • no blistering or distortion
    Absolutely no casting blistering or distortion, even at near melting temperatures.

  • no burrs or flash
    All of our castings are hand-trimmed; never by trim press which inevitably leaves burrs and flash as it wears. Thus, our process is perfect for handles or other applications where hands-on contact requires safety.

  • molded inserts
    Any metallic or ceramic piece can be cast-in. Save cost over pressing inserts. Get stronger threads by casting threaded steel, brass, or stainless steel bushings and eliminate drilling and tapping. Reduce weight by casting a steel insert in high stress areas while keeping the bulk of material in lightweight aluminum. Please consult Gupta engineering for more information on molded inserts.

  • powder coat ready
    Our castings easily take powder-coating for a beautiful finish. Pressure-die casting often causes blistering of the powder coat during the heating cycle due to trapped gas.

Our Permold process uses a mold made out of continuous-cast iron for ultimate durability and performance. Our castings will never have crumbled sand or other defects commonly found in sand foundry. This fundamental difference is why our castings are superior in so many different ways.

  • tighter dimensional control
    Permold boasts closer casting tolerances on several design fronts. Refer to our Quick Design Guide for details.

  • less machining
    Machining is not cheap. And more often than not, sand castings will require more secondary operations like machining to get you to final net shape. However, through Permold's tighter dimensional control, costly operations like facing, milling, and lathe-work can often be eliminated. Try our molded inserts to say goodbye to the headaches of drilling and tapping holes. However, sometimes machining can't be escaped, so why not get it done at our Machining Division?

  • superior mechanical properties
    Aluminum chills much faster when it comes in contact with iron or steel than with sand. Therefore, Permold leads to a casting with a much finer grain structure which directly translates into higher strength. In fact, comparing alloy to alloy, Permold castings will be approximately 10% stronger than their sand counterparts.

  • finer surface finish
    Besides the obvious problem of sand crumbling, hardened sand has a much coarser texture than that of smooth steel. This fact accompanied with Gupta Permold's advanced coating technology leads to a casting with a much finer surface finish. In fact, our customers often use our as-cast surface for O-ring grooves. In any case, if our fantastic surface finish still doesn't meet your requirements, there's always our in-house Finishing Center.

  • true reproducibility
    Since our process uses a non-destructible mold made of continuous-cast iron, all castings are forced to be consistent with each other. Therefore, dimensional variance during production runs is never an issue.

  • molded inserts
    Any metallic or ceramic piece can be cast-in. Save cost over pressing inserts. Get stronger threads by casting threaded steel, brass, or stainless steel bushings and eliminate drilling and tapping. Reduce weight by casting a steel insert in high stress areas while keeping the bulk of material in lightweight aluminum. Please consult Gupta engineering for more information on molded inserts.

  • powder coat ready
    Our castings easily take the powder coating process for a beautiful finish. Sand casting often causes blistering of the powder coat during the heating cycle due to trapped gas. In fact, our SilkFinish is ideal for a pre-powder coat or a pre-paint finish.