The bottom line in cost estimating is to know what the casting needs to do. From there, it can be determined which features are necessary and which ones can be eliminated. Several aspects of the metalcasting process, such as labor costs and raw material costs cannot be controlled. This means that more consideration needs to be given to design facors that affect casting price.

“An important concern is to determine the design parameters of the component,” Weinbender said. “For example, if the casting is a bracket that is not highly visible, or if it is a part of an assembly, then surface finish may not be a big deal. Fully understanding the functionality of the part is critical. You need to ask, ‘what is the component supposed to do?’”

Beyond knowing the requirements of the casting, it is important to objectively assess your expectations. What are you willing to pay for surface finish, tight dimensional tolerances and time to market?

“If you are just going to focus on the bottom line price, you get what you pay for,” Weinbender said. “If you have a knowledgeable metalcasting facility that has technology, there is a cost that comes with that. If the metalcaster comes in on the ground floor and helps design the component to come up with the most cost-effective part, you may end up paying slightly more, but that may have saved you untold dollars in the long run and possibly shortened your time to market.” MetalcastingDesign.com