Investment Casting Jobs Are Available in NH 

At Hitchiner Manufacturing, we create parts for a wide range of companies and industries using investment casting. We use a unique, patented counter-gravity casting technology, but investment casting itself is an old technology that is used around the world to create metal shapes ranging from jewelry to parts for spacecraft . There are hundreds of companies in nearly every state that use investment castings, and that means plenty of jobs for people looking to get into the manufacturing industry.

How To Get Into Investment Casting

There are jobs at every level in manufacturing plants, from entry-level to CEO, for those with an engineering degree. Regardless of the industry, whether making parts for automobiles or airplanes, engineers are in high demand. For those who do not have an engineering degree but are interested in a manufacturing job, investment casting is a significant employer of non-degreed skilled labor. We should know. Hitchiner is regularly looking to hire both engineers and skilled laborers.

If you're looking for a way into the industry, the Investment Casting Institute is a resource for learning more about opportunities in this fast-growing industry. The Investment Casting Institute's mission is to support the sector, encourage entry into the profession and help find qualified workers for positions around the United States. It's website, www.investmentcasting.org, is a place to connect with the group's 245 members to be considered for internships and permanent job openings. The institute also offers students who have completed an internship through the organization, opportunities for scholarships, networking at various events, and recognition each year in INCAST Magazine, the world’s only monthly magazine dedicated to the industry. For non-students looking to get their careers off the ground, the institute offers training and a certification program, as well as publications to learn more.

How Investment Casting Works

Sometimes called precision investment casting or lost wax casting, investment casting is a multi-step method of manufacturing parts by pouring molten metal into a hollow mold shell. But before you get to that step, a wax replica, or pattern, of the part is created by injecting hot wax into a die. Next, a shell is created by an “investment” of ceramic materials built around a wax model. The patterns are attached to a central wax stick, called a sprue, to form what is known as an assembly or a casting cluster. Next, a shell is built around the wax patterns by immersing the assembly in a liquid ceramic slurry and then into a bed of extremely fine sand. 

At Hitchiner, we use specialized robots during this step to build the shell for a consistent build. This also allows for larger molds than could be produced by manual methods. Once the ceramic is dry, the wax is melted out, creating a negative space within the shell similar to a mold. Molten metal is then poured into the shell. At Hitchiner, we use our exclusive Countergravity Casting processes. Instead of pouring in the metal, molten metal is carefully drawn into the mold cavity, resulting in superior quality products. Once the metal begins to solidify, the vacuum is released, and the ceramic is then broken away to leave the metal part. 

Investment Casting: A Good Investment in Your Future

If you're still not convinced that investment casting is a great career path, consider this: investment casting manufacturing is a $12 billion industry. Nearly half of the world's production happens right here in the United States. The kind of companies you can work for range multi-national corporations, to family-owned manufacturing plants like Hitchiner Manufacturing.

To learn more about jobs at Hitchiner Manufacturing, go to our Careers page, and to gain additional information about investment casting view the Investment Casting Institutes website, www.investmentcasting.org.