What Is the Average Lead Time for Metal Mold Casting?

Metal mold casting is used to create products across many industries, including but not limited to automotive, aerospace, energy, medical, and agriculture. With so many applications, it’s no wonder more than 90% of all manufactured goods are developed via this method. 

The metal mold casting process is influenced by size, shape, complexity, quantity required, surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and alloy requirements. However, manufacturers must consider another critical variable: lead time. Reducing this metric is key to getting your products out the door and into your clients’ hands faster and with fewer defects. 

Lead Time For Metal Mold Casting

Lead time refers to the period from when an order is placed to when that order is delivered. Manufacturers' metal casting lead time is crucial because it influences client satisfaction and product delivery. 

It can also reveal inefficiencies across production. For example, a long lead time can suggest bottlenecks in engineering, design, or even quality control departments. Having these insights helps manufacturers cut costs and provide higher quality products and services. 

Metal casting lead time can be affected by any of the characteristics we listed earlier: casting size, shape, complexity, quantity required, surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and alloy requirements.

Other factors that engineers or production managers consider when forecasting lead time are the following: the order's date, the job's queue, and plant capacity. Depending on the part's complexity, a metal mold casting can have a lead time between 3 to 18 weeks. This lead time includes tooling design and manufacturing, sample casting, and production.

Strategies to Decrease Metal Casting Lead Time

Good communication and exchange of information between manufacturers and their customers are critical to a successful operation. The more knowledge both parties have — including

capacity, scheduling, and product complexity — the smoother the delivery. 

A major tool at the engineering department’s disposal is simulation software, which allows users to build a scale model of a part using a three-dimensional CAD model. These tools can simulate almost any casting process and offer benefits for both manufacturers and their clients. 

Advantages of Simulation Software for Metal Mold Casting

Casting simulation software makes it easier to check and validate designs, helping engineers identify potential production problems, optimize design, and provide clients with more accurate quotes and lead time estimates. 

Another advantage is that casting simulation software allows engineers to make changes within a few hours on a casting simulation software and analyze the results in real-time. This expedites the casting mold process at a lower cost than making mistakes in the production process.

If your plant is looking for ways to decrease your lead time for metal mold casting projects and improve profitability and productivity, contact Transvalor USA and learn more about our high-performance simulation software.