[RightOnline]

"Unfortunately it seems that whatever savings in manufacturing this could translate into would probably be canceled out by the high cost of the raw material."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm don't be too sure 'bout that. If one considers the cost of "secondary handling" using current materials, you're talking about serious personnel / manpower costs. How long would it take to make up the difference between $15 and 50 cents per pound if one, two, or more people had to take the product made from cheaper materials and mill, grind, or otherwise "finish" it? At today's labor rates? That would take no time at all to eat up the "savings" in material costs, IOW. If one could cast a truly "finished" product from the get go..........what happens to those labor costs?

No, still sounds like a bargain to me.

[Jorge]

"Unfortunately it seems that whatever savings in manufacturing this could translate into would probably be canceled out by the high cost of the raw material."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm don't be too sure 'bout that. If one considers the cost of "secondary handling" using current materials, you're talking about serious personnel / manpower costs. How long would it take to make up the difference between $15 and 50 cents per pound if one, two, or more people had to take the product made from cheaper materials and mill, grind, or otherwise "finish" it? At today's labor rates? That would take no time at all to eat up the "savings" in material costs, IOW. If one could cast a truly "finished" product from the get go..........what happens to those labor costs?

Good point.
But the savings would depend on the complexity of the machining operation required...some are quite simple and with modern machining tools such as the CNC machine with programable milling capabilities, many jobs are pretty cost effective these days..especially when it comes to large orders.

Also, when it comes to casting a truly finished product we're talking about a higher quality mold, not the same sort used to produce unfinished items that require machining. This means cost of casting goes up.

Furthermore, when it comes to applications with tighter tolerance requirements such as motors, gears, and bearings...the fact that a material doesn't shrink when cooled is not going to solve the problem that a casting simply will not give you the precise polished surface finish needed for these parts.