Timken has a fully integrated casting operation to produce precision aerospace aftermarket components at its Mesa, Ariz. facility.

The casting operation includes design, machining, heat treating, finishing and testing operations and uniquely positions Timken to produce precision parts under one roof. Timken relies on the casting process to manufacture turbine blades, vanes, nozzles and turbine engine hardware for the aerospace aftermarket.

"This strategic investment is another move to differentiate ourselves in how we bring value to customers," said Tony Smith, general manager of Timken's aerospace aftermarket solutions. "By drawing on Timken's metallurgical expertise, we have further strengthened our leadership position in a market where other suppliers have been constrained by the need to rely on limited external casting sources."

The operation employs investment casting, a process that is capable of producing near-net parts that need little, if any, final finishing. Investment casting uses an expendable wax pattern surrounded, or invested, by a ceramic shell. Removing the wax forms a mold with an extremely smooth surface and precise dimensional tolerance.

The Timken operation is staffed with managers and technicians who have many years of precision-casting experience.

"By bringing investment casting capability in-house, we attain better quality, and can participate more closely in the casting design process to optimize efficient manufacturing," said Pete Patriquin, production manager - castings at Mesa.

Because Timken no longer depends on third-party casting sources, the company has reduced production time by gaining total control over this critical raw material source. In addition, the size and technical breadth of the casting operation creates potential capacity to respond to future market growth and new product development.

The casting operation occupies 20,000 square feet, or nearly one-quarter of the 85,000-square-foot Mesa facility.