Investment Casting: A Solution to Aerospace and Defense Backlogs
Aerospace and defense manufacturers face a critical challenge: castings and forgings are consistently flagged as the supply chain’s bottleneck. Aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars can be delayed or grounded because a single component hasn’t arrived. Over the last two years, industry leaders have repeatedly cited castings and forgings as “my No. 1 problem,” highlighting the urgent need for solutions that reduce lead times and improve reliability.
Investment casting, combined with additive manufacturing and vertically integrated processes, is emerging as a powerful tool to address these backlogs—delivering high-quality components faster, more efficiently, and with greater flexibility.
From Months to Weeks: Speeding up the Casting Process
For years, aerospace and defense professionals have operated under a misconception: casting is inherently slow. Lead times stretch for months, bottlenecks appear at every step, and aircraft or military equipment can be delayed waiting for critical parts. The reality is different. With modern technology, vertically integrated processes, and strategic investment, casting is fast, precise, and reliable—delivering components in weeks, not months.
3D Printing Patterns and Molds: Speed Without Sacrificing Quality
Traditional casting delays are often caused by the time it takes to produce patterns and molds—not the casting process itself. While utilizing molds and patterns is a proven, reliable method to manufacture precision castings in an affordable manner, companies can now leverage 3D printing for patterns to reduce lead times, while maintaining aerospace-level precision.
The next evolution in additive manufacturing—3D-printed casting molds—promises to compress timelines even further. Collaborative projects, such as those led by America Makes, are helping the aerospace and defense industry implement this technology, enabling manufacturers to respond more quickly to changing production schedules and urgent demands.
Battlefield 3D Printing: Tactical, Not Strategic
The military has begun experimenting with 3D printing for urgent repairs, such as printing tank parts on-site. While effective for tactical needs, these printed parts are not a long-term solution. Material consistency, fatigue strength, and certification requirements limit their use in sustained aerospace and defense applications.
Investment casting, combined with additive technologies and vertical integration, provides speed, precision, and long-term reliability—the qualities that operational and production programs demand.
Vertical Integration: Speed Beyond 3D Printing
Speed doesn’t stop at patterns and molds. Barron Industries’ vertically integrated process dramatically reduces lead times by consolidating every step under one roof:
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Patterns, tooling, and parts are optimized before production even begins.
- CNC Machining: Precise machining in-house eliminates back-and-forth with external suppliers.
- Assembly: Components are assembled and tested internally, ensuring quality and efficiency.
- NADCAP-Approved Non-Destructive Testing (NDT): Rigorous inspection confirms part integrity without causing delays.
This integration means parts flow smoothly from design to finished assembly, reducing handoffs, eliminating unnecessary wait times, and allowing for rapid, reliable delivery—even on complex aerospace and defense components.
Addressing Supply Chain Challenges with Investment and Innovation
A recent BCG article, Fixing Aerospace’s Supply Chain for Casting and Forging, identifies root causes for the backlogs, including raw material shortages, machining bottlenecks, and limited foundry capacity.
Despite growing demand, many suppliers have hesitated to expand due to past boom-and-bust cycles, like the post-pandemic slowdown and 737 Max production halt. Many suppliers now prioritize high-volume, profitable work, leaving critical programs waiting.
But Barron Industries is bucking this trend. Our new 20,000-square-foot Aerospace and Defense Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center will increase capacity for castings, and our vertically integrated process allows us to control the entire flow—from design to final assembly and inspection—ensuring faster, more predictable delivery schedules.
Casting Can Be Fast
Casting is not inherently slow. It only appears slow when processes are fragmented, capacity is limited, or outdated methods are used. By integrating 3D printing, design optimization, CNC machining, assembly, and NADCAP-approved testing, aerospace and defense manufacturers can achieve fast, precise, and reliable production.
While battlefield 3D printing demonstrates rapid tactical solutions, vertically integrated manufacturing ensures strategic, long-term reliability for the most critical programs.
The myth that casting is slow is just that—a myth. Barron Industries is leading the charge to show the industry what’s possible: faster lead times, increased capacity, and advanced technology solutions that keep aircraft flying, military programs on schedule, and supply chains strong.
Conclusion
Barron Industries’ investment casting process is a proven solution for reducing aerospace and defense supply chain backlogs. When paired with modern technologies like 3D printing and a vertically integrated approach, it delivers components faster, with precision, and with reliable quality.
Rather than relying on short-term fixes, investment casting allows the industry to clear backlogs, accelerate production schedules, and keep aircraft and defense programs on track. In an era where lead times matter more than ever, investment casting is not just a manufacturing method—it’s a strategic advantage.
The casting and forging supply chain has long been a bottleneck for aerospace and defense. Barron Industries is taking proactive steps to fix it, leveraging technology, investing in infrastructure, and collaborating with industry partners. By reducing lead times from months to weeks and expanding capacity, we’re helping OEMs and Tier 1 contractors deliver on time, maintain quality, and keep aerospace and defense programs moving forward.
At Barron, we don’t just respond to the industry’s challenges—we anticipate them, innovate solutions, and deliver results that matter.
CONTACT US TO LEARN HOW BARRON CAN SOLVE YOUR CASTINGS AND FORGINGS BACKLOG PROBLEMS.