General Aluminum has many manufacturing processes and capabilities to meet our customer's requirements. They include the following: Sand Casting The Sand Casting process is the simplest and most versatile of all aluminum casting processes. Semi-Permanent Mold The Semi-Permanent Mold process requires metal dies as well as sand cores to create internal cavities for fluid flow or specific internal designs. Permanent Mold The Permanent Mold process is typically the most economical of the casting processes because molds are usually made from high-alloy iron or steel, and can be expected to produce large volume of castings. Die-Casting The Die-Casting process is a repetitive operation wherein identical parts are cast at maximum production rates. Lost Foam The Lost Foam process uses polystyrene patterns that are built into clusters of one to several patterns per cluster dependent on pattern and flask size. Machining Direct and distributed numerical control capability. Rapid prototype capability Centralized, fully-automated internal heat treat facilities Air leak detection system Advanced in-process inspection equipment