Dolphin

What Dolphin does

Dolphin, Inc. is a Phoenix, Arizona-based precision investment casting foundry that produces custom metal components using the lost-wax process with ceramic shell molds. Since its 1972 acquisition by Karsten Manufacturing Corp., the company has operated as a privately held, multi-generational family-run business serving aerospace (primary), sporting goods, railroad, and transportation manufacturers from a single 120,000-square-foot facility. Its core offering is built around a vertically integrated production stack that combines SolidWorks CAD design, ProJet MJP 3600W 3D-printed wax patterns, MPI APAS robotic wax assembly, automated shell-room dipping robotics, vacuum heat treating (NADCAP accredited with Merit Status), CNC machining and finishing, and in-house chemical and mechanical testing (including Hexagon CMM dimensional inspection and LEO CS744/GDS900 elemental analysis). The alloys catalog spans 300/400 series stainless steels, aluminum (A356/355/357), carbon and alloy steels, brass/bronze, precipitation-hardening stainless (15-5/17-4/17-7), and nickel-base alloys (Hastelloy C/B, Monel), with furnace capacity up to 7,500 lbs in steel and 750 lbs in aluminum.

Dolphin monetizes through custom, project-by-project quoting: customers submit part specifications, alloy requirements, testing needs, target prices, and annual volumes via an online quote form, and pricing is negotiated per part with multi-year contract cadence. GTM is direct B2B only, with no distribution partners, resellers, or marketplace channels, and the customer base is exclusively enterprise OEMs. The company holds AS9100D (2020), ISO 9001:2015, NADCAP Heat Treating (Merit, 2023), NADCAP Welding (2023), and PED (2014/68/EU) certifications, which collectively serve as the regulatory gatekeeper into aerospace and pressure-equipment programs.

Operationally, Dolphin markets itself on quality, on-time delivery, and single-source convenience (prototyping through finishing under one roof), supported by an average employee tenure of 10-15 years and a 47-year tenured employee. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; no funding rounds, M&A, or public-market events are reported, and operating scope is USA-only.

Name

Dolphin

Legal name

Dolphin, Inc.

Website

https://dolphincasting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dolphin, Inc. is a Phoenix-based NADCAP- and AS9100D-accredited precision investment casting foundry, owned by Karsten Manufacturing Corp., that produces custom lost-wax metal components for aerospace, sporting goods, railroad, and transportation OEMs from a 120,000-square-foot automated facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Precision Investment Casting Services: Core business providing precision investment casting (lost-wax casting) services to produce precise metal parts for customers across aerospace, sporting goods, railroad, and transportation industries. Revenue generated through custom part production orders with services including prototyping, casting, heat treatment, finishing, and testing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Dolphin, Inc. provides precision investment casting (lost-wax casting) services that use ceramic shell molds to form precise metal parts, with end-to-end capabilities covering rapid prototyping, casting, in-house heat treating, chemical and mechanical testing, and CNC machining. The company casts a broad alloy portfolio (stainless, aluminum, carbon and alloy steels, brass/bronze, precipitation hardening steels, nickel-base alloys) for industrial OEMs. All work is delivered from a single 120,000 sq ft NADCAP- and AS9100D-certified facility in Phoenix, Arizona, serving aerospace, sporting goods, railroad, and transportation manufacturers.

Product overview

Dolphin, Inc. is a precision investment casting company offering a single unified service platform centered on lost-wax (investment) casting manufacturing. The core product is precision investment casting services, supported by integrated value-add services including rapid prototyping (using SolidWorks CAD and ProJet 3D printers), vacuum heat treating (NADCAP accredited), chemical and mechanical testing, and CNC machining. The company casts a wide variety of metal alloys including stainless steels, aluminum, carbon steels, brass/bronze, precipitation hardening steels, and nickel-based alloys. All services are delivered through their 120,000 sq ft Phoenix, Arizona facility with NADCAP and ISO certifications serving aerospace, sporting goods, railroad, and transportation markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Investment Casting Services Precision investment casting (lost-wax casting) services using ceramic shell molds to produce precise metal parts for industrial customers across aerospace, sporting goods, railroad, and transportation.
• Rapid Prototyping Engineering service using SolidWorks CAD and two ProJet MJP 3600W 3D printers to develop wax patterns and near-net-shape prototypes, accelerating customers from concept to finished prototype.
• Vacuum Heat Treating NADCAP-accredited vacuum heat treating including aging, annealing, quenching, and thermo stress relieving for steel and aluminum alloys, with furnaces up to 7,500 lbs (steel) and 750 lbs (aluminum).
• Chemical and Mechanical Testing In-house non-destructive chemical and mechanical testing (CMM dimensional inspection, hardness, tensile, and environmental humidity testing) to validate cast parts without outside subcontracting.
• Machining CNC and semi-automated machining services used to finish investment cast parts to final specification.
• Investment Casting Alloys Casting-capable alloy offering spanning 300 and 400 Series Steels, aluminum alloys (A356, 355, 357), alloy and carbon steels, brass/bronze, precipitation hardening steels (15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, 17-7 PH), and nickel-base alloys (Hastalloy C, Hastalloy B, Monel).

Quantifiable outcome

• Low customer returns - company prides itself on doing the job right the first time

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Precision Castparts Corp. Precision Castparts (a Berkshire Hathaway company) is the dominant US precision investment caster serving aerospace, power, and industrial markets. It directly competes with Dolphin on complex aerospace investment castings but operates at vastly larger scale, multiple facilities, and broader alloy capability, serving as the benchmark incumbent.
• Howmet Aerospace: Howmet Aerospace is a major global supplier of investment castings, forged components, and fastener systems for aerospace and industrial markets. It overlaps directly with Dolphin on aerospace structural and engine investment castings, but operates at enterprise scale with much broader product breadth.
• Arconic: Arconic is a large-scale aluminum and aerospace components manufacturer with substantial investment casting capability serving commercial aerospace and defense. It is comparable to Dolphin on aerospace component manufacturing and aluminum alloy casting, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Doncasters Group: Doncasters is a UK-based precision investment casting specialist serving aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and defense end markets. It is highly comparable to Dolphin in core technology (lost-wax casting), target verticals (aerospace/industrial), and value proposition (complex certified castings), competing primarily outside Dolphin's US domestic market.
• Hitchiner Manufacturing: Hitchiner is a US-focused investment casting foundry serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial markets with countergravity and conventional lost-wax processes. It is one of the closest direct peers to Dolphin in terms of technology, customer verticals, and scale of operations.
• MetalTek International: MetalTek International is a US nonferrous and stainless investment casting foundry serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. It overlaps with Dolphin's alloy breadth (steel, nickel-base, bronze) and aerospace customer base, making it a strong comparable for US precision casting operations.
• Signicast (now part of CIREX): Signicast is a US precision investment casting foundry (now part of CIREX / Signicast Investment Castings) focused on rapid prototyping and high-mix production runs. It directly competes with Dolphin on quick-turn, smaller-batch aerospace and industrial castings.

Emerging players

• Wall Colmonoy: Wall Colmonoy is a US-based manufacturer of precision castings, coatings, and brazing alloys serving aerospace and industrial markets. It overlaps with Dolphin on aerospace-grade investment castings and alloy specialization, but is smaller and more specialized than Dolphin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dolphin-casting

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dolphin