Protocast JLC
Protocast JLC is a privately held, veteran-owned precision investment casting foundry and CNC machine shop in Chatsworth, California, founded in 1966. It produces lost wax castings across ferrous and non-ferrous alloys for aerospace, defense, medical, communications, and industrial customers requiring AS9100D- and ITAR-qualified suppliers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersChatsworth, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Protocast JLC does
Protocast JLC (legal entity Protocast, John List Corporation) is a privately held, veteran-owned precision investment casting manufacturer founded in 1966 and based at a single facility in Chatsworth, California. The company produces complex metal components using the lost wax investment casting process across a broad alloy portfolio — austenitic, martensitic, and precipitation-hardened stainless steels; aluminum alloys (A356, A357, A201, A206, A355, A357, 712); bronze (Silicon Bronze 872, Aluminum Bronze 955); nickel-based superalloys (Hastelloy X, Inconel 625); carbon, tool, and other steels. It complements in-house casting with a fully equipped CNC machine shop for secondary machining and sub-assembly, and routes finishing work through a curated network of NADCAP-certified finishing houses to deliver ready-to-assemble parts.
Its customer base spans five regulated verticals — aerospace, defense, medical, communications, and commercial — with serviceable use cases spanning aircraft components, satellite communications hardware (notably thin wall castings under 0.020 inches), defense systems, medical devices, and industrial equipment for mining, oil and gas, and energy. The company is qualified for these markets via AS9100D (recertified June 2024), ISO 9001:2015, ITAR registration with the U.S. Department of State, SAM registration, and USFCR Verified Vendor status.
The business model is quote-based B2B project work: customers initiate engagement via a dedicated sales contact (John, extension 102) at [email protected], pricing is determined per project by alloy, complexity, tolerance, volume, and finishing requirements, and revenue is generated through one-time project contracts for casting, CNC machining, rapid prototyping, and turnkey assembly bundles. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise field sales with no marketplace, reseller, or e-commerce channel; digital presence is limited to organic social (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter). No public revenue, headcount, or ownership detail beyond family/employee contact information is disclosed.
Protocast JLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Protocast JLC
- Legal name
- Protocast, John List Corporation
- Website
- https://protocastjlc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Protocast JLC is a privately held, veteran-owned precision investment casting foundry and CNC machine shop in Chatsworth, California, founded in 1966. It produces lost wax castings across ferrous and non-ferrous alloys for aerospace, defense, medical, communications, and industrial customers requiring AS9100D- and ITAR-qualified suppliers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Protocast JLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Metal Castings Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Steel Investment Foundries (331512), Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting) (331524), Other Nonferrous Metal Foundries (except Die-Casting) (331529)
- SIC
- Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360), Iron & Steel Foundries (3320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aluminum Casting & Ingot/Billet/Slab Production (IMAKACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms) (IMAKABAD)
Keywords
Where Protocast JLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chatsworth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Protocast JLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Precision Investment Casting Services: Core revenue stream from producing precision investment castings using lost wax process. Serves aerospace, medical, communications, defense and commercial markets with ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, nickel-based, and tool steels.
- CNC Machining Services: Secondary machining and fully machined parts from bar stock, providing turnkey solutions from casting through finished components.
- Rapid Prototyping: Fast-turn prototype casting services producing rapid metal prototypes in as little as five working days, supporting new product development cycles.
- Assembly Services: Sub-assembly capabilities and finishing services working with NADCAP certified finishing houses to deliver fully finished castings ready for assembly.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Protocast JLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Protocast JLC manufactures precision investment castings (lost wax process) in a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, nickel-based alloys, and tool steels. The company complements its foundry with a full-service CNC machine shop providing secondary machining, sub-assembly, and turnkey finished components for aerospace, medical, communications, defense, and commercial markets.
Product overview
Protocast JLC offers precision investment casting (lost wax precision casting) as its core manufacturing capability, complemented by in-house CNC machining services and assembly. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio including stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, and nickel-based alloy castings, along with specialized thin wall casting and rapid prototyping services. Turnkey Solutions combine investment casting with CNC machining and NADCAP-certified finishing for fully finished, ready-for-assembly components. Founded in 1966, the veteran-owned company serves aerospace, medical, communications, defense, and commercial markets from Chatsworth, California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Precision Investment Casting Precision investment casting (lost wax casting) services producing complex metal components with high dimensional accuracy for aerospace, medical, communications, defense, and commercial markets.
- CNC Machining Services and Assembly Full-service CNC machine shop providing secondary machining, fully machined parts from bar stock, and sub-assembly services.
- Rapid Prototyping Rapid prototype investment castings produced from CAD data in as little as five working days, with no need for permanent tooling.
- Thin Wall Investment Casting Thin wall investment casting capabilities achieving wall thicknesses below 0.020 inches for aerospace, defense, and satcom industries.
- Turnkey Solutions End-to-end manufacturing solutions combining investment casting, CNC machining, NADCAP certified finishing, and sub-assembly capabilities.
- Stainless Steel Investment Casting Investment casting of austenitic, martensitic, and precipitation-hardened stainless steel alloys including 303, 304, 316, 410, 416, 440C, 15-5PH, and 17-4PH.
- Aluminum Investment Casting Investment casting of aluminum alloys including A201, A206, A355, A356, A357, and 712, featuring lightweight components with good mechanical properties.
- Bronze Investment Casting Investment casting of bronze alloys including Silicon Bronze (872) and Aluminum Bronze (955) for marine, aerospace, defense, and energy applications.
- Nickel-Based Alloy Investment Casting Investment casting of nickel-based superalloys including Hastelloy X and Inconel 625 for high temperature and corrosion resistance applications.
Companies that use Protocast JLC
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Protocast JLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Protocast JLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NADCAP Certified Finishing HousessupportingProtocast JLC works with an extensive group of NADCAP certified finishing houses to deliver fully machined and finished castings to customers ready for assembly. These are approved suppliers that provide heat treatment, plating, and other finishing services to aerospace quality standards.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Protocast JLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Signicast (Form Technologies): One of the largest investment casting foundries in North America, producing precision ferrous and non-ferrous castings for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Protocast JLC in process technology, alloy breadth, and regulated end-markets, though at meaningfully larger scale.
- Aero Metals: US-based precision investment casting and CNC machining supplier serving aerospace, defense, and commercial customers. Closely comparable to Protocast JLC on combined casting + machining service model and regulated customer base, at similar small-to-mid scale.
- MetalTek International: US-headquartered precision metal casting group offering sand, investment, centrifugal, and continuous-spun castings across a broad alloy portfolio. Closely comparable to Protocast JLC on process mix and customer segments (aerospace, defense, industrial), with deeper secondary machining capability.
- Selee Corporation: US-based manufacturer of investment castings and ceramic foam filters serving aluminum, aerospace, and industrial markets. Directly comparable to Protocast JLC in investment casting process and aerospace/defense customer overlap, though with a stronger ceramic-filters product line.
- CPP Industries: US investment casting and pattern shop producing ferrous and non-ferrous castings for aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Protocast JLC on process (lost wax investment casting), alloy breadth, and target end-markets.
- Standex International (Wescast / Standex Foundry Group): Diversified industrial group whose casting division produces iron, steel, and non-ferrous castings for transportation, industrial, and HVAC markets. Comparable to Protocast JLC in custom foundry operations and CNC machining integration, with stronger automotive customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Precision Castparts Corp. Berkshire Hathaway-owned, vertically integrated aerospace castings and components conglomerate (nickel, steel, titanium investment castings plus forged and machined parts). Overlaps with Protocast JLC on investment casting and aerospace/defense customer base, but at vastly larger scale and with proprietary alloys.
- Howmet Aerospace: Major aerospace castings and engineered structures supplier (formerly Arconic's engineered products and Alcoa Power and Propulsion). Competes with Protocast JLC in aerospace investment castings and titanium/aluminum structural castings, but at significantly larger scale and with proprietary superalloy IP.
- Arconic: Large aluminum sheet, plate, and extrusion supplier serving aerospace, automotive, and packaging. Adjacent to Protocast JLC on aerospace aluminum applications but operates upstream in flat-rolled and extruded products rather than custom investment castings.
Regional players
- Impro Precision Industries: Hong Kong/China-headquartered precision investment caster serving aerospace, medical, and industrial customers globally. Comparable in process (investment casting) and end-markets to Protocast JLC, but competes primarily from a lower-cost manufacturing footprint outside North America.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Protocast JLC social profiles
Digital presenceProtocast JLC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Protocast JLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Protocast JLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Protocast JLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Protocast JLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Protocast JLC
What does Protocast JLC do?
Protocast JLC manufactures precision investment castings (lost wax process) in a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, nickel-based alloys, and tool steels. The company complements its foundry with a full-service CNC machine shop providing secondary machining, sub-assembly, and turnkey finished components for aerospace, medical, communications, defense, and commercial markets.
Is Protocast JLC a public or private company?
Protocast JLC is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Protocast JLC founded?
Protocast JLC was founded in 1966. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Protocast JLC based?
Protocast JLC is headquartered in Chatsworth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Protocast JLC make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Precision Investment Casting Services are the primary driver. The others are CNC Machining Services, rapid Prototyping and assembly Services.
Who are Protocast JLC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Signicast (Form Technologies), Aero Metals, MetalTek International, Selee Corporation, CPP Industries and Standex International (Wescast / Standex Foundry Group). Broad incumbents are Precision Castparts Corp., Howmet Aerospace and Arconic. Impro Precision Industries is listed as a regional player.
Does Protocast JLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Protocast JLC.
What industry is Protocast JLC in?
Protocast JLC's product category is Precision Metal Castings Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKACAE, Aluminum Casting & Ingot/Billet/Slab Production, with a secondary code of IMAKABAD, Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms). Its NAICS code is 331512 and its SIC code is 3360.