The Flooring Expert

INVESTMENT CASTING PROCESS

In investment casting, a wax or suitable polymer pattern is coated by dipping into the refractory material slurry. Once the refractory material coating is hardened then this dipping process is repeated several times to increase the coating thickness and its strength. Once the final coating is hardened the wax is melted out and molten metal is poured into the cavity created by the wax pattern. Once the metal solidifies within the mould, metal casting is removed by breaking the refractory mould.

Investment casting produces precise components while minimizing material waste, energy, and subsequent machining. It can also ensure the production of very intricate parts. This makes the investment casting process quite useful to design engineers. 

Metal casting is a modern process with ancient roots. In the metal casting process, metal shapes are formed by pouring molten metal into a mold cavity, where it is cooled and later extracted from the mold. Metal casting is arguably the earliest and most influential industrial process in history. It used to make many of the metal objects used in our daily lives: automotive parts, train wheels, lamp posts, school bus pedals, and much more. Plus, metal casting foundries rely on metal recycling as a cost-efficient source of raw material, significantly reducing wasted scrap metal that might end up in landfills.

Below are the main advantages of the investment casting process:

Allows for the casting of highly complex, extremely accurate parts with good surface finish right out of the mold

Can cast very thin (~0.015 in) sections with incredibly low tolerances (~0.003 in)

Allows for the use of almost any metal capable of casting (aluminum, bronze, iron, etc.)

The investment casting process can be automated, generating a huge amount of parts quickly

The wax can be recovered and reused for many patterns

These upsides come at a significant price, so let examine the disadvantages of investment casting: