Key Steps

The Key Steps in Investment Casting

Step 1

The machined cavity of a mold is injected with wax under pressure. This produces a wax pattern in the shape if the finished part …

Step 2

Which will be used to manufacture a single casting. These wax patterns are then mounted on a runner and gate system.

Step 3

Which conducts the molten metal to the individual parts and acts as a reservoir for liquid metal shrinkage. These part clusters …

Step 4

Are repeatedly dipped in a ceramic slurry followed by a coating of sand, which builds up a shell that is dimensionally stable under the immense heat of molten metal. After curing …

Step 5

The ceramic shells are steam heated to remove all the wax. The hollow shells are then fired to harden them and to provide a hot mold for the pouring stage …

Step 6

Which takes place immediately. The hot mold guarantees that the metal stays liquid long enough to penetrate the finest detail …

Step 7

After cooling, the shell is removed and the castings arevcleaned. The parts are then sawn from the cluster and the gates ground off.

Step 8

Finally, the parts are subjected to: visual inspection, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle and x-ray inspections according to customer requirements.