About Investment Casting Process

Also known as lost wax casting, Investment Casting is widely used for producing ferrous and non ferrous metal parts. As compared to other casting processes, investment casting produces parts with excellent surface finish and dimensional accuracy. It is one of the oldest manufacturing processes where molten metal is poured into a ceramic mold. The mold is formed using a wax pattern and it melts out of the mold as soon as it is formed. Discussed below is more on the applications and manufacturing process of investment castings:

Applications

Investment casting can use almost all metals including aluminum alloys, bronze alloys, cast iron, stainless steel and magnesium alloys. This process is extremely beneficial for casting metals with high melting temperatures which cannot be molded in plaster or metal. Parts which are commonly made using investment casting are those which have complex geometry such as turbine blades and firearm components. This process is widely used to make components which are used in aerospace, material handling, pumps and valves.

Investment Casting Process

This process requires the use of a metal die, wax, ceramic slurry, furnace, molten metal and machines which are needed for sandblasting, cutting or grinding. The process steps include:

• Pattern creation: The wax patterns are injection molded into a metal die which forms as one piece. All these patterns are attached to the central wax gating system to form a tree like assembly. It is the gating system which forms a channel through which the molten metal flows into the mold cavity.
• Mold creation: The pattern tree which is formed in the first step is dipped into slurry of fine particles and dried to form a ceramic shell to ensure that it can withstand the molten metal.
• Pouring: The mold is preheated in a furnace and poured into the gating system of the mold.
• Cooling: After the mold is filled, the molten metal is allowed to cool and harden into the shape of the metal casting.
• Casting removal: Once the molten metal has cooled, the mold is broken and the casting is removed. The parts are separated from the gating system by sawing or cold breaking.

Initially, bee wax was used to form the desired pattern which was covered with clay. Coal was used to melt the metal which was later used to shape idols, jewelry and art. With the advancement of technology, wax, pattern designs and melting equipment have come up which are directly used for manufacturing investment castings. Superior quality Investment Castings can be sourced from reliable Investment Casting Manufacturers and Suppliers.

Trident Steels is a manufacturers and suppliers in India offers Stainless Steel Investment Casting, Nickel Silver Casting,Gun Metal Investment Casting,Aluminium Bronze Casting etc