Investment Casting: Application & Benefits

The investment casting process, which is also referred to as lost-wax casting is a method of manufacturing that has been utilized for hundreds of years. The method involves pouring molten metal into a clay mold that is made with an actual wax model. The model created by the wax is removed, leaving an opening within the mold, which will be filled with melting metal. It is a flexible method that is able to produce complex and intricate designs with a high level of precision. In this article, we’ll look at the different ways to use investment casting in the modern manufacturing process.

What is Investment Casting?

The investment casting process, sometimes referred by the name of lost wax casting is a process for manufacturing that has been in use for many years. It involves making an exact wax model of the object that you wish to create and then coating it with ceramic and warming it up until the wax melts.

The result is a hollow ceramic mold that is precisely the shape of the desired object. The molten metal is then put into the mold and left to cool, then harden. When the metal is cool it is removed to reveal the final product. Investment casting is well-known for its ability to design complex shapes and intricate specifics, making it an ideal choice for making parts for many industries.

Investment Casting Process

The process of investment casting involves six steps principally:

Step 1. Wax Pattern Creation

A wax or plastic pattern is made with mold or printing technology.

Step 2. Assembling of Wax Patterns

The various wax patterns are glued together on the tree that will later be used to support in the clay shell.

Step 3. Investment material application

The tree’s wax is coated with a slurry of clay investment materials, then coated with fine sand and dried.

Step 4. Burnout

The coated tree is heated in an oven to melt the wax. This leaves a hole inside its ceramic outer shell.

Step 5. Casting

The ceramic shell is filled with molten metal that solidifies into the final component.

Step 6: Removing investment and finishing

This is when the ceramic’s shell gets cut off, and the remaining piece is cleaned, finished and ready to be used.

Investment Casting Materials

Investment casting can be utilized to make a range of substances, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, superalloys, as well as ceramics. The most frequently used investment casting materials are aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and cobalt-chromium.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Investment Casting

Advantages

» Versatility: Investment casting can create complex and intricate forms that would be impossible or difficult to make by other methods.

» Accuracy: Investment casting makes parts with precise tolerances and excellent finish and is a top choice for applications that require high precision.

» Economical: Investment casting could be more affordable than other manufacturing techniques in the case of small amounts of components.

» Variety of materials Investment casting is utilized to make parts made of many different materials, such as steel, aluminum and titanium.

» Reduced need for machining: It is a method of producing pieces with a close net shape, thus reducing the need for costly machinery.

Disadvantages

» High tooling cost: Investment casting involves the creation of a wax design and a ceramic shell mold which is costly and labor-intensive.

» Limited part size: Investment casting is usually employed to create small – to medium-sized components that are not suitable for larger components.

» Long lead times: The process of investment casting is time-consuming and lead times can range in length from weeks up to several months.

» Limited Production volume: Investment casting is the best suited to produce small to medium quantities of parts. This makes it less efficient for large production runs.

» Limited design changes: Once the mold of the ceramic shell is made, it can’t be altered easily, which makes changes to design costly and difficult.

Application of investment casting

The most common uses of investment casting are:

» Aerospace: components Investment casting is extensively employed to create intricate and crucial parts for aircraft engines, as well as various other applications in aerospace. These components comprise turbine blades and vanes and shrouds, as well as structural and load-bearing components.

» Medical devices: Investment casting is used to make various medical devices that can be implanted, like artificial joints, dental fixtures as well as surgical tools.

» Automotive components: Investment casting is utilized to make a variety of automotive parts, such as components for engines, transmission components, and suspension parts.

» Jewelry making: Investment casting can be described as a favored technique employed in jewelry making that produces delicate and intricate pieces that are made with high-quality and precise specifics.

Investment casting is a versatile variety of applications in a variety of industries which makes it a preferred option for manufacturing sophisticated and high-quality metal components.

Conclusion

It is a flexible and precise casting technique that provides a variety of advantages to various industries, such as automotive, aerospace, and medical. The ability to produce complex forms and intricate parts with high precision and repeatability makes it the preferred choice for manufacturers that need consistency in quality and performance. But, like any manufacturing procedure, there are certain limitations and issues to be considered. In the end, investment casting is an effective and popular casting technique that helps companies achieve their goals in production and meet the requirements of the current competitive market.

Other Links:

»

»