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Investment Casting (or) Lost Wax Method

Investment Casting (or) Lost Wax Method

The investment casting is a wax duplicate of the desired casting created to be invested into a “Ceramic Slurry”.

The slurry-covered investment can be dipped into alternating coatings of sand and slurry until a suitable thickness of the shell is achieved that can hold the molten metal after the investment is burnt out.

The “Burn-Out” process requires that the investment and coating are inverted in an oven that is fired to 1800F so that the investment can flow out and be recovered. The refractory coating is also cured in this procedure.

This process is beneficial for casting metals with high melting temperatures that cannot be moulded in plaster or metal.

Parts that are typically made by investment casting include those with complex geometry, such as turbine blades or firearm components. High-temperature applications are also common, which include parts for the automotive, aircraft, and military industries.

Principle of Investment Casting Process
The method is also called as precision investment casting. The method involves the use of an expendable Pattern with a shell of refractory material surrounded to form a casting mould. Since the pattern made up of wax is melted out and gets destroyed. That is why the name—”Lost wax method”.

Process parameters of Investment casting
Process principle
The refractory slurry is formed around a wax or plastic pattern and allowed to harden. The pattern is then melted and cut under the mould is baked. The molten metal into the mould and solidifies.

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