Investment casting is a mechanical engineering manufacturing method, also known as lost-wax casting, in which a wax pattern of the desired part is coated with a ceramic shell, then heated to melt out the wax and leave a hollow mold cavity, into which molten metal is poured to form the finished part once the ceramic shell is broken away. The process, one of the oldest metal-forming techniques known, can reproduce fine detail and complex geometry with a smooth surface finish and tight dimensional tolerances, which is why modern investment casting is used to manufacture intricate components such as turbine blades, surgical instruments and firearm parts that would be difficult or costly to machine from solid stock.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin YearWikipedia dates modern industrial use to the late 19th century with a described dental process of 1897; the underlying lost-wax technique is about 5,000 years old. Core PrincipleAn industrial process based on lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques 1 Connections
Associated With
Bronze, Materials Lost-wax investment casting is an ancient way of casting bronze.
Inconel, Materials Inconel turbine blades are commonly made by investment casting.
Sources
1. Investment casting, Wikipedia
Introduction
Investment casting is an industrial process based on lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques.
History
Investment casting came into use as a modern industrial process in the late 19th century, when dentists began using it to make crowns and inlays, as described by Barnabas Frederick Philbrook of Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1897.
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