Investment casting

Report By Group 3
 Investment
Investment Casting
Casting
One of the most oldest manufacturing
process in which molten metal is poured
into expendable ceramic mold.

"Investment" comes from a

less familiar definition of
"invest" - “to cover completely,"
which refers to coating
of refractory material around
wax pattern.
 Also referred to as “Lost-
wax process”, because of
melting The wax pattern
after it has formed.
 It is a precision casting
process - capable of
producing castings of high
accuracy and intricate
detail.
1. Pattern Creation
Wax patterns
The
The Process
Process
are produced by
metal die and are
attached to a
sprue to form a
pattern tree.
 2. Mold
Creation
The pattern tree is dipped into
slurry of fine particles. This
process is repeated until the shell
is thick enough to withstand the
molten metal.
3. Pouring
The shell is placed into an
oven to melt the wax
leaving a hollow ceramic
shell and the molten
metal is poured from a
ladle into the gating
system of the mold, filling
the mold cavity.
 4. Cooling
After the mold has been
filled, the molten metal is
allowed to cool and solidify
into the shape of the final
casting.
5. Casting Removal
After the molten metal has
cooled, the mold can be
broken and the casting
removed.
The ceramic mold is
typically broken using
water jets, but several
other method exist.
6. Finishing
 Often times, finishing
operations such as grinding
or sand blasting are used to
smooth the part at the gates.
 Heat treatment is also
sometimes used to harden
the final part.
 Advantages:
Advantages:
 Can form complex shapes
 Many material options
 High Strength Parts
 Excellent Surface finish
 No flash or parting lines
 Disadvantages:
Disadvantages:
 Time-consuming Process
 High Tooling cost
 High Labor cost
 Long lead time possible
 Applications:
Applications:
 Aerospace Industries
 Military Applications
 Medical Applications
 Others – Jewelries, Hand
tools, pipe fittings
Thank You!