Investment Casting

Investment casting (also known as lost wax investment casting or precision investment casting) produces parts with fine detail and excellent as-cast surface finish. Investment casting produces internal or external features, thin walls, and internal passageways to reach a near-net shape. These features often lead to cost savings in material, labor, and machining compared to other metal casting processes. As a result, investment casting is often ideal for aerospace, defense, energy, and food processing.

In investment casting, a detailed wax pattern of the finished part is created and mounted onto a wax "tree" that includes the metal delivery system (gates and risers). The entire assembly is repeatedly dipped into a ceramic slurry and coated with stucco material. This process is repeated until a thick, durable shell exists over the wax pattern.  

Once the shell has been allowed to dry, the wax pattern is melted away, leaving a cavity in the shell that is in the shape of the pattern. Molten metal is poured into this cavity. Once the metal solidifies, the shell is broken away through a shakeout process and the gating material is removed, leaving the finished part.