About Investment Casting
After 5000 years of practice, you would certainly expect us to be pretty good at investment casting. In fact, we are. While the industry hasn’t substantially changed the nature of the process since King Tut was buried with a tomb-full of gold castings, the development of sophisticated pattern materials, refractory ceramics, and metal alloys has continuously kept this method in the forefront of metalworking technology.
HISTORY
Investment casting enjoyed mostly artistic application through the Renaissance period. It was as a convenient and reliable means for sculptors and builders to produce the complex shapes and fine detail required of their work. In the 19th century the lost wax process found its first engineered commercial application in the manufacture of dental crowns and inlays. World War II created a tremendous demand for intricate, net shaped castings made from newly developed alloys as the nation mobilized for war.
See the Investment Casting Process and FS Precision featured in this segment of How It’s Made
BENEFITS
Investment casting has quite impressively stood the test of time –of the Ages, really. It remains a valued tool in the arsenal of engineers in virtually every industry for several, very good reasons:
Complex Geometries: Investment casting can easily create intricate shapes, internal passages, and complex surface features to near net tolerances without the addition of costly secondary operations.
Integrated Design: Design engineers use the flexibility of the investment casting process to integrate part designs. Machined features and multiple welded components can be integrated into a single casting to eliminate the need for multiple components and complex assemblies. Elimination of weldments alone can increase the strength and service life of your products.
Reproduction of Detail: Graphics, surface textures, splines, teeth, and a variety of detailed surface features add form and function to your components. Net shape details are reproduced with exceptional accuracy.
Alloy Control & Flexibility: Processing your parts from the liquid state gives investment casting unique advantages. Modified alloy compositions are easily accommodated to engineer the mechanical and corrosion resistant properties of your products. Novel cooling methods can engineer grain size and orientation to tailor properties and increase fatigue life.