The investment casting process hasn’t changed a whole lot from the lost wax casting process that was developed over 4000 years ago. The change has occurred in the use of high technology waxes instead of bees wax, and the types of metals that can be cast.

While the process was originally used mainly for jewelry and artwork, today’s refractory materials and specialty alloys allow for the production of net shape components that require little to no post-production processing. The components that are produced can also be more complex and consist of complicated contours.

Lost wax casting, or investment casting is the main process used to create many of the components for several markets that require both precision and high quality, including:

Aerospace

Aviation

Automotive

Commercial

Medical/Dental

Military

The features that make the investment casting process so vital:

Small component high production rates

Greatly accurate and consistent dimensional design

Castings containing unequaled integrity

Excellent finish

Ability to cast extremely intricate shapes

Short runs are just as easy to do as are long production runs

Post-production machining is very seldom necessary

A variety of alloys can be cast

Since World War II, when precision casting rose to manufacturing prominence because of its ability to produce near net shape components, the demand for investment casting has grown. As the foundries have proven their ability to supply the needs of an ever-increasingly technological society, and with the development of different alloys, the investment casting process has secured its place in the overall manufacturing industry.