Lost Foam Casting

What is Investment Casting

Investment casting refers to making a pattern in fusible materials, covering the surface of the pattern with several layers of refractory materials to form a shell, and then melting the pattern out of the shell to obtain a mold without a parting surface. Casting scheme that can be filled with sand. Because patterns are widely made of waxy materials, investment casting is often referred to as “lost wax casting”.

This process can cast products as small as a few grams to 80 kg. Commonly used casting materials include carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, wear-resistant materials, ductile iron, etc.
Maple Machinery has two investment casting production lines. One is Water Glass Casting.

How Does Investment Casting Work

1. Wax Pattern Making: The metal mold is made by finishing according to the shape of the product. Inject wax into the metal mold, and get a wax mold consistent with the product shape after cooling. We repeat wax injection to obtain batch wax molds
2. Pattern Assembly: Assemble the wax mold to the gate
3. Shell Making: Immerse the assembled module into the refractory paint, then dry and harden it at a specific temperature, and repeat this process many times. This step is the key to ensuring product accuracy and quality
4. De-waxing and Firing: The wax in the shell is melted at high temperature and then discharged. Baking the shell can remove residual wax and moisture, and can preheat the mold to prepare for casting. Usually heated at 1000 degrees for 1-2 hours.
5. Casting: According to the material of the product, the ingredients and molten steel are smelted, tested with a spectrometer, and the ingredients are qualified after the casting. The pouring process must be carried out strictly in accordance with the technological process, and the blank is gradually formed and cooled.
6. Knock Out: Break the ceramic shell, cut the casting from the gate, and polish it to obtain a rough casting.
7. Shot blasting: Use a shot blasting machine to remove the oxide scale on the surface of the casting to obtain a better surface finish.
8. Inspection (Inspection): Inspection is a key step in quality control. We will strictly follow the inspection requirements for product appearance inspection, size inspection, internal defect inspection and other inspections. We must ensure that the product is 100% qualified before shipment.
9. Packing: We will customize wooden boxes according to the size of the parts, and each wooden box meets export standards. We can also provide customized packaging services according to customer requirements.

Investment Casting Application

Investment casting can produce parts with complex structures at a lower cost. Thanks to this, steel castings are widely used in various industries. Water glass casting parts are often used in heavy industries or equipment, such as Construction Machinery, Agricultural Machinery, Mining Industry, Oil & Gas industry, Energy Industry, Railway Industry (Railway Industry) etc. These industries often have higher requirements for the mechanical properties and functionality of parts.
The parts cast by silica sol are more precise and more demanding. Commonly used industries include: Marine Industry, Food Machinery, Medical Equipment, Valves & Pumps, Instruments and Equipment (Instrument) Equipment), Hardware and Tool, etc. The requirements of these industries on parts are mainly reflected in precision and special properties, such as corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and non-magnetic properties.