What is Lost Wax Investment Casting?
Lost wax casting, also known as investment casting, is the process of creating a metal object through a wax model. This helps in creating a very detailed and perfect output.
How does Lost Wax Investment Casting Work?
A wax model is used to create a mold in lost wax casting. The wax is melted off when the mold investment has set. Then form a space where the metal flows into. Fine details in metal are captured by using the Lost Wax Investment Casting process.
Where is Lost Wax investment Casting Used?
There are a lot of industries that benefit from lost wax investment casting. This is used in making thin-walled items with delicate features and tight tolerances. The method is utilized to make parts for a variety of sectors. Including transportation, agriculture, and medicine. By casting an original wax model or pattern, it may manufacture things ranging from simple to sophisticated in a variety of metals. The wax model serves as a disposable mold that can only be used once during the casting process.
Processes in Lost Wax Investment Casting
There are a lot of classes that teach how this method is done. There are different processes involved in lost wax investment casting. These are:
- Make the mold
Make sure that the measurements of your materials are accurate to avoid failures in the processing of your mold. The mold will take the shape and size of your pattern.
2. Create a wax model
Your desired design will be created using wax. The wax model can be shaped using different tools such as soldering iron, texturing tools, and heat gun. This serves as your pattern. But, when making the pattern, make sure that you allow extra space for unavoidable occurrences. such as shrinkage.
3. Remove wax
This is the process where you create the molder where the molten metal will be poured. In order to remove the wax, you can use a microwave oven. This process simply means that you will use heat to melt away the wax and allow you to have the molder that you need for the output.
4. Melt the alloy
In lost wax investment casting, you can use different kinds of alloy. You can choose from silver, copper, gold, and platinum. You can also use steel, malleable iron, and gray iron. Melting requires a certain temperature to make the process correctly done.
Because each alloy has a distinct melting temperature, melting methods differ between them. Melting is simply the process of putting a solid alloy in a crucible and heating it over an open flame for small projects or inside a furnace for bigger ones.
5. Pouring into the mold
Pour the molten metal into the mold. Make sure you follow safety guidelines to avoid accidents. Wear protective clothing like long pants and sleeves, insulated gloves, and safety eyewear are all recommended. To avoid any dangers from toxic vapors, work in a well-ventilated area. Make sure you have a chemical fire extinguisher on hand, and clear the area between the furnace and the mold. Allow time for the mold to harden.
6. Remove the cast
When the metal has cooled down, it is time to remove the cast from the mold. You can soak it in water to help the cast loosen up from the mold.
7. Apply finishing touches
Polish your casting using methods like scrubbing or cutting excess mold material.
Lost wax investment casting can be used by different industries in creating materials with perfect details. It is just important that the processes are done correctly to produce perfect outputs.