Major casting techniques 29

Fig. 2.10 The steps involved in investment casting. (Reproduced by permission of the Investment Casting
Institute.)
30 Solidification and casting processes

casting. High pressure die casting is therefore more suitable for complex shapes and
internal porosity is reduced. For the die casting of aluminium alloys the holding
furnace of Fig. 2.9(a) is often eliminated because of reactions between the molten
aluminium and the injection plunger and cylinder. Instead of the holding furnace,
sufficient liquid aluminium for one casting is fed into the feeder tube using a ladle.
This type of die casting process is used for the manufacture of many aluminium auto-
motive components, such as the piston illustrated in Fig. 2.6. The use of a ladle, rather
than metal injection, can increase the cycle time, making the process less productive.
Sometimes, to avoid reduced productivity, a different feed metal is substituted for
aluminium, as is sometimes the case for automobile carburettors or throttle body
fuel injectors which are often die cast from zinc-based alloys.

Investment casting
The investment or lost wax casting process produces parts with dimensional tolerances
and surface finishes unmatched by other casting processes. This casting technique
dates back to Egyptian times (1500 BC) when it was used to make ornate bronze
bowls and vases. Today, complex shapes, such as internally cooled gas turbine
blades, are manufactured using investment casting without the requirement for exten-
sive final machining or finishing operations. Indeed, the alloys used for manufactur-
ing gas turbine blades are extremely difficult to machine, which makes investment
casting particularly useful for these parts.
The complex process of investment casting is illustrated in Fig. 2.10. Initially a
mould is used to prepare a wax pattern of the part to be made (step 1). The wax
pattern is made using a process similar to that of gravity or die casting. Individual
patterns are assembled, using wax, into a cluster of several patterns (step 3). The
cluster is dipped or invested (step 4) in a refractory slurry (one definition of the
word 'invest' is 'to cover') and then the refractory strengthened by stuccoing (step
5). This yields a refractory mould containing the wax patterns (step 6), which are
subsequently melted and the wax co!lected for reuse (step 7). The refractory mould
is strengthened by firing at high temperature (step 8) and then finally molten metal
is poured into - the mould (step 9). Once the metal has solidified, the refractory
mould is broken revealing the cluster of cast parts (step 10), and each part is then
removed from the cluster (step 11). Although this process may seem overly tedious,
no other technique exists for manufacturing the intricate shapes of many gas turbine
components.
Sand, permanent mould and investment casting are only three of a myriad of
casting processes. However, these three processes exemplify the vast array of casting
techniques and products that can be produced this way. Several casting processes are
unique to particular industries or products, and the number, diversity and efficiency
of casting processes are continually evolving.

It is clear from the preceding section that many casting techniques are available for
metal solidification. However, the fundamental solidification mechanism for all cast-
ing processes is similar. In the relatively short time required for a casting to solidify,