Investment casting is an important manufacturing process with a history that is thousands of years old. Also known as lost wax and shell investment casting, the process of shaping molten metal into objects using wax patterns and ceramic molds is still used today. The process is commonly used for all kinds of mechanical parts; engine parts; gears; dental work; jewelry; turbine blades; and other objects requiring complex and exact geometries.
Investment casting is precise, but it is also time consuming and expensive. For example, for one customer the traditional method of using a wax injection tool to create an axial turbine blisk mold requires at least five weeks and can cost upwards of $20,000 from start to finish. In comparison to traditional methods, the time and cost investments for 3D printed investment casting patterns are much lower, and 3D printing can also produce patterns of greater complexity. A typical 3D Systems customer can create a 3D printed investment pattern overnight; in the morning it is ready for the foundry at a cost of under $2,000.
Download the comprehensive investment casting whitepaper covering 3D Systems' end-to-end solutions for investment casting - including applications, materials, technologies, software, and customer use cases.
- Benefits of 3D printed investment casting patterns
- 3D Systems' investment casting 3D printing processes
- Investment casting material choices
- Complementary software solutions and services offered
Learn how 3D Systems' integrated approach for investment casting can help you to transform and revolutionize your manufacturing processes, costs, and results.