
The following are the main advantages of the Investment Casting process:
Allows casting of highly complex, extremely precise parts with a good surface finish directly from the mold
Can cast very thin (~0.015") sections with very low tolerances (~0.003")
Allows the use of almost any metal that can be cast (aluminum, bronze, iron, etc.)
The investment casting process can be automated to produce large numbers of parts quickly
Wax can be recycled and reused in a variety of patterns
These benefits come at a price, so let's look at the disadvantages of investment casting:
Small-sized parts perform best, weighing around 75 pounds, larger parts are often better suited for other casting processes
The process is complex and often requires expensive equipment and/or skilled personnel to operate
High-cost molds to make wax patterns limit the craftsmanship of high-volume production projects
Parts with cores or holes smaller than 1.6 mm or holes deeper than 1.5 times the diameter of the part are difficult to investment cast
Therefore, while investment casting is highly accurate and easily reproducible, it is expensive and complex to process.
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