Investment Casting
Solid Mold
One of the oldest lost wax processes that is still used to make modern day castings. Metal dies are injected with semi-molten wax replica’s, known as injections, that are mounted on sprues, coated with refractories, and then set into stainless steel flasks where they are then surrounded by an additional refractory slurry. These solid molds go through a gradual drying and de-wax process to ensure size and prevent distortion. Hence the term precision casting. In the final phase prepared molds are held in a high temperature oven. The hot solid molds are then cast. This insulated mold system will cause a slower rate of metal solidification, which affects casting grain structure providing desired mechanical properties in the as-cast state.
Ceramic Shell
Is a lost wax process which begins the same way as investment casting, however the completed wax mount will be coated with several layers of ceramic bone chine refractories to create a hard shell. De-waxing creates a free-standing ceramic mold which will be heated at very high temperatures and cast, although the mold is hot it’s materials will cause a faster rate of solidification than that of a solid mold investment casting. This creates a slightly different grain structure in addition to allowing very tight tolerances to be achieved in the as cast state.
Resin Shell Sand
Hot Set
Specially formulated resin coated sands, using sub-angular grain silica that come in contact under pressure with hot metal patterns. This is a hot draw, hot bake process. After curing, the mold is drawn from the pattern with very similar dimensional reproduction. Ambient temperature molds are cast producing low stress parts with high quality as-cast surfaces.
Air-Set Sand
Cool draw air set sand molds from virgin round grain silica sand. High Production continuous mixed materials from our new custom built palmer system.