Customers in aerospace markets work with metal experts who can provide the integrity and performance that they demand. To meet this demand, manufacturers often use the integrated approach that includes investment casting and other casting processes. The goal is to produce a supply of intricately-detailed net-shaped products that can only be created through the process of investment casting while ensuring the integrity of each component through the centrifugal casting process.
A Closer Look at the Lost Wax Investment Casting Process
In case you’re wondering how the lost wax investment casting process is done, it starts with the creation of a detailed wax pattern of the required finished component before it is mounted onto a wax tree. The wax tree includes the gates and risers which make up the metal delivery system. Next, the wax tree is dipped into a ceramic slurry before it is sprinkled with stucco material and dried out. Once a thick shell is formed over the wax pattern, the wax pattern will then be melted out to leave a cavity that’s shaped exactly like the pattern. Next, molten metal is poured into the cavity. As soon as the solidification process is completed, the shell needs to be broken away and the gating material needs to be removed so that the finished part remains.
Examples of Aerospace Engineering Applications
The aerospace industry demands high-precision, high-durability parts that can be achieved through the investment casting process. Typical aerospace engineering applications for investment casting include interior components, bearing cages, cargo systems, landing and braking components, interior and exterior sensors, motion control and actuation systems, hydraulic fluid system components, and flight critical and safety components.
Are Your Curious to Know More About Other Applications for Investment Casting?
If you need more information about the various applications of investment casting, feel free to contact Ferralloy, Inc. We’re the metal experts that provide the metalworking industry with castings, fabrications, forgings, machining, and related products and services.