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G.M.Rajendra Prasad,
A/14, K.H.B.Colony, Puttenahalli, Yelahanka, Bangalore-560106
Mail:gmrpsbc@gmail.com. Cell: 9480504635.
Let me Confess at the outset that I am totally ignorant of Science of Investment Casting.
We have been able to Develop Investment Casting ,on our own, by trial & error method.
We do not even know if what we have done is Conventional or not.
I have not even seen an Investment Casting Foundry
The process that we have followed has given us results. Ours is a Sand Foundry, where we make
all kinds of Steels. We developed Investment Castings, on the side lines, for our sister concern
which manufactures PUMPS to reduce great deal of machining at their end.
Excepting a Wax Injection Machine for Pattern making & a Stirrer we did not have anything.
I would like to caution such of those people, who want to start an exclusive Investment Castings
unit, ensure that you have all the required equipments for an Investment Castings Foundry.
The materials we used are Colloidal Silica(30%), Godrej EZEE Soap Solution, NAV Antifoam
Solution, -325# Fused Quartz, 150# Fused Quartz, 100# Fused Quartz, 70# Fused Quartz,
60# Mullite, 40# Mullite, 30# Mullite, 16# Mullite, Investment Casting Pattern WAX.
At the end the addresses of Companies from whom we procured the materials will be given.
The other things we used are Pattern Injection Machine, a Motorized Stirrer, an Electrical
Resistant Heating Furnace & a Vessel to treat the Shells in Boiling Water.
Prepare your Wax Pattern & attach it to Central Sprue. Between the pattern & Central Sprue bar
an Adequately sized Cylindrical Wax rod not longer than 10 mm is provided. As regards to Diameter
it depends on Casting size. This acts as a FEEDER to the Casting. Ensure that proper Venting is
Provided for Air to get out of Shell before liquid metal fills the Shell. To this Central Sprue bar
Several Patterns can be attached. Now you have Wax Tree.
1) Take 4.5 liters of Colloidal silica.
2) To this add 7.5 Kgs of -325 Quartz Flour.
3) Mix it with the stirrer for 30 minutes.
4) Add 4 Drops of Godrej EZEE Soap Liquid.( This is a Wetting agent)
5) Mix it for 30 minutes. During this process lot of Foam will be generated & it has to be
removed.
6) Add 50 ml of NAV antifoam.
7) Mix it for 30 minutes.
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8) Now the Coating material is almost ready, but you need to remove few air bubbles
still present Manually along with foreign material if any.
Now your coating Slurry is ready
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20) After you have ensured that all the wax has melted & come out, Continue to
Heat the Shell. WHY?
Even though all the wax has melted & come out, a layer of Carbonaceous layer is still
adhering to the surface of the shell. As you go on heating the shell, air inside the
shell expands & comes out of the shell & fresh air enters the shell. Oxygen of the Air
reacts with Carbonaceous layer & becomes Carbon di oxide & comes out of the shell.
Keep heating the shell till no fumes come out of the shell. Ensure that you are heating
CASTING portion more than the other portions. Now you break open one Shell, you will
see milky white surface rather than black surface.
In case of Castings with larger Surface Area, the entire carbonaceous layer did not get
burnt out. So, We let a Stream of OXYGEN into the Shell(which is being heated from
Outside) at a Very Low Pressure. This resulted in burning of Carbonaceous Layer. On
breaking of Shell, it surface is WHITE. As regards to how long Oxygen has to be passed
Depends on Surface Area of the Casting.
21) WAX has ASH in it .Fresh wax will have less of ash & used wax will have more.
This ash is still adhering to the inner surface of the shell. This ash has to be removed.
This is done by putting the shells in BOILING water. Because of the turbulence of
boiling water, boiling water enters shell & removes Ash adhering to the surface.
As regards to the time of Keeping the Shell in the Boiling water, No Foreign matter
Coming out of the Shell should be Visible. Take out the shell from water & allow it dry
for 8 hours. Now your shell is ready for Preheating before Pouring the molten metal
into it.
22) Put your shells in an Electrical resistance Furnace & heat the shells to about
950 degree Celsius.
23) Take out the Shells about 3 to 5 minutes before Pouring liquid metal.
24) Place the Shells on a Sand Bed, Cover the shell with Dry sand to ensure that
Shell does not loose heat. During all this, ensure Sprue opening is COVERED
so that nothing falls into the shell.
25) Just before pouring liquid metal, remove the Lid.
26) POUR THE LIQUID METAL INTO THE SHELL.
27) Take out the shell from the Dry sand cover & allow it cool to about 250
degree Celsius in natural atmosphere.
28) Break the Shell with out damaging the Castings.
29) Cut the Feeder(attachment to central Sprue ) & Vents.
30) Grind the Cut portion with out damaging the AS-CAST Surface of the
CASTING.
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31) Now, get your Investment Casting SAND Blasted & not Shot blasted
as it leads to DENT marks on the Casting.
32) Now your INVESTMENT CASTING is Ready.
Here under I am giving the Addresses of the Suppliers of Materials from whom
we Procured the materials.
1) Colloidal Silica(30%).
Dr Khan Industrial Consultants Pvt Ltd,
S-6, Ratnamanjusha, Ravi Industrial Compound, Naupada, Thane-400 602
Cell:91-932789806
e-mail: dkic@colloidalsilica.com. dkic@vsnl.net.
2) Fused Quartz.
The Universal Fused Quartz & Allied Products Pvt Ltd, Bangalore.
e-mail: ufq_fusil@hotmail.com.
Contact Person: Mr Shankar Prasad.
3) Pattern Wax.
M/s Saffroshine Organics Pvt Ltd,
C-73, MIDC, Chincholi, Solapur-413255
Phone:(0217)-2357272, Cell: 91-9890197600.
Contact Person: Mr Rajesh Zade.
e-mail: info@saffroshine.com.
4)NAV –Antifoam
M/s Navya Refractory Products, Bangalore.
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e-mail : nutan_ind_pr@sify.com.
5) Mullite.
M/s Bajaj Associates, Bangalore.
Phone:22281141,22870369.
e-mail: bajajmullite@airtelbroadband.in.
After I started Surfing the NET, I got many things BUT not an IOTA of information
on Investment Casting. Then I decided that I will not hold this as a Secret,
instead Publish it in a Foundry Journal so that my fellow Countrymen get benefitted.
In this regard, I would like to express my deep sense of Gratitude to
Mr Babu Sathian, MD of M/s Process Pumps (India) Pvt Ltd & M/s Allcast Industries,
Bangalore, for having permitted to author this small Paper.
Before I end my Paper, as I have already stated in the beginning I still do not know
the Science of Investment Castings. This I am saying just to tell you that if you
put your Heart & Soul into it, you can Improvise the PROCESS a great deal.
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