New research to improve prediction of investment casting process

Modern Casting, Sept, 2006

Predicting physical changes that occur in the wax pattern, shell and solidifying metal during investment casting could soon be possible according to results from a collaborative research project in which the AFS 4-L Investment Casting Committee and Procast incorporated a visco-elastic code developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL).

To further explore this potential, the AFS Research Board approved additional funding to determine how precise input parameters will need to be in order to produce an accurate prediction of final dimensions.

The collaborative project is being guided by AFS Div. 4-L, the Edison Materials Technology Center and ORNL, with the support of the DOE's Energy-SMARRT program managed by the Advanced Technology Institute.

For more information on this program, contact Joe Santner, AFS at jss@afsinc.org or 847/824-0181.