Investment Casting

Investment casting is also known as lost wax casting because in this process a mould cavity is made using a wax model and once the mould is made, the wax is melted and drained away leaving a hollow cavity which makes the internal and external shape of the part. Once the mould cavity is created then molten metal is poured into the cavity which takes the shape of the object. We are living in a world of customization rather than standardization and 3D printing can definitely help us create products that are constantly getting changes and need specific requirements of the customer. 

Generally, the wax model patterns are created using a metal injection mould which is a costly process and takes a lot of time to make one. For small run production, creating a metal mould is not feasible.3D printed patterns on the other hand, presents several advantages enabling foundries to make single parts or even hard intricate geometries. Instead of investing in tooling, foundry companies can directly print their patterns using 3D printing technologies often saving time and high initial costs for tooling.