Abstract:
Investment Casting is the manufacturing process which is used to make desired parts(castings) using a wax pattern coated with ceramic refractory material. Once the wax mold is coated with ceramic coating and slurry a shell is made with its internal geometry similar to the shape of the casting required. In modern era it is a real challenge to find the optimum combination of parameters for investment casting process that would give the best results. The combination of different parameters which were used during the experimentation have not been used before. To find the optimum values for variables is not a new concept but no one has tried to find the effect of different combination of variables on the final casting product. The area has not been explored yet and has great potential based on its impact on the efficiency of the investment casting (also known as lost wax casting) process. In this research different combinations of sand types, wax and different pouring temperatures were used in order to investigate the effect of these factors on final castings and to find the most optimal combination that could be used to improve the overall efficiency of the process. The finalized combination would also help to improve the quality of parts produced. The results have been characterized based on the average grain size and average porosity value of the castings using optical microscopy and then using intercept method and image J software. The proposed solution would be the best suited combination of sand type, wax type and pouring temperature value(0C).
