West 1 Castings Ltd.

EXAMPLE OF LOST WAX CASTING PROCESS

Master - wax carving by @seventhcircleartworks.

STEP 1: MASTER PREPARATION

Instead of working directly in metal, the design can be fabricated in wax. This wax master can be either cast straight away or turned into a cold-cure mould.

Non-standard mould frame.

STEP 2: SETTING UP MOULD FRAME

Based on the master size we estimate the size of the mould frame. These calculations ensure the highest quality of wax models at the lowest material waste.

Poured cold-cure mix.

STEP 3: PREPARING COLD-CURE MOULD

Once mixed together, the cold-cure compound is placed in the vacuum chamber (to evacuate air bubbles) and then poured into the mould frame.

Cold-cure mould with original master.

STEP 4: MOULD CUTTING

After the mould is cured, it's time to cut it open and release the master.

Auto-clamp injection system.

STEP 5: CREATING WAX COPIES

Wax copies are formed by injecting wax into the cavity in the mould. Once the mould is filled, the wax is allowed to cool and then the mould is opened to reveal a wax pattern identical to the original master.

Treeing-up wax copy.

STEP 6: TREEING-UP WAX COPIES

While treeing it up, it’s important to provide an adequate number of sprues to ensure easy and sufficient flow of metal.

Pouring investment.

STEP 7: INVESTING FLASKS

Once the rubber base is securely attached to the metal flask, it's placed in the vacuum chamber (to evacuate air bubbles) and filled up with investment.

Hot furnace filled with burnt out flasks.

STEP 8: BURNING OUT FLASKS

Dry flasks are placed in the furnace and left there for the overnight burnt-out cycle.

Pouring molten metal into flask.

STEP 9: CASTING BURNT-OUT FLASKS

The hot flask is placed onto the vacuum base (or in one of our casting machines) and molten metal is poured into its cavity.

Quenching flask.

STEP 10: REMOVING INVESTMENT

After initial cooling the flask is being quenched to release the casting.

Raw casting for @seventhcircleartworks.

STEP 11: DE-SPRUING FRESHLY CAST OBJECT

Raw casting is being cut or sawn off the metal tree and feeding sprues are trimmed.