Investment Casting Cores and Shells
Using silica base casting materials allows you to 3D print complex cores, shells, or core and shell combinations to develop complex shapes not possible with traditional manufacturing techniques. We offer a range of materials from materials dedicated to super alloy shells to a more basic material for general investment castings. These are mechanically strong but still porous. They allow for leachability.
Applications
- Supper Alloy turbine blade
- Turbos
- Housings
- Injectors
- Gas Isolators
Specs
| C101 | C900 | Form 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material (all layer heights in µm) | |||
| Alumina | 50 / 100 | 100 | 50 |
| 3Y Zirconia | 50 / 100 | -- | 50¹ |
| 5Y | 50 / 100 | -- | -- |
| 8Y | 50 / 100 | -- | -- |
| Silica Core Material | 50 / 100 | -- | 50¹ |
| Aluminum Nitride | 50² | -- | -- |
| Silicon Nitride | 50² | -- | -- |
| Specs | |||
| Printer Volume³ | 100 x 100 x 150 mm | 300 x 300 x 100 mm | 200 x 125 x 210 mm |
| Printer Accuracy | ± 50 µm | ± 50 µm | ± 75 µm |
| Smallest Negative Feature | 500 µm | 500 µm | 600 µm |
| Smallest Positive Feature | 200 µm | 200 µm | 400 µm |
| Maximum Wall Thickness | 6 mm | 6 mm | 6 mm |
¹In development, coming soon
²Firing of nitrides is not currently available in the US and will need to be done at a different site. We expect this capability by early 2027 in the US.
³Keep in mind that all printer volumes are for the raw printer volume – parts typically shrink by 20-30%, so 100 mm may only be ~82 mm of sintered part
Materials
- Alumina (low purity – 97%)
- Alumina (high purity – 99.99%)
- 3Y Zirconia
- 5Y Zirconia
- Investment Casting Silica
- Alumina Toughened Zirconia (ATZ)
- Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA)