Metal casting has been around for years and there are multiple ways to go about the process from die casting and permanent mold casting to investment casting. Metal casting simply refers to the process in which a metal product is formed using a mold or cast. Heated liquid metal is poured into these molds where it cools and hardens into the final desired product.
Investment casting is the same process, except the mold is destroyed during the process. The liquid metal is poured into a cast where it cools and hardens, and then the cast is broken off of the final product in a way that preserves the product inside. This means that each mold is only good for one final product as it cannot be used more than once.
Obviously this is not the most efficient process if you are looking for mass production; however investment casting allows metal workers to create some of the most intricate and complicatedly designed products that are impossible to make with other process. Products made through the aluminum investment casting process are all around us, so much so that we might not even notice them. They are found in a number of different industries from the aerospace industry to complex piping solutions. Aluminum investment casting is great for application that require low weight yet strong materials, as this process can yield extremely thin, yet strong, aluminum.