Creating the Mold/Pattern

The first step in the process is to make a mold or pattern of the desired piece. The pattern is made of wax. This can be poured into a mold using injection molding, hand-carved from a block of wax, or printed using a 3D printer and the appropriate wax material.

Mounting the Wax Pattern

Investment casting molds involve making multiple wax patterns and attaching them to a "sprue" device. This device is where the metal or other material is poured into to ultimately create the desired piece.

Tree Assembly

The tree assembly is completed by mounting the wax pattern to the "gate" device. This step is called a tree because each individual wax pattern is essentially a "branch" that will become a finished piece once the process is complete. You may have seen tree assembly in new board games that require the pieces to be removed before use.

Removing the Wax

Before the desired material can be poured into the new shell mold, the wax pattern must be removed. This is usually done by heating the wax in an oven. Steam can also be used to heat the wax. The mold is turned upside down so that the liquid wax can flow out of it and be reused to create a new wax pattern.

Another method of wax removal is to heat the wax so that it "burns off" and completely removes it from the shell casting.

Investment casting molds are ideal for large batches or complex workpieces that require fine detail. The exact steps in the process will vary depending on the complexity of the workpiece being made.