Topic > Advantages and disadvantages of micromanufacturing in...

Manufacturing is the process of transforming raw materials into finished products with the intention of satisfying customer needs, this is done through cost-effective methods within a given period of time . Investment casting is the process of producing materials in the micrometer range or larger parts by carrying microstructures using molten metal poured into a mold. There are two different methods used for casting structures in the micrometer range; capillary action microcasting (permanent mold) and microcasting based on lost wax casting. Investment casting, also known as the "lost wax process", is the oldest known method. Already 5000 years ago, at the time of the Pharaohs, this method was used to make gold jewellery, armor and statues. Around 4000 BC, the discovery that metals could be cast into shapes in molds was a major step towards civilization. After experiments with colored minerals such as malachite, those experiments led to copper smelting which led to the casting of copper in simple molds made of stone or clay to produce simple tools, such as hammers, which was followed by the use of molds made of two parts in which both could make faces. Potters at that time were accustomed to making small human and animal figures that represented natural or symbolic uses for numerous gods. The casting and melting of those figures was done in a crude kiln or kiln in the east. Some materials had been carved from various stones while human figures were often made from beeswax. In the 4th millennium BC a potter and metalworker had the idea of ​​taking a model carved from beeswax, covering it with clay, heating the composite structure to harden the clay and melt the wax, using the mold formed to produce a casting with ...... paper halves ...... mass-produced using investment casting processes by major car manufacturers, they were mainly used for engine components. In 1993, the first foundry application for plasma ladle refining occurred at the Maynard Steel Casting Co., to demonstrate that the lost wax process had developed into a great success, with the discovery of better ways and efficient to fuse, but the rate of discovery had slowed. In the years 1995 to 2000, microstructure simulation was developed which contributed to a better understanding of the effects and properties of metallurgy in castings. This also included the benefits of controlling casting distortion, reducing residual stresses, eliminating cracks, etc. NASA released a physics-based software tool that accurately predicted the filling of expanded polystyrene models and sand cores as numerous variables changed..