Investment casting is a process wher wax patterns (assembled into trees) are used to form ceramic shells. The shells are filled with molten alloy material, and solidified to form a casting. The resulting cast component is then machined to meet the customer's requirements. 

Investment casting is typically utilized when:

Large quantities of the same part are needed
The as-cast finish will suffice on surfaces.
Benefits of Investment Casting

Design Flexibility

Nearly any shape can be made by investment casting - no matter how complex.
Complex assemblies can be cast as a unit.
Holes, slots, bevels, serrations, thin sections, knife edges and other configurations can be produced.
Cast components can be further refined by our in-house machining service.
Cost Reductions

Difficult-to-machine alloys may be investment cast, reducing required finish-machining.
Close dimensional tolerances (± .005 per inch) are possible with investment castings.
Many parts can be used "as cast" with no additional machining due to superior dimension control, tight tolerances and surface texture.
In-house machining services allows us to offer fully machined, complete parts, from a single source - eliminating time and expense of passing material between suppliers.
An assembly of several components can often be converted into a single casting, saving both time and money.