Investment casting, also known as lost-wax casting, is widely used to manufacture small, intricate components such as dental crowns.
In this process:
- A wax model of the final component is created.
- The wax is coated with a ceramic material and allowed to harden.
- Once hardened, the wax is melted and drained, leaving a cavity.
- Molten metal is poured into this cavity to form the final shape.
- After cooling, the ceramic shell is broken to retrieve the metal casting.
This method is preferred for dental crowns because it provides:
- Excellent surface finish
- High dimensional accuracy
- Suitability for small and complex geometries
Other methods are unsuitable:
- Sand casting lacks precision.
- Die casting is typically used for bulk production of non-ferrous components.
- Continuous casting is used in large-scale industrial metal production.