Indirect Rapid Molds for Prototype Lost-Foam Pattern Production 506

Lost-foam (also known as Expendable Pattern Casting, EPC) is an ever-growing metalmcasting technique, capable of producing complex metal components without parting lines. Mold preparation for lost-foam casting is typically accurate, but expensive and slow. The goal of this research was to develop a new approach for producing rapid lost-foam molds. With this new approach, patterns generated by SFF technology are used to form indirect composite lost-foam molds. Ultimately, our objective is to produce these molds quickly, accurately, and inexpensively. This new approach to lost-foam mold-making will be explained as well as the results of one trial.