History and Development of Investment Casting

2026,01,24

What is Investment Casting?

Investment casting, also known as lost-wax casting, involves first creating a wax model of the part to be cast. Then, a shell is made on the wax model. After the shell dries, it is placed in hot water/pressure dewaxing to melt the inner wax model, forming the actual shell. The shell is then fired while molten metal is poured in to form the final shape. Afterwards, the shell undergoes vibrating, cutting, grinding, welding, heat treatment, finishing, correction, surface treatment, and dimensional measurement before being stored and shipped.

The History of Investment Casting:

The history of investment casting in China can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. The bronze vessel unearthed from Chu Tomb No. 2 at Xiasi, Xichuan, Henan Province, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period, is the earliest known lost-wax casting. This bronze vessel is decorated with openwork cloud patterns on all four sides and sides, with twelve standing crouching beasts around the perimeter and ten standing beast-like feet at the bottom. The openwork decorations are intricate and varied, and the overall appearance is magnificent and dignified, reflecting the relatively mature lost-wax casting method in my country during the mid-Spring and Autumn Period. After the Warring States period and the Qin and Han dynasties, the lost-wax casting method became more popular, especially during the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the lost-wax casting method was the most commonly used method for casting bronzes.

The earliest known artifact cast in wax:

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