Investment casting of Al 356

[triumph406]

Hi,
I am contemplating casting a product in Al 356. If I make a mold to make wax patterns, does anybody know the allowance I need to apply to apply to the cavity to account for the wax shrinkage, and the Al shrinkage.
Regards Dave

 

[Goahead]

Hi,

approximate shrinkage allowance for wax 0.4%

approximate shrinkage allowance for Al alloys 1.1 - 1.3 %

approx. total allowance 1.5 - 1.7 %

Hoping this helps, with regards,

http://www.welding-advisers.com/

 

[triumph406]

Thanks for the details, I will try some sample parts and use your values as a starting point. I'm trying to match an existing part so I want to able to match the size closely, so it may take some trial and error.
Thanks