Abstract: A golf ball mold is prepared by inserting a dimpled hemispherical male die into a chamber in a frame, admitting hot liquid wax into the chamber, cooling and curing the wax to form a wax shape, covering the wax shape with a mix slurry of ceramic particles and a binder, drying and curing the slurry to form a ceramic shell around the wax shape, removing the wax shape from the ceramic shell, casting a molten metal into the ceramic shell, cooling and solidifying the metal to form a mold half, and removing the ceramic shell from the mold half. The mold is improved in molding precision, durability and cost.

Abstract: A method of making a metal shape comprising the steps of supplying molten metal into a ceramic shell mould mounted in a container, spinning the container and the shell mould therein about an axis and permitting the metal to solidify in the shell mould and thereafter removing, for example by breaking, the shell mould to expose the metal shape. The ceramic shell moulds made by providing a pattern of flexible elastically deformable material of a required shape and supported on a mandrel, applying at least one coating of hardenable refractory material to said pattern to form a rigid shell and removing the mandrel from supporting relationship with the pattern and subsequently removing the pattern from the shell by elastically deforming the pattern. The pattern is made by moulding said material in a master mould of a required shape and removing the pattern from the master mould, after the pattern has set, by elastically deforming the pattern.

Abstract: Housing frames for use in electromechanical machines may be advantageously produced using a novel pattern form in a lost foam casting process. The pattern form is made from a cast dissolvable material, and is configured to permit easy modification prior to casting. The pattern form may be adapted to produce footed or footless housing frames, or housing frames of various axial lengths. In addition, the frame area on which a conduit box will be attached can be easily modified prior to casting. After the pattern form has been modified, it is placed in a casting medium of dry particulate material, such as sand. Upon contact with molten metal, the pattern form vaporizes. The molten metal fills the space where the pattern form had been, assuming the desired shape. After the molten metal has cooled to rigidity, the resulting housing frame can be removed from the casting medium.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a hollow or partially hollow article, such as a jewelry ring, comprises producing a first mold having an inner cavity shaped in accordance with the external shape of the article to be produced. A second mold is produced for forming a wax core insert which is inserted in the first mold cavity for forming the hollow region of the article. The second mold has an inner cavity formed in the shape of, but slightly smaller than, the external shape of the article. The cavity of the second mold has holes which form spacer pins on the wax core insert. The wax core insert is then placed in the cavity of the first mold and is maintained in a precise, predetermined position by the spacer pins. During waxing of the article, a plastiwax is introduced into and fills the cavity of the first mold, completely surrounding the wax core insert. The plastiwax hardens and is removed from the first mold cavity with the wax core insert.

Abstract: Assembling and adhering two component parts of a lost foam pattern comprises placing each of the two components on separate supports which initially face in the same direction, following which one of the supports and the component supported thereby are rotated through substantially 180.degree. to a position in which the two components confront and face one another. Each component has an exposed surface which confronts the other. An adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of one of the components, following which the supports are moved toward one another a distance sufficient to enable the confronting surfaces to engage and bond to one another. Thereafter the bonded components are separated from their respective supports and removed. The separate components are placed on their respective supports and the bonded components removed from such supports at a level which is ergonomically appropriate for the machine operator.

Abstract: The models comprise an expanded or expansible polymer or copolymer generally used for the fabrication of such models. The polymer or copolymer contains an oxidizing agent comprising a nitroaliphatic compound that accepts expansion without substantial alteration of its oxidizing properties, that does not substantially modify the characteristics of the polymer or copolymer before, during and after expansion, that does not harm the quality of the metal that is cast, and that has a decomposition temperature essentially identical to that of the polymer or copolymer.

Abstract: The pattern material with substantially spherical filler particulates is used to produce investment cast components with improved surface quality, reduced finishing costs, and reduced core breakage. The pattern material comprises substantially spherical particles within the particle size range of about 10 microns to about 70 microns particle diameter, the use of which reduces the number of random, localized surface depressions and pits to improve pattern surface texture and uniformity. Patterns so formed inpart the same improvements to the surface of subsequent investment cast components. The resulting castings exhibit improved as-cast surface finish and reduced random, localized surface pitting, thereby reducing or eliminating expensive post casting surface finishing operations. Moreover, the spherical morphology of the filler particulates reduces injection pressures to fill a pattern die cavity as compared to non-spherical filler particulates.

Abstract: An improved method of lost foam casting of aluminum silicon alloys utilizing a pattern formed of an expandable polymeric foam having a decomposition temperature less than 300.degree. C., and a heat of decomposition less than 600 Joules per gram. The foam pattern preferably has a heat of fusion less than 60 Joules per gram and a bulk density in the range of one to four pounds per cubic foot. The lost foam casting procedure has particular use when casting hypereutectic aluminum silicon alloys containing from 16 to 30% silicon, and eliminates the "liquid styrene" defect which occurs when casting such alloys in a lost foam process utilizing conventional polystyrene foam patterns. When casting hypoeutectic aluminum-silicon alloys containing from 5% to 8% silicon, the method eliminates the "fold" defect.

Abstract: A wax-like substance mainly consisting of a saturated chain hydrocarbon, in which a weight ratio (C/H) of carbon and hydrogen is 5.839-6.018, a total weight % of the carbon and the hydrogen is 98.5%-100%, a number-average molecular weight (Mn) is 3.0.times.10.sup.3 -1.0.times.10.sup.4, a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) is 1.0.times.10.sup.4 -5.0.times.10.sup.4 and Mw/Mn is 1.0-5.0. In the case of using it for carving and casting, for example, the wax-like substance can be repeatedly used, and has excellent workability. Moreover, the wax-like substance provides easy dewaxing from a mold material. In other words, it provides convenient use. In addition, after a master model is made by processing the wax-like substance and covered with a mold material, it is dewaxed. Molten metal is poured into the mold material, and a shaped article is produced by cooling and solidifying the mold material where the molten metal has been poured.

Abstract: The coated pattern is formed from a consumable pattern, preferably polystyrene, and is adapted to be decomposed and replaced by molten metal to form a casting. The improved coating is the dried residue of an aqueous coating formed from water, refractory particles, and from between about 25 wt-% and 75 wt-% organic polymer on a non-volatile solids basis (i.e., dry film basis). Lustrous carbon is reduced when casting iron.

Abstract: Method of sprayforming bulk metal deposits that replicate a master pattern: (i) casting and solidifying ceramic about a master pattern to form a spraying pattern; (ii) after removing the spraying pattern from the master pattern, heating the ceramic spraying pattern to a sustained temperature to effect an isothermal diffusion dependent microstructural transformation; (iii) while in such heated condition, thermally spraying allotropic metal particles onto the heated spraying pattern to form a deposit having a bulk thickness, the particles impacting the spraying pattern, or previously deposited particles, at a temperature above the sustained temperature of the spraying pattern; (iv) holding the deposit on the heated spraying pattern sufficiently long enough to allow the particles of the deposit to undergo a diffusion reaction that relieves internal stresses due to deposition and solidification; and (v) thereafter gradually cooling the deposit to room temperature to produce a unitary article with essentially no d

Abstract: A method of constructing a fully dense metal part or a metal mold half for matin with another mold half to form a mold for casting multiple parts. Steps include placing a pattern having critical pattern surfaces in a flask having an open end. The critical pattern surfaces face upward. Other steps involve covering the critical pattern surfaces with a concentrated heat reversible gel solution added to the flask, and cooling the gel solution to form an elastic solid gel mold. Further steps include removing the flask and the pattern from the elastic gel mold, and casting a ceramic mold around the solid gel mold. In other steps the gel mold is liquified for removal from the ceramic mold and the ceramic mold is inverted so that its critical ceramic surfaces face upward.

Abstract: A production process of a wax pattern having a core, which is used for casting a product having a complicated hollow portion, comprising the steps of: producing two or more wax shells each having a contour of an external surface of a desired casting; and combining the wax shells with a core to obtain a wax pattern having a hollow portion between the wax shells and the core. Using the method, the occurrence of breakage of the core during dewaxing or production of the pwax pattern is extremely reduced, and a lowering in yield rate due to the breakage of the core is remarkably ameliorated.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing investment cast articles, such as orthopedic implants or portions thereof, having at least a partially textured surface that is formed during casting of the article. In an exemplary method, a textured metal casting is produced by creating a heat destructible pattern and spraying the pattern with a texturing material to cause the texturing material to form a textured surface on at least a portion of the pattern. In another embodiment, a textured template is pressed against a heat softenable pattern to provide a textured pattern. With respect to each of these methods, a shell is the created around the textured pattern form a mold, and the pattern is removed from the shell. Molten metal is introduced into the mold and allowed to harden, after which the mold is removed. In yet another embodiment a textured pattern for investment casting is provided by creating a textured model and enveloping it with a resilient material to create a resilient mold.

Abstract: A mold assembly and sprue configuration for dental investment casting includes a ring shaped casing, a base and a cover all made of resilient plastic material and fictionally engaged with each other. The base includes a raised neck having a top surface with a sighting bead for use in mounting wax forms on the sprue, positioned within the casing. The sprue includes a post for engaging a blind bore in a hub of the base. The cover includes a downwardly extending plug which extends into the body of the casing, and a curved lip with recess for facilitating the pouring of investment solution into the mold. The sprue has three spokes and a ring which are all triangular in cross-section to reduce the amount of metal needed in the precision casting to be made with the invention and also to provide a convenient flat upper surface for mounting wax forms to the sprue.

Abstract: A pattern from which cast nodes can be produced, the pattern including a central ring or disc against which one or more stubs abut at selected stations to enable nodes of differing annular geometries and/or stub diameter to be produced from the same pattern.

Abstract: The investment casting method uses the lost wax method and involves using a model to form a wax piece in the desired shape such as the shape of the snap element or the shape of two hinge halves, making a tree out of a multitude of the wax pieces, adding slurry and heating to create hard material having spaces shaped like the wax parts and then pouring molten casting material into the spaces in a vacuum environment.

Abstract: A nail polish or nail polish/enamel composition is applied to imperfections, errors, distortions or porosities in the model. The composition is thus used to correct the model's shape. The composition can be added at room temperature, and avoids the need to utilize high temperatures in the process of building the model. The nail polish or nail polish/enamel compositions may be utilized to add jewelry design elements to the model.

Abstract: A wax article pattern having a cavity corresponding to a cavity in a metal article is provided. The cavity in the wax article pattern is filled with a slurry of ceramic core material. The slurry of ceramic core material is solidified to form a core. The wax article pattern is enclosed by ceramic mold material. The ceramic mold material is solidified to form a mold. The wax pattern is removed from the mold to leave an article mold cavity. The article mold cavity is filled with molten metal which is solidified to form the metal article. A passage in the metal article may be formed by a pin which extends from the wax article pattern into the cavity in the wax article pattern and is enclosed by the slurry of ceramic core material.

Abstract: This invention includes a method, a casting pattern, and an apparatus directed to gasifying residue during metal casting. The method for metal casting includes using a casting pattern that includes an additive that can react with a residue formed as the casting pattern degrades during casting. The casting pattern includes an additive that can react with a residue formed as a result of degradation of the casting pattern during casting. The metal casting apparatus includes a casting pattern having an additive that can react with a residue formed as the casting pattern degrades during casting, and a casting medium in which the casting pattern is at least partially immersed.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing investment cast articles, such as orthopedic implants, or portions thereof, having at least a partially textured surface that is formed during casting of the article. In an exemplary method, a textured metal casting is produced by creating a heat destructible pattern and spraying the pattern with a texturing material to cause the texturing material to form a textured surface on at least a portion of the pattern. In another embodiment, a textured template is pressed against a heat softenable pattern to provide a textured pattern. With respect to each of these methods, a shell is the created around the textured pattern to form a mold, and the pattern is removed from the shell. Molten metal is introduced into the mold and allowed to harden, after which the mold is removed.

Abstract: A method of making a custom, bioimplantable article, such as a joint prosthesis component, is provided using computer aided design, rapid prototyping, and investment casting techniques. The method includes the creation of a data file, using computer aided design (CAD) techniques, that defines a negative or a shell of a portion of a bioimplantable article that is custom configured for a specific arthroplasty patient. The data file for the shell of the custom portion of the bioimplantable article is accessed by a rapid prototyping machine, such as a three-dimensional printer, to create a mold that corresponds to the shell. The mold, generally a heat-resistant ceramic, is positioned relative to an existing, non-custom representation of a bioimplantable article to define a hybrid component. A heat-resistant shell is formed around the hybrid component and the non-custom representation of a bioimplantable article is removed from the shell using heat.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing investment cast articles, such as orthopedic implants, or portions thereof, having at least a partially textured surface that is formed during casting of the article. In an exemplary method, a textured metal casting is produced by creating a heat destructible pattern and spraying the pattern with a texturing material to cause the texturing material to form a textured surface on at least a portion of the pattern. In another embodiment, a textured template is pressed against a heat softenable pattern to provide a textured pattern. With respect to each of these methods, a shell is created around the textured pattern to form a mold, and the pattern is removed from the shell. Molten metal is introduced into the mold and allowed to harden, after which the mold is removed.

Abstract: A process for making a casting mold or core utilizes a refractory composition including a slurry of yttria, an acid and an organic solvent. The composition is applied to a mold or pattern, dried, and fired to produce a mold or a layer of a mold or core. The articles produced are relatively unreactive with titanium and titanium alloys during casting.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a hollow or partially hollow article, such as a jewelry ring, comprises producing a first mold having an inner cavity shaped in accordance with the external shape of the article to be produced. A second mold is produced for forming a wax core insert which is inserted in the first mold cavity for forming the hollow region of the article. The second mold has an inner cavity formed in the shape of, but slightly smaller than, the external shape of the article. The cavity of the second mold has holes which form spacer pins on the wax core insert. The wax core insert is then placed in the cavity of the first mold and is maintained in a precise, predetermined position by the spacer pins. During waxing of the article, a plastiwax is introduced into and fills the cavity of the first mold, completely surrounding the wax core insert. The plastiwax hardens and is removed from the first mold cavity with the wax core insert.

Abstract: An implantable article having on at least a portion of its exterior surface an integral, as-cast macrotextured surface having pores with undercut edge profiles is provided. The integral, as-cast macrotextured surface is able to be formed on the implantable articles by a modified casting process. As part of a casting process, positive models of the articles to be cast, or parts thereof, are formed by stereolithographic techniques. Cavities or molds, representing negative images of the articles to be cast, are then formed by encasing one or more models in a refractory material. The positive models are then extracted by heating and thus melting the material from which they are made. Thereafter, molten casting material can be poured into the resulting mold to obtain the implantable articles.

Abstract: A method of making a wax pattern by using a dental gypsum model is provided, which comprises the steps of applying a release agent on said gypsum model, coating on the thus applied surface a coating material which leaves no ash upon incinerated at 700.degree. C., and applying a wax melt on said surface. When the wax melt is applied on the gypsum model, the wax is in no direct contact with the release agent, and it is unlikely that gaps may be formed between the wax pattern and the gypsum model or a pad of the wax pattern may warp; that is, the additional operation so far needed for correcting such warpage can be dispensed with, so making precise casting possible. In addition, the presence of the release agent enables removal of the wax pattern to be done as conventional. Furthermore, when the thus removed wax pattern is invested in a investment material to incinerate the wax pattern, no ash of the above coating material remains in the cavity, so that metal can be cast with no defect.

Abstract: In a method of investment casting a turbine nozzle which includes an outer band, an inner band and an airfoil section extending between the inner and outer bands, an improvement including shaping a temporary wax form, and external shell and internal core components used in casting such that during pouring of molten metal into a space created by removal of the wax form, shell material lies on opposite sides of an outer fillet connecting the outer band to the airfoil section. The resulting gas turbine nozzle includes first and second horizontally oriented ribs extending about interior peripheries of the airfoil section vertically adjacent the outer and inner band fillets.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a wax casting of a golf club iron head including the steps of providing a wax injection tool having a rear cavity projection; providing a collapsible insert that is shaped to provide a desired undercut peripheral region in the rear cavity of the wax casting; installing the collapsible insert on the periphery of the rear cavity projection of the tool; injecting hot wax into the tool and allowing the wax to harden; then removing the hardened wax and insert from the injection tool; and finally removing the insert as a unitary member from the hardened wax, without requiring any form of breakage of the wax casting or the insert such as by distorting its shape.

Abstract: Tooling for injection molding a wax pattern in connection with investment casting of a metal wood golf club head, in which the golf club head is a positive duplicate of the wax pattern and has a body having an exterior, a hollow interior accessible through an orifice, a weld rim surrounding the orifice, and at least one gate disposed on the weld rim. The tooling includes collapsible core means having a shape complementary to the interior of the golf club head and the wax pattern. The collapsible core means may be disassembled and removed from a wax pattern formed around the core means. The tooling also includes a tooling body that defines a sealable wax pattern cavity that is complementary to the exterior of the golf club head and includes passage means to allow injection of molten wax into the cavity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a cast structure. In one embodiment of the present invention an alloy casting mold has molten alloy injected therein to facilitate completely filling a part cavity within the mold. Further, an alloy charge pressure control device is utilized to reduce the charge pressure of the molten alloy during its injection into the mold cavity to minimize distortion and creep of the ceramic shell. In one form of the present invention the charge pressure control device removes excess alloy so as to reduce the head pressure of the molten alloy thereby eliminating the undesirable creep of the ceramic shell.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine having a stator housing or frame made by a lost foam process utilizing a unitary single-piece vaporizable pattern. The stator housing may be made from a molten metal such as cast iron or aluminum, and has an annular wall having integral outwardly extending longitudinal cooling fins, mounting foots pads and a conduit box support pad. The lost foam process enables the cooling fins to have a greater effective cooling fin height to housing diameter ratio and greater effective cooling fin height to housing annular wall thickness ratio than obtained with prior sand casting processes. The greater height fins provide increased strength and rigidity for the annular wall which can be made radially thinner than prior stator housing or frames of similar size. Substantial savings in material and labor are realized by the stator housing.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a one piece drive shaft housing comprising a casting including an outer surface having an upper end surface, a lower end surface, and an endless side surface extending between the upper and lower end surfaces, an internal cavity extending between the upper and lower end surfaces and adapted to receive a drive shaft and a clutch operated linkage, an internal exhaust gas passage extending between the upper and lower end surfaces and located in spaced relation to the cavity, an internal coolant supply passage extending between the upper and lower end surfaces, an internal idle exhaust passage including a series of expansion chambers and extending between the upper end surface and the endless side surface, and an internal coolant drainage passage extending between the upper and lower end surfaces in heat exchanging relation to the exhaust gas passage.

Abstract: A method of forming a cast orthopaedic implant having a porous surface layer is disclosed. The method includes placing a porous layer on a wax replica of the implant such that a portion of the pores of the layer are filled with the wax material. The wax replica and porous surface layer are coated by a ceramic material consistent with investment casting technology. The ceramic material fills the remainder of the pores of the porous layer. After the ceramic material is solidified, the wax material is melted away leaving a cavity within the ceramic material. The pores once filled by wax are now exposed and extend into the cavity. A molten metal is poured into the cavity and partially melts the exposed porous layer to form a melt bond with the molten metal. When the metal is cooled, the ceramic material is stripped away exposing the portion of the porous layer previously filled with the ceramic medium.

Abstract: An orthopaedic implant comprising a cast metal base member having an outer surface and an ingrowth surface comprising a plurality of attachment spacer elements of unequal lengths integrally cast with said base member and a metal attachment element integrally cast with said spacer elements, said attachment element having connecting elements extending between said spacer elements to allow attachment of the bone to occur between an underside of said connecting elements and the outer surface of said base member. The invention also consists of a method for preparing such an implant, wherein the spacer elements are of equal or unequal length, which comprises inserting a preformed ceramic pattern for the ingrowth surface into a die for the implant, injecting a meltable material in its molten state into the die at a temperature below the melting temperature of the ceramic to fill the holes and grooves of the pattern.

Abstract: A method of producing polymeric foam patterns for use in evaporable foam casting. A positive three-dimensional model of the metal part to be cast is made by a layered prototyping process in which layers of sheet material are bonded in superimposed relation and the contour of the part to be cast is cut into each layer as it is applied to preceding layers to provide the model. A metal, such as copper, is then deposited on the working surface of the model to provide a rigid self-supporting shell having a surface which is the negative image of the part to be cast. The shell, after separation from the model, is then mounted in a die casting mold with the negative surface bordering a die cavity. Beads of a polymeric material, such as polystyrene, are introduced into the die cavity and heated to fuse the beads and provide a foam pattern which is identical in configuration to the metal part to be ultimately cast.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for making molds for use in injection molding wherein a cement replica is made of a pattern by curing the cement in a silicon rubber negative of the pattern, then pouring molten zinc or zinc alloy into a frame containing the cement replica. The cooling of the mold metal is controlled by the direct application of flame and frequent adjustments of clamps which firmly contact the mold to a solid surface.

Abstract: An investment casting process utilizes a temporary mold which is formed by pouring a liquid over a positive pattern, and cooling the liquid until it solidifies. The positive pattern is removed, and a temporary pattern is formed by pouring another liquid into the cavity of the temporary mold, and cooling the second liquid until it solidifies. The temporary mold may then be melted or dissolved to leave a temporary pattern, which may be coated with a ceramic slurry to form a ceramic shell. The temporary pattern may then be melted or dissolved in order to remove the temporary pattern from the ceramic shell. The ceramic shell may be filled with molten metal which is allowed to solidify to form the final cast piece.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a multi-piece cylinder head lost foam pattern assembly comprising a first piece having a planar valve seat surface extending at an angle other than 90.degree.

Abstract: An improved method for producing one-piece cutter body members for comminuting apparatus for shredding, crushing and grinding bulk solid waste materials is provided. The process creates one-piece cutter body members having cutter teeth distributed along the length of the body members for rotation when in fixed engagement with twin or multiple parallel shafts of the bulk solid waste material comminuting apparatus. The resulting one-piece cutter body members are adaptable to intermeshing comminuting action each having cutting teeth which may be shaped for cutting in both of two opposite directions of rotation.

Abstract: Disclosed are a foamable resin composition which comprises a copolymer with a weight-average molecular weight of 150,000-350,000 produced by copolymerization of a monomer mixture of 55-85% by weight of styrene and 45-15% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester represented by general formula (I)CH.sub.2 .dbd.C(CH.sub.3)COOR (I)(wherein R represents a C.sub.

Abstract: A method for casting a housing and insert assembly including a housing and a cast-in-place insert. The casting method comprises the steps of providing a prefabricated insert, surrounding the insert with an evaporable foam pattern to form a pattern and insert assembly, and utilizing the pattern and insert assembly in a lost foam casting process wherein the pattern is replaced by a material to form the housing and insert assembly.

Abstract: A two-phase thermoplastic composition adapted for forming thermoplastic patterns. The composition comprises an organic thermoplastic pattern material and at least about 5% by weight of discrete particles of cross-linked poly(methylmethacrylate) that are physically stable at temperatures above 130.degree. F. Also disclosed are investment casting patterns of such composition and processes utilizing such composition.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for making a custom fixation device. The apparatus comprises a means for scanning a treatment site and for producing image data representative of the treatment site. A means for generating a set of vectors is included for defining a set of points, the set of vectors representative of the treatment site, the points associated with a surface, part of the surface representative of part of the treatment site, part of the surface hidden from view. Further, means for associating each point with a pole of a control polygon of a non-uniform rational B-spline, means responsive to the non-uniform rational B-spline for constructing a model of the treatment site, and means responsive to the model for constructing the fixation device are described.

Abstract: A film-like molded body having a hollow portion of a predetermined contour and made from a disappearing material is formed first using a mold. Also, a disappearing model is prepared by dividing it into a plurality of disappearing model elements. Then, the disappearing model elements are placed so as to enclose the film-like molded body with the film-like molded body as a core and are bonded together and fixed using an adhesive. Accordingly, the disappearing model can be prepared easily while preventing the adhesive from being forced out into the disappearing model and dispensing with extraction of the film-like molded body.

Abstract: An assembly for making a wax pattern of a hollow component includes a pattern die and a noncircular core which is located within the pattern die. The pattern die is a split die and includes two halves which have shaped internal surfaces to define the external shape of the wax pattern of the hollow component. The core has shaped external surfaces which define the internal shape of the wax pattern of the hollow component. The core has coaxial circular cross-section projections which locate within correspondingly shaped and dimensioned apertures in the pattern die. One of the apertures in the pattern die has a radially extending pin which is arranged to mate in a groove on the projection to locate the core longitudinally. The core is allowed to rotate within the die so that chaplets on the core position the core accurately without imposing strains on the core.

Abstract: A molding lost foam pattern made out of synthetic resin is decomposed and gasified by molten metal. The molding lost foam pattern includes a runner portion foam pattern extending vertically. The runner portion foam pattern includes a hollow portion and a base portion. A plurality of short-sized gate portion foam patterns are provided on external surfaces of the hollow portion of the runner portion foam pattern, and a product portion foam pattern is connected to the external surfaces of the hollow portion through the plurality of short-sized gate portion foam patterns. A method of making the molding lost foam pattern is also disclosed.

Abstract: A metal wood golf clubhead is formed from a mold which includes an external gate into which molten metal is poured and internal gates in the mold cavity which facilitate flow of the molten metal into all portions of the mold cavity. The internal gates are located in the portion of the mold cavity which forms the interior surface of the top of the clubhead.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing near net shaped metals parts from shaped wax patterns and more particularly a process whereby control of the wax pattern shape from which metal parts are to be investment cast is accomplished by machining the wax pattern after injection forming. The present invention incorporates a precision machining step whereby the injection formed wax is machined to dimensional values which more closely result in a near net shape of the cast metal part.

Abstract: A method for producing a pattern for making a cast part is described which comprises the steps of defining the structure of the part in terms of computer aided design system data, selecting a parting surface for the part to be cast; defining core requirements for the part by sweeping each positive feature of the part to the parting surface, subtracting the part from the projection, adding any remaining volume to the core, sweeping negative features away from the parting surface to the top or bottom of the mold and subtracting the negative features from the projection and intersecting the remainder of the part and adding any remaining volume to the core; repetitively generating alternative parting surfaces for the part and defining the corresponding core requirements whereby an optimum parting surface is defined for which the quantity and complexity of the corresponding core requirements are minimized, constructing core prints for each core requirement; constructing a pattern by adding the core prints to the p