Moulds for investment casting, methods of making such moulds and use thereof

摘要

The manufacture by arc furnace technology of various fused metal oxides, such as for example fused zirconia, fused alumina-zirconia or brown fused and semi-friable alumina, affords furnace dusts as a byproduct. The present invention relates to investment casting moulds comprising the furnace dust, wherein said furnace dust comprises ZrO2 and/or Al2O3. The invention provides a way of recycling said furnace dusts. The present invention also provides investment casting moulds comprising a metal oxide dust comprising ZrO2 and one or more materials selected from alumina, silica and aluminosilicate, and wherein said metal oxide dust has a d50 of 10 μm or less. The invention also provides compositions for the production of investment casting moulds, the use of dusts in the formation of investment casting moulds, and the use of investment casting moulds of the invention. The investment casting moulds according to the present invention had improved or equivalent strength, and improved or better solids levels than those according to the state of the art. Furthermore, the formation process was quicker.