Types and characteristics of solar investment castings

Solar investment castings are precision castings produced using investment casting technology and are suitable for solar-related equipment.

Investment casting is also known as precision casting or lost wax casting. Its process includes making fusible models, applying refractory coatings, melting lost models, baking shells, pouring liquid metal, cooling and cleaning. The main advantages of this casting method include high dimensional accuracy of castings, low surface roughness, thin-walled castings with complex shapes, and almost no restrictions on the type of casting alloys.

Therefore, solar investment castings can meet the needs of solar equipment for high-precision and complex-shaped parts, such as accessories for solar lawn lights, mobile phone chargers, camping lights and other equipment. These castings have good photoelectric conversion effects, beautiful appearance and long service life.

The material types of solar investment castings mainly include the following:

Wax-based materials: such as paraffin, microcrystalline wax, ozokerite, lignite wax, etc. These materials are often used for pattern making in investment casting. ‌

Resin-based materials: including rosin and its derivatives, amber resin, dammar resin, etc. These materials are also commonly used to make patterns for investment castings. ‌

Refractory materials: Several layers of refractory materials coated on the surface of the pattern, such as refractory casting materials composed of silicate colloidal solution (ethyl silicate hydrolyzate, water glass and silica sol, etc.), used to make mold shells. ‌

Other auxiliary materials: such as coatings, which are mainly used to coat the surface of the investment pattern to prevent molten metal from invading the surface of the investment pattern and increase the hardness of the surface of the investment pattern. Commonly used coatings include silicate coatings, persimmon powder coatings, graphite coatings, etc.