Influence of Mould Material on the Mechanical Properties of Wax Models

The article presents results of research on the influence of the mould material on selected mechanical properties of wax models used for production of casting in investment casting method. The main goal was to compare the strength and hardness of samples produced in various media in order to analyse the applicability of the 3D printing technology as an alternative method of producing wax injection dies. To make the wax injection dies, it was decided to use a milled steel and 3D printed inserts made using FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) / FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) technology from HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). A semi-automatic vertical reciprocating injection moulding machine was used to produce the wax samples made of Freeman Flakes Wax Mixture – Super Pink. During injection moulding process, the mould temperature was measured each time before and after moulding with a pyrometer. Then, the samples were subjected to a static tensile test and a hardness test. It was shown that the mould material influences the strength properties of the wax samples, but not their final hardness