“Lost foam casting is a type of evaporative metal casting in which a polystyrene foam is used as a mold to shape the molten metal parts, which later on vaporize when the job is done.
You know, in earlier practices, people relied on the investment casting process to make the metal parts. However, this process uses the wax pattern, which needs to be melted before pouring the metal. Well! This extra step requires both time and energy, which increases the overall production costs.
Thus, to overcome the limitations of the traditional casting method in 1958, H.F. Shroyer ( American inventor and engineer) presented that you can use the foam pattern instead of wax.
This is because the boiling point of foam materials ( like polystrene) is usually very low, around 100–200°C. As a result, when you pour the hot molten metal ( above 600–1500°C) on the foam filled in the mold, it easily evaporates.
So, in 1960 and 1970, manufacturing began to implement this technique, especially in the automotive industry. And after 1980s, it became extremely popular and considered a good alternative to investment or sand casting methods owing to its low production costs.
