WHEN SHOULD YOU CHOOSE INVESTMENT CASTING AND WHEN SHOULD YOU CHOOSE SAND CASTING?

One big advantage of investment casting is that it can allow for undercuts in the pattern, while sand casting does not. In sand casting, the pattern needs to be pulled out of the sand after it is packed, whereas in investment casting the pattern is vaporized with heat. Hollow castings and thinner sections can also be made more readily with investment casting, and a better surface finish is generally achieved. On the other hand, investment casting is a much more timely and expensive process, and can have a lower success rate than sand casting does since there are more steps in the process and more opportunities for things to go wrong.