Preformed ceramic seed well for single crystal starter seed

• Main Authors: MARCIN, JOHN, MURRAY, STEPHEN, BULLIED, STEVEN, TURKINGTON, MICHAEL, SAUERHOEFER, MARC, KENNARD, LEA D
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.02.2009
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUSPOLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CASTING; CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES; CHEMISTRY; CRYSTAL GROWTH; FOUNDRY MOULDING; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH; TRANSPORTING; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL ORUNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL

A method of creating an article from investment casting includes forming a ceramic seed well (10), heating the ceramic seed well to form a hardened ceramic seed well (10), attaching a meltable pattern (30) to the hardened ceramic seed well (10), coating the hardened ceramic seed well and the meltable pattern with hardenable ceramic material (42), heating the hardenable ceramic material to melt the meltable pattern (30), removing the meltable pattern from the hardenable ceramic material (42), firing the hardenable ceramic material to form a ceramic mold (64) having a cavity (74), placing a seed (12) within the hardened ceramic seed well, and pouring molten metal (62) into the hardened ceramic seed well (10) and the cavity (74). The cavity of the ceramic mold is in communication with the hardened ceramic seed well (10).