Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, and/or composition of matter configured for and/or resulting from, and/or a method for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, investment casting a product in a mold, the product comprising at least one wall, the mold comprising a core, an inner primary shell, and an outer secondary shell.

A mold includes an ingot mold and a top core. The top core is disposed in and/or on the ingot mold. The top core forms, in part, a functional surface of a component formed in the mold and the ingot mold forms at least a sub-region of the functional surface of the component formed in the mold.

The present invention relates to a device for shooting a foundry core which surrounds a free inner space on its outer boundaries, with the device having a mould cavity representing the foundry core, which circulates around an inner slider extending along a longitudinal axis and is delimited on its outer side by an outer slider circulating around the mould cavity, with the clear width of the mould cavity being determined by the distance of the inner surface of the outer slider, assigned to the mould cavity, to the outer surface of the inner slider. The device according to the invention allows for operationally-safe manufacture of foundry cores that are tubular in their base form, but finely-structured in their walls and also on a large scale. This is achieved by the inner slider segments being displaceable between a removal position, in which they are positioned approximated in relation to one another and to the longitudinal axis of the inner slider and the clear width of the mould cavity present between the inner slider and the outer slider is increased, into a shooting position approximating the outer slider, in which the clear width of the mould cavity corresponds to a target specification for the foundry core to be shot.

A method of making a composite core includes forming first and second cores of refractory metal and ceramic material. Each of the first and second cores is formed with two layers of a material. The layers are bonded together to form a laminate master pattern, and a flexible mold is formed around the pattern. The pattern is removed from the flexible mold, and slurry material, either pulverulent refractory metal material or ceramic material, is poured into the flexible mold. The slurry material is sintered to form each core. The first core is used as an insert while making the second core to create a final composite core.

A method of providing datum features on a ceramic article including the steps of providing a ceramic member having a plurality of substantially parallel holes extending into the ceramic member. Providing a plurality of tubular mounts, the cross-sectional area of each tubular mount being less than the cross-sectional area of the corresponding hole. Applying adhesive to the exterior surface of each one of the tubular mounts and inserting an adhesive covered tubular mount into each one of the holes. Providing a fixture member having a plurality of substantially parallel projections extending from predetermined positions. Positioning the ceramic member on the fixture member such that each projection locates in one of the tubular mounts and fixes the tubular mounts at the predetermined positions. The ceramic article may be removed from the fixture member or located in a machine tool using the fixture member and machining the ceramic article.

The invention relates to a method for determining the position of the cores in an injection mould, comprising the steps essentially consisting of: selecting a core R.sub.rep in a population of cores with the least difference from the mean of the measured differences between k cores and the theoretical three-dimensional spatial model, positioning this core R.sub.rep in space relative to at least one of the functional faces of a theoretical three-dimensional spatial model of the core, and repositioning core support points so that they can support the core R.sub.rep in the position corresponding to its repositioning in space performed in the previous step.

A holding device for holding a casting core in a casting mold, especially in a die-casting mold, includes a plurality of clamping sections which are positioned in relation to each other in such a way that a clamping region for a casting core is formed.

A method of making a refractory metal core includes forming two layers of the core out of a material. The layers are bonded together to form a laminate master pattern, and a flexible mold is formed around the pattern. The pattern is removed from the flexible mold, and pulverulent refractory metal material is poured into the flexible mold. The pulverulent refractory metal material is sintered to form the refractory metal core.

The invention relates to a method for determining the position of the cores in an injection mould, comprising the steps essentially consisting of: selecting a core R.sub.rep in a population of cores with the least difference from the mean of the measured differences between k cores and the theoretical three-dimensional spatial model, positioning this core R.sub.rep in space relative to at least one of the functional faces of a theoretical three-dimensional spatial model of the core, and repositioning core support points so that they can support the core R.sub.rep in the position corresponding to its repositioning in space performed in the previous step.

An airfoil includes leading and trailing edges; first and second sides extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, each side having an exterior surface; a core passage located between the first and second sides and the leading and trailing edges; and a wall structure located between the core passage and the exterior surface of the first side. The wall structure includes a plurality of cooling fluid inlets communicating with the core passage for receiving cooling fluid from the core passage, a plurality of cooling fluid outlets on the exterior surface of the first side for expelling cooling fluid and forming a cooling film along the exterior surface of the first side, and a plurality of cooling passages communicating with the plurality of cooling fluid inlets and the plurality of cooling fluid outlets. At least a portion of one cooling passage extends between adjacent cooling fluid outlets.