A surgical retractor for illuminating a surgical field includes an ergonomic handle, a retractor blade coupled with the handle, a quick release mechanism, and an illuminator blade. The retractor blade is adapted to engage and retract tissue, and the quick release mechanism is adapted to couple the handle with the retractor blade. The illuminator blade acts as a waveguide to transmit light by total internal reflection. Light is extracted from the illuminator to illuminate the surgical field. The retractor blade is releasable from the handle without requiring uncoupling of the illuminator blade from the handle and also without requiring optical uncoupling of the illuminator blade from a light source. The retractor may also be adapted to evacuate smoke from the surgical field.

A method of forming a cast component and a method of forming a casting mold is described herein. The ceramic core-shell mold includes at least first core portion, a first shell portion, and at least one first cavity between the core portion and the first shell portion. The core-shell mold may be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process and may include an integrated ceramic filter. At least a portion of the ceramic core-shell mold and the wax gate component is coated with a second ceramic material. The wax gate component is then removed to form a second cavity in fluid communication with the first cavity.

A ceramic core (40) for an investment casting process (80) including a subsurface internal channel (50) for the introduction of leachate (98) to improve the effectiveness of a leaching process used to remove the core (94) from a cast alloy component (100). The subsurface internal channel may be completely hollow, or it may include one or more ribs (54). The core may be formed (82) using a 3D printing process wherein a carrier material (68) is deposited in a central region of the channel for the purpose of supporting an overlying layer (62) of core material, with the carrier material later being removed to reveal the hollow internal channel (52).

Provided is a multicore. The multicore includes a first core, being made of a water-insoluble material, having a hollow formed in the first core and, having an opening formed at both ends of the first core and connected to the hollow, a second core, being made of a water-soluble material and disposed inside the hollow, and a coating layer, being configured to surround the first core to prevent at least a portion of the first core and the second core from being exposed to an outside. Further, the first core includes a plurality of spaces to allow a fluid supplied to an interior of the first core to flow toward the second core.

A surgical retractor for illuminating a surgical field includes an ergonomic handle, a retractor blade coupled with the handle, a quick release mechanism, and an illuminator blade. The retractor blade is adapted to engage and retract tissue, and the quick release mechanism is adapted to couple the handle with the retractor blade. The illuminator blade acts as a waveguide to transmit light by total internal reflection. Light is extracted from the illuminator to illuminate the surgical field. The retractor blade is releasable from the handle without requiring uncoupling of the illuminator blade from the handle and also without requiring optical uncoupling of the illuminator blade from a light source. The retractor may also be adapted to evacuate smoke from the surgical field.

The present invention relates to a core for hollow product manufacture including a multilayer filling material, which may be used in forming a cooling water circulation channel through which a fluid such as cooling water may pass, and a method of manufacturing a hollow product using the core, and the core includes a pipe, having a hollow formed in the pipe and an opening formed at both ends of the pipe so that the hollow is exposed to the outside through the opening, a first support member, being disposed inside the hollow and having a space formed in the first support member, a second support member, being disposed in the space, and a melting bar, passing through the second support member in a longitudinal direction of the melting bar, wherein the melting bar melts and forms a space in the second support member when the melting bar is heated.

A furnace for removing a molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core through sublimation comprising a retort furnace having an interior; a sublimation fixture insertable within the interior of the retort furnace, the sublimation fixture configured to receive at least one turbine blade having the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core; a flow passage thermally coupled to the retort furnace configured to heat a fluid flowing through the flow passage and deliver the fluid to the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core causing sublimation of the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core.

A method for chemically pickling a cast metal part, including a metal envelope which delimits an inner space in which at least one porous ceramic core is housed, and an outer space, the ceramic core being in fluid communication with the outer space, which method including: filling the pores of the ceramic core with a liquid; and then chemically pickling the cast metal part. This chemical pickling method may be implemented in a method for manufacturing a metal part by investment casting. This method is applicable at least to manufacture of turbine blades for turbomachines and, especially, for aircraft turbojet engines.

An autoclave system comprises an autoclave vessel 210, for performing a leaching operation on sacrificial ceramic cores (not shown) and a storage vessel 220 for containing caustic leaching fluid 230. Interposed in a fluid flow path between the vessel 210 and the tank 220 is a heat exchange unit 240, comprising a body 250 containing a thermal exchange medium, in the form of water 260, and first and second thermal exchange conduits represented at 270 and 280. A thermal exchange medium inlet pipe 290a and a thermal exchange medium outlet pipe 290b are provided to the body so that the medium 260 can be replenished, preferably substantially continuously, to optimize thermal transfer efficiency.

A method for fabricating a cast component with a cooling channel is provided. The method includes forming a shell mold over a pattern-ceramic matrix composite (CMC) elongated core arrangement to define a cavity in the shell mold. The pattern-CMC elongated core arrangement includes a pattern-forming material with a CMC elongated core disposed therein. The pattern-forming material in the cavity is replaced with metal via a casting process to form the cast component with the CMC elongated core disposed therein defining the cooling channel. The CMC elongated core is removed from the cast component to open the cooling channel for fluid communication.