SOPHIA® process for complex aluminum investment castings

The Sophia® process gives design engineers a great deal of freedom when it comes to optimizing topology for aerospace.

The SOPHIA® process was developed to produce complex aluminum investment castings with very sophisticated wall thicknesses and a uniform/dense microstructure. This makes it possible to achieve better static properties and dynamic characteristic values.

After casting, a computer-controlled process lowers the mould into a cooling medium. The parameters are matched with the component’s geometry and lead to a controlled and faster solidification. This produces a finer and denser microstructure. The SOPHIA® process reduces the dependence of the strength values on the wall thickness, while at the same time the mechanical properties are also significantly improved.

The special investment casting process offers design engineers a huge advantage compared to conventionally produced milled parts.