Rapid investment casting of nano-treated aluminum alloy 2024

Rapid investment casting (RIC) based on additive manufacturing has been widely applied in the casting industry owing to its rapid production of patterns and components of free-form and complex geometries without tooling, which is highly desirable for multiple industries. However, high-performance Al-Cu-Mg alloys like AA2024, renowned for their exceptional strength and fatigue resistance, have traditionally posed significant challenges for investment casting. These alloys are prone to hot cracking and other shrinkage defects due to the slow solidification process involved. In this study, nanoparticles are used to enable the rapid investment casting of AA2024 without any cracks or shrinkage defects. Nanotechnology-enabled RIC of AA2024 is successfully demonstrated to offer good casting quality and extraordinary mechanical performance. This work shows great potential for nanotechnology-enabled RIC of other high-strength aluminum alloys for widespread applications.