Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing has gripped the manufacturing market. The technology which was only restricted to
prototyping has now pushed its boundary by being cost effective and rendering endless capability to convert any complex design
into tangible outputs. In this paper, a real-time automotive steering mechanism part named “Holder” is produced by investment
casting. The customary practice of using a wax pattern in investment casting has been replaced by 3D-printed patterns of
polylactic acid [PLA]. “NX” software has been used to design the castings due to its simple synchronous modeling options and
“Altair Inspire Cast Student version 2019” has been used for simulation of casting defects and analyzing effective filling. The
results focus on choice of effective filling system and effectiveness of 3D-printed PLA patterns in investment casting. This study
encourages implementation of additive manufacturing for small volume production in investment casting.