Patent ID: 8333230

Claim:
A casting method comprising: charging a crucible with a solid material exhibiting a minimum temperature of melting; heating a reusable mold comprising a plurality of mold chambers symmetrically distributed around and angularly offset from a central axis of the reusable mold, and having a first portion and defined by an outer wall of an inner member having a cone shape and a remaining portion of the mold chamber being defined by an inner wall of a complementary outer member having a cup shape complementary to the cone shape of the inner member and having the inner member received therein to a temperature greater than 100 ° C. but less than the minimum temperature of melting with an induction heating coil positioned around an outer wall of the complementary outer member and having a conical shape complementary to the outer wall of the complementary outer member; heating the crucible to greater than the minimum temperature of melting and melting the solid material with a second induction heating coil separate from the induction heating coil positioned around the reusable mold; evacuating the plurality of mold chambers to a pressure of less than 1 atm absolute through at least one vacuum tap located below a top end of the plurality of mold chambers positioned below a closed bottom orifice of the crucible; opening the closed bottom orifice of the crucible, draining the melted material through the top end into the evacuated plurality of mold chambers by flowing the melted material over a peak of the cone-shaped inner member and into each mold chamber of the plurality of mold chambers, and solidifying the melted material in the at least one mold chamber; and removing the solidified material from the plurality of mold chambers by separating the inner member from the complementary outer member of the reusable mold.