One or both ends of the mold have removable end caps which are held on with wedges or clamps. Removing the end cap allows removal of the casting from the mold.

• A critical step in mold preparation is spray coating the interior wall of the steel mold with a ceramic slurry at a controlled thickness.  

• The ceramic coating serves as a wetting agent that promotes the flow of the molten metal into the mold, controls the heat transfer during solidification, and acts as a parting coating for casting removal.