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World Conference on Investment Casting (WCIC) 2025 Held in Kobe, Japan

The World Conference on Investment Casting (WCIC) took place in Kobe, Japan from September 8-12, 2025, gathering around 300 participants from 23 countries to discuss the latest advancements in the investment casting industry.

The conference, which was primarily attended by participants from Asia, saw the presence of internationally operating suppliers dominating the exhibitors. These suppliers showcased their latest products and services for the investment casting industry.

Two major topics of the technical presentations were digital tools for faster development and defect prediction in investment casting, and new materials for aerospace, particularly high-temperature alloys for turbine applications. A keynote presentation focused on the development of a next-generation superalloy for single-crystal applications in aerospace.

The new superalloy aims to increase turbine inlet temperatures by 40 °C, potentially improving engine efficiency by 1%. Computational alloy design, complex ceramic cores, automated wax assembly, and additively manufactured shell molds play a central role in the development of this new superalloy.

Another presentation was given on an AI-based inspection system for automated defect detection in ceramic shell molds. This system combines camera-based data acquisition with a two-stage AI model (Mask R-CNN, nnU-Net) and aims to integrate quality control directly into the production process. Several companies from the automotive and electronics manufacturing sectors showed interest in this AI-based inspection system and were sought as potential project partners.

Solutions for efficiency gains in wax rooms were also presented, focusing on automation to provide flexibility and cost benefits for series production. Another contribution addressed the historical development of superalloys and introduced approaches to recycling used turbine blades.

The use of CaO crucibles during remelting was found to effectively bind sulfur from the melt, making the alloy reusable for high-temperature applications.

The WCIC 2025 offered valuable insights into ongoing R&D activities, particularly for aerospace and energy applications, demonstrating that digital technologies and new high-temperature alloys continue to be the key drivers of the investment casting industry.

The conference was opened by the Mayor of Kobe City, and despite language barriers due to the digital translation service "Wordly" providing only moderate quality, the event was a successful platform for knowledge sharing and networking within the investment casting community.

Looking ahead, upcoming events include the EICF 2026 in Seville and the ICI Conference in Pittsburgh in September 2025. The next WCIC will be held in 2028 in Prague.