Laser assisted casting of a cooling hole

Methods claimed include the use of laser ablation (P2) to form cooling holes in a wax model that can then be coated (P5) for use in lost-wax or lost-mould casting (P6, P7). The laser may be used to heat the wax locally to temperatures exceeding 500 degrees C, and the resultant finished model may be scanned optically to image the cooling hole. A second round of laser ablation (P4) may be conducted after the image has been taken. Also claimed is a system for laser-assisted lost-wax casting that includes a laser programmed to form a cooling hole, an imager or scanner to view the cooling hole, a coating system to coat the wax model in ceramic and a casting system for performing lost-wax casting using the wax model and mould.