Methods and apparatus for high throughput pressure infiltration casting

Disclosed are economical methods and apparatus for high throughput pressure infiltration casting. Methods of the invention use a mold vessel as an evacuation chamber along with an evacuation cap to produce superior quality near-net shape finished cast parts with low porosity. Other methods of the invention use an improved heat transfer technique for directionally solidifying molten infiltrant at an increased rate to increase further the throughput of the pressure infiltration casting cycle. The invention also provides apparatus for practicing methods for high throughput pressure infiltration casting. One embodiment of an apparatus of the invention is a removable evacuation cap, often used in conjunction with a fill tube. Another apparatus embodiment is an evacuation cap coupled to a mold vessel which is used as an evacuation chamber.