A recent consultancy proved it's worth by solving a problem that was costing many hours in repair work. Figures that required a high polish were suffering from pin-holing on the surface, which needed extensive welding and regrinding. The problem was traced to a poor shell preheating cycle that put the core at lower temperature than the critical surface as the metal was poured. Molten metal was chilling on the core first and hence feeding was drawing metal away from the critical surface, causing tiny shinkage pits that showed up on polishing. Adjustment to the heating cycle to give good core soak solved the problem immediately, saving thousands of pounds in re-work labour over the year's production.
If you need ceramic shell as an adjunct to an existing foundry, advice on process problems, are looking to convert from plaster based technologies or are interested in starting a small commerial facility, contact David Reid at davidjreid at c2i dot net. Some questions will be answered free of charge, while for others of a more complex nature, a nominal fee will be negotiated.