FEF Key Professor and Virginia Tech Professor of Practice Alan Druschitz, who runs the school’s Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry, and student Victoria Rambo recently assisted the National Museum of the Marine Corps in creating replica pieces for a new exhibit. 

Druschitz and Rambo created molds of metal missile fins, then poured molten metal into the molds to create lightweight replicas for the museum. Rambo used the experience to write and present a paper, a highlight for her resume when she enters the industry’s job market.

“To make the missile fin castings, we were provided with a production missile fin,” said Druschitz. “We put the sand binder mixture into a box, we level it off, and then we push the original part into the sand to make an impression. And then we melt metal, pour it into a pouring basin on top of the sand mold. The leading edges are on the order of 70 thousandths of an inch––and for a sand mold, that is really thin."