What is the Best Way to Make An Emax Inlay?

Martin Martinez, CDT I agree with Patrick, you can weigh your wax ups and fit a lot of inlays in a single casting, some labs even recycle the casted buttons and re-press them.

Patrick Coon, CDT/TE Definitely weighing your patterns is the best way to ensure maximum use of an ingot.

However, I would recommend against re-pressing ingots. Every time you take an ingot to the point that it will flow you change its physical properties. This will make the material more brittle, lower its strength, and shift the CTE. I've heard people say, "Well, I only put them behind a new ingot and...See more use them as a 'pusher' ingot so I can maximize my new ingot." The problem with this is that due to the friction of the ingot moving against the investment, part of the used ingot will actually be pushed through the center of the new ingot and end up in your pressing. Now you have a pattern made up of the new and used ingot. This pattern will have areas with differing strengths and CTEs, making it difficult to stack on if needed.

Curt Morgese, CDT Patrick is there any real data on your finding. I will cut ingots and am not so sure about the reuse of a pellet. The companies could make these ingots half the size at no real cost difference to them. Problem is that everyone wants to sell to big labs.