In the first step of the V-process, a thin plastic film is heated and placed over a pattern. A vacuum tightly draws the film over the pattern, which is then surrounded by a flask. The flask is then filled with dry, unbonded, extremely fine sand, and the “mold’ is vibrated so that the sand tightly packs around the pattern.

After a second sheet of film is placed on the flask, a vacuum draws out the air, and the completed mold is then stripped from the pattern.

Each half of the mold is made in a similar fashion. Then aluminum is poured directly from a furnace into the closed halves. The mold is held under vacuum to retain its shape. After the mold cools, the vacuum is released, and the sand and completed castings fall free. Simple in concept and far reaching in impact, the V-process produces quick turn-around high-value castings.