6000 year guardian talismans are cast like NASA technology

The amulet was born 6,000 years ago with the seamless casting technology still used by NASA to build spacecraft.

The 6,000-year-old amulet found in the Neolithic village of Mehragarh, Pakistan, is the oldest product using flowing molding techniques , the method of metal processing is still used in aerospace industry. now, according to the Washington Post.

In the report published Nov. 15 in Nature, scientists at the Ipanema European Center for Archaeological Materials, France, analyzed the charm with luminescent imaging technology to find out exactly how. Ancient people built it. They shone light on the charm, then measured the amount of light reflected. Different materials have varying amounts of reflected light, allowing the team to clearly identify the material used to make the charm.

Amulet made by casting molding technique.(Photo: Nature).

The analytical process indicates that the charm is cast in a seamless mold, proving that it is created by casting molding technique. This technique creates a copy of the wax pattern, then surrounds it. The blacksmith heated this mold, poured loose wax and poured molten metal into it. After cooling, the mold broke, leaving the metal object intact.

The talisman is manipulated by pouring molten copper into pre-prepared clay mold. Copper absorbs a small amount of oxygen during the production process, resulting in tiny copper oxide stains inside the charm.

Flow molding techniques can be used for more complex designs. This is still the most popular method in foundries today." Flow molding is the most precise metal fabrication technique in aerospace and biomedical industries, for steel to titanium alloys," the team said.

The technique was also used to create parts on NASA, International Space Station and Curiosity Mars exploration robots. NASA also built parts of the Messenger spacecraft flying around Mercury orbit in 2011 - 2015 with this casting molding technology.