Investment casting core with cooling feature alignment guide and related methods

A casting mold for use in an investment casting process, the casting mold comprising:

• a body (12) comprising an outer surface that defines both an impingement plate side (14) and an impingement surface side (16) opposed to the impingement plate side;
• a shape (18) of an impingement cooling feature formed on the impingement surface side, the impingement cooling feature shape defining an impingement target area (22);
• an alignment guide (24) extending through the body from the impingement target area to the impingement plate side, and a portion (26) of the alignment guide extending away from the body beyond the impingement plate side;
• and
• a shell disposed around the body;
• wherein the body and the alignment guide form a core;
• wherein the alignment guide comprises a first portion disposed in the shell, a second portion disposed in the body, and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the third portion is not disposed in the shell or in the body and is thereby effective to hold the body apart from the shell;
• wherein an end of the second portion of the alignment guide (24) terminates flush with the impingement surface side (16);
• wherein the core and the shell are configured to form a component therebetween;
• and
• wherein the impingement target area constitutes a part of an external surface of the core.