Formation of metal parts

Method of forming a material from the class consisting of metals and alloys as a solid part having a predetermined geometry, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a hollow body having at one end a porous surface and a non-porous surface that are made of substances which are not wettable by said material and are disposed so that a selected area of said porous surface is exposed through an opening in said non-porous surface;
• b. immersing said one end of said hollow body in a melt of said material far enough so that said selected area of said porous surface contacts said melt;
• c. withdrawing said one end of said hollow body from said melt with at least a portion of said selected area of said porous surface and at least a portion of said non-porous surface at a temperature at least as high as the melting point of said material,
• d. providing a suction force on said porous surfaces as said body is withdrawn from the melt so as to cause a portion of said melt to adhere in liquid form to said selected area of said porous surface by suction;
• and
• e. thereafter cooling the adhering portion of said melt by removing heat from said one end of said hollow body and removing said suction force so that said adhering portion is released from said porous surface and forms a solid part having substantially the same geometry as the exposed area of said porous surface.