CASTING

Dr Thulfiqar
Dental Material
Block 3
 CONTENT
1) Key terms
2) Thermal shrinkage
3) Investment expansion
4) Casting techinque
5) Spruing
6) Sprue performance
7) Casting ring liner
8) Method of melting
9) Casting machine
10)Casting crucible
11)Cleaning the casting
12)Polishing
 KEY TERMS

Casting
A process for forming objects by pouring molten
metals in molds that are cooled to cause solidification
Castability
The ability of an alloy to completely fill a mold
Investment
A molding material that surround the pattern
subsequently hardens and forms the mold after the
wax pattern is eliminated
Die
A replica of a tooth or prepared tooth onto which a
wax pattern is a formed (die usually made of a gypsum
material)
Lost wax casting process
A method of casting metals that uses a wax model of
the object to form the mold and after wax elimination,
the mold cavity
Sprue
Part of a casting that acts as a channel for the molten
metal to flow into the mold cavity
 THERMAL SHRINKAGE

 The lost wax procedure requires specially developed

materials that compensate for the dimensional
changes:
Shrinkage (wax+alloy) = investment expansion

 Thermal shrinkage
• For wax: depends whether the pattern is direct
or indirect
• For alloy: depends on the geometry of the
casting, i.e. full crown > bulky ¾ crown
 INVESTMENT EXPANSION
(Compensation for solidification shrinkage)
 Compensation for the shrinkages inherent in the
dental casting procedure may be obtained by
controlling either
1) The setting or hygroscopic expansion of the
investment or
2) The thermal expansion of the investment

 Both of these techniques are currently in use and

are commonly referred to as the hygroscopic
expansion (low-heat) method and the thermal
expansion (high-heat) method
 CASTING TECHNIQUE

HIGH HEAT WATER-IMMERSION

(Thermal expansion) (Low heat hygroscopic)
Weak in nature Stronger than high-heat
technique
Metal casting Metal casting ring is
unnecessary (replaced by
a rubber ring)
SE>HE HE>SE
Cristobalite Use for alloy with a high
gold content
 SPRUING

 The purpose of spruing the wax pattern is to

provide a channel through which molten alloy can
reach the mold in an invested ring after the wax has
been eliminated
 The diameter and length of the sprue former
depend to a large extent on the type and size of the
pattern, the type of casting machine to be used, and
the dimension of the flask or ring in which the
casring will be made

(Prefabricated sprue formers are available in a wide

range of gauges or diameters)
 SPRUE PERFORMANCE

 The sprue former should be attached to the wax

pattern (on the master die) provided that the
pattern can be removed directly in line with its path
of withdrawal from the die
 This performance is generally governed by the
following principles:
1) Diameter
2) Position
3) Attachment
4) Direction
5) Length
1) Diameter
 A sprue former with a diameter that is
approximately the same size as the thickest area of
the wax pattern should be selected
 Any disproportion could lead to distortion or
localized shrinkage porosity
 A reservoir can be used overcome such problem
2) Position
 It is based on the shape and the form of wax
pattern
 However, the ideal area for the sprue former is the
point of greatest bulk in the pattern in order to
i. Avoid distorting thin areas of wax during
attachment to the pattern
ii. Permit complete flow of the alloy into the mold
cavity
3) Attachment
 Sprue attachment must always be made at the
bulkiest portion of the pattern
 All attachments must be fabricated in away so that
sharp corners, angles and instrument marks could
be avoided
 If not, turbulence of the molten gold as it enters
the mold causes porosity which is due to
entrapped gases and an inappropriate angle of
sprue attachment
4) Direction
 The sprue former should be directed away from
any thin or delicate parts of the pattern because
the molten metal may abrade or fracture
investment in this area and result in a casting
failure
 The sprue former should not be attached to
abroad flat surface at a right angle (such an
orientation leads to turbulence within the mold
cavity and severe porosity in this region)
 When this same pattern is sprued at a 45 angle to
the proximal area, a satisfactory casting is
obtained
5) Length
 The length of the sprue former depend on the
length of casting ring
 If the sprue is too short, the wax pattern may be so
far removed from the end of the casting ring that
gases cannot be adequately vented to permit the
molten alloy to fill the ring completely
 Porosity may result if these gases are not
completely eliminated
 Therefore, the sprue length should be adjusted so
that the top of the wax pattern is within 6mm of
the open end of the ring for gypsum-bonded
investments
 With the higher-strength phosphate-bonded
investment, it may be possible to position the
wax pattern within 3 to 4 mm of the top of the
investment
 For reproducibility of casting accuracy, the
pattern should be placed as close as possible to
the centre of the ring
 CASTING RING LINER
 With the use of solid metal rings or casting flasks,
there must be a way to permit investment
expansion
 To achieve that; the walls of the casting ring must
be lined with a certain type of ring liner
 Traditionally, asbestos was the material of choice
 This material is no longer in use due to its
carcinogenic potential
 Instead, 2 types of non-asbestos ring liner material
have been developed
1) An aluminosilicate ceramic liner, and
2) A cellulose (paper) liner
 The liner must fit the inside diameter of the
casting ring with no overlap. The dry liner is
tacked in position with sticky wax
 The thickness of the liner should not be less than
1 mm approx.
 The liner can be used either dry or wet
 METHODS OF MELTING
 Alloys are melted in one of the following ways:
1) The alloy is melted in a separated crucible by a
torch flame and cast into the mold by centrifugal
force
2) The alloy is melted electrically by a resistance
heating or induction furnace and then cast into
the mold centrifugally by motor or spring action
3) The alloy is melted by induction heating and then
cast into the mold centrifugally by motor or
spring action
4) The alloy is vacuum-arc melted and cast by
pressure in an argon atmosphere
(the molten metal may be cast by air pressure, vacuum
or both)
 CASTING MACHINE
 Utilizing the aforementioned ways of melting, the
available types of casting machine are:
1) Torch melting/centrifugal casting machine
2) Electrical resistance-heated casting machine
3) Induction melting machine (for base metal alloy)
4) Direct-current arc melting machine
5) Vacuum or pressure-assisted casting machine
(for titanium and titanium alloy)
 CASTING CRUCIBLE
 4 types of casting crucibles are available: clay,
carbon, quartz and zirconia-alumina

1) Clay crucible
for many of the crown and bridge alloys, such as the
high noble and noble types

2) Carbon crucible
for high noble crown and bridge alloys and the higher-
fusing gold-based metal-ceramic alloys
3) Alumina, quartz or silica crucible
• High-fusing alloys of any type
• Alloys that have a high melting temperature
• Those that are sensitive to carbon contamination
• Crown and bridge alloys with a high palladium
content; such as palladium-silver alloys for metal-
ceramic copings
• Any of the nickel-based or cobalt-based alloys
 CLEANING THE CASTING
 The surface of the casting appears dark because of
oxides and tarnish. Such a surface film can be
removed by a process known as pickling
 The process consists of heating the discolored
casting in an acid
 One of the best pickling solutions for gypsum-
bonded investment is a 50% hydrochloric acid (HCl)
solution which aids in the removal of any residual
investment, sulfide and oxide coatings
 The pickling process can be performed ultrasonically
while the prosthesis is sealed in a Teflon container
(a solution of sulfuric acid is used in such a case)
 Abrasive blasting device are also useful for cleaning
the surface of casting
 The best method for pickling is to place the casting
in a test tube or dish and to pour the acid over it
(heating the acid, but boiling should be avoided?)
 After pickling, the acid is poured off and the casting
is removed
 POLISHING
 After precision of fit and marginal integrity have
been established on the die, a rubber, rag or felt
wheels impregnated with abrasive are used in the
initial stages of finishing
 Final polishing is accomplished with various oxides
of tin and aluminium used in conjunction with a
small rag or chamois buffing wheel, followed with
an iron oxide rouge
 Since these oxides are often supplied in stick form
for conveince of handling and confining the
abrasive to the wheel, residual traces of the rosin or
waxlike matrix must be removed with a suitable
solvent or “polishing compound remover” followed
by a hot, soapy water rinse