Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CASTING TECHNOLOGY
Prepared by :
Dr. Aslinda Saleh
What is Casting?
What is Foundry?
What is Foundrymen?
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Overview of Metal Casting
Definition:
Foundry is a factory equipped with metal casting tools and equipment for
casting operation.
Foundrymen is the person who works in foundry that perform the casting.
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Cont’
Casting uses the idea that liquid metal can take the shape of the
vessel containing it.
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Advantages of Casting
Casting can produced intricate shape of product either internal or external and
complex product.
Since molten metal can flow into small sections in the mould.
Due to the casting process is low cost and quick, thus it is suitable for production of
protoypes for creating a new designed product.
Casting is a versatile process for producing parts of any application such as for
automotive, agriculture, home appliances and machinery.
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Limitations of Casting
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When are metal casting required?
To allow the shaping of difficult materials.
Brittle material , low ductility
Engine block
Brake drum
Bearing seat
Heavy machinery
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Typical Application of Casting
Automotive
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Cont’
Plumbing : valve blades, pipe fittings, pipe, control handle
Bronze valve
Brass stop valve
Pipe fittings
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Cont’
Aerospace : Avionics cases, seat parts, window bezel, turbine parts,
handle, levers..
Aero-engine application
Turbine parts
Aluminum casting
Turbine blade
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Cont’
Machine tools : machine base, carriers, ways, tailstock, knee…
Tailstock
Machine base
Machine base
Ways
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Fundamental of Metal Casting
Basic process of casting :
Pouring molten
Create mould
metal into a
from a pattern
mould
Removing the
Allowing it to
part from the
solidify
mould
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Types of Casting
Expendable moulds - moulds made of sand, plaster, ceramics, or
other materials capable of withstanding high temperatures which
are broken up and discarded after a single use.
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Casting Processes
a) Expandable mould and permanent pattern :
◦ Sand casting
◦ Shell-mould casting
◦ Plaster-mould casting
◦ Ceramic-mould casting
c) Permanent mould :
◦ Permanent-mould casting
◦ Die casting
◦ Centrifugal casting
◦ Squeeze casting
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Sand Casting ( Overview)
Sand mould is the traditional method of casting metal and it has been
used since c 3500 BC.
Parts found during this period are copper axes and other flat objects
casted in an open mould made of stone or baked clay.
Core for making hollow sockets in the objects was invented which
made of baked clay.
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Sand Casting Process
c) Removing the pattern & filing the mould cavity with molten metal
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Schematic illustration of a sand mould
Sprue
Sprue
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Casting terms
Flask : one which hold / support the sand mould intact
Cope : upper part of moulding flask
Drag : lower part of moulding flask
Pouring basin : a small tunnel shape cavity at the top of the mould
into which the molten metal is poured
Riser : a reservoir of molten metal provided in the casting, so that it
will supply additional molten metal to the casting as it shrinks during
solidification (open riser & blind riser)
Sprue : the passage through which the molten metal flows downward
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Cont’
Runner : Channel that carry the molten metal from the sprue to the
mould cavity
Gate : the inlets into the mould cavity
Parting line : dividing line between two moulding flask
Core : inserts made from sand to create hollow cavities in casting
Mould cavity : cavity in which molten metal occupied to the desired
shape (product)
Vent hole : small / tiny hole create for molten metal gasses to escape
out from the mould when molten metal contact with moulding sand
Pattern : replica of the final object used to form mould cavity
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Sequence of Operation for Sand Casting
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Cont’
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Shell-mould Casting ( Overview)
It was first developed in the 1940s and has growth significantly due to
its advantages :-
• Can produce casting with close dimensional tolerances
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Application
Cylinder head
Gear housing
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Shell-mould Casting Process
a) Sand mixture preparation :
◦ Sand grain is mixed with thermosetting resin binder (phenol formaldehyde) about
2.5% ~ 4.0% which coats the sand particles
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Cont’
b) Pattern creation
◦ Metal pattern is created of the desired part typically from iron or steel
c) Mould creation
◦ Metal pattern is heated to 175oC to 370oC and sprayed with release agent /
parting agent for easy release of shell (silicone spray)
◦ Heated pattern is clamped with a dump box contains a mixture of sand & resin
binder
◦ The dump box is inverted, allowing the sand-resin mixture to adhere on the pattern
◦ The shell along with the pattern plate kept in an oven for curing completion & shell
is ejected from the pattern
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Cont’
d) Mould assembly
◦ The two halves shell are joined together either by mechanical clamping or
adhesive bonding
◦ Shell mould is placed into a flask and supported by a backing material (sand)
e) Pouring
◦ The is securely clamped together, and ready for pouring of molten metal
f) Removing
◦ After cooled, casting can be removed by breaking the mould
◦ Trimming and cleaning process shall be done to the excess material of the feed
system or from sand particles
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Dump-box technique
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Plaster-mould casting (overview)
Used only for cast aluminum, magnesium, zinc and some copper-based
alloys
The plaster mould having low thermal conductivity than others, the castings
cool slowly will obtained a uniform grain structure with less warpage
Can produce thin wall product with thickness ranging from 1 to 2.5mm
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Application
Gears
Ornaments
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Plaster-mould casting process
a) Pattern creation
◦ Create pattern from drawing or clone from customer model
◦ Pattern materials are aluminum alloys, thermosetting plastics, brass or zinc alloys
◦ Woods patterns are not suitable for making large number of moulds because they are repeatedly in
contact with water-based plaster slurry
b) Mould creation
◦ The composition of plaster of paris (gypsum or calcium sulfate) with addition of talc and silica flour to
improve strength and control the time required for plaster to set
◦ The slurry is then poured over the pattern and allowing the plaster to set (about 15minute) and removed
from the pattern
c) Mould assembly
◦ The mould halves are assembled to form the cavity and preheated at 120oC
d) Pouring
◦ Molten metal is poured into the mould
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Ceramic-mould casting (overview)
Is similar to plaster-mould casting
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Ceramic-mould casting process
a) Pattern creation
◦ Patterns are made of metal or wood
b) Mould creation
◦ Mix fine-grained zircon, aluminum oxide and fused silica which then mixed with bonding
agent
◦ The slurry is then poured over the pattern which has been place in flask
◦ After setting the mould (ceramic facing) are removed, dried, burned off to remove
volatile matter and baked
c) Mould assembly
◦ The mould halves are clamped firmly
d) Pouring
◦ The mould is ready for pouring
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Sequence operation of making ceramic mould
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This photo shows a ceramic mold made by 3D Printing and an orthopedic
knee casting poured into a similar mold. The knee casting has been
polished on the back side as can be seen in the reflection in the mirror.
The casting is made of a medical cobalt chrome alloy.
Photo Credit: MIT 3DP La
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References
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