Casting Processes

Casting Processes
• Categorized as:
– single use mold & pattern
– single use mold, multiple use pattern
– multiple use mold
• Or also based on mold types:

– Expendable, Permanent and Composite
• Metals usually cast include:

– iron, steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, magnesium,
zinc alloys, nickel based superalloys.
Casting Processes
• Expendable:
– Typically made of sand, plaster, ceramics (good

refractory qualities).
– Usually mixed with bonding agents.
– After solidification, mold is broken to remove the

casting.
Casting Processes
• Permanent:
– Made of materials that have high strength at high
temperatures.
– Are used repeatedly/designed such that the part can be
easily removed and is ready for next part.
– Resulting parts have different microstructure/grain size
due to the higher rate of cooling that the mold is
subjected to.
Casting Processes
• Composite:
– Made of 2+ different materials (sand, graphite, metal).
– Combination allows for more control of mold strength,

cooling rates, better economics.
Sand Casting
• Most popular casting process. Sand is primary
mold material.
• Sand is mixed with clay,water to give
cohesiveness.
• Is then packed around pattern with shape of
casting.
• Can get good detail, wide range of sizes with this
method.
Sand Casting
Sand Casting
• See figure 11.9 on steps to create mold.
– Create pattern (usually wood.)
– Place pattern of desired shape
in sand to make imprint.
– Incorporate gating system.
– Fill resulting cavity with metal.
– Allow for solidification.
– Break away the sand mold.
– Remove casting.
Sands
• Silica (SO2), other types used due to their low cost and
resistance to high temperature.
• Should meet the following requirements:
– Refractoriness (basic nature of sand)
– Cohesiveness (grains coated with moist clay)
– Permeability (function of grain size)
• round grains for fine packing
• not too round to reduce permeability
– Collapsibility
• There is always a compromise between conflicting factors.
Sand Molds
• Green-sand:
– Uses sand, clay and water (typical mix contains 88%
silica, 9% clay, 3% water).
– Green means sand is wet during pouring of metal
– Least expensive method for molds.
• Skin dried:
– Mold is dried with air baked or with flames.
– Gives more strength to large castings.
– Better dimensional accuracy.
– Lower collapsibility (may tear the part).
– More processing time due to drying.
– https://www.wikihow.com/Cast-Metal
Sand Molds
Sand Molds
• Cold-mold box:
– Binders are blended with sand to bond sand grains for
more strength.
– More dimensionally accurate that green molds.
– More expensive.
• No-bake mold:
– Resin is mixed with the sand.
– Hardens at room temp.
– No heat involved in the bonding: cold-setting process.
Ceramic Mold Casting
• It is a precision casting method.
• Material for mold is refractory (zirconia, alumina
and silica).
• Suitable for high temperature applications (high
temp alloys, stainless and tool steels.
• Good dimensional accuracy/surface finish.
• Expensive; cannot be reused.
• Good for super alloys.
Ceramic Mold Casting
Expendable-Pattern Casting
(Lost Foam)
• Also called Lost-Pattern Casting.
• Uses polystyrene pattern that evaporates upon

contact with molten metal.
• The melted styrene leaves a cavity for the casting.
• Generally used for casting ferrous and non-ferrous

(Lost Foam)
- Lost Foam -
• Steps: (See fig. 11.12)
– Create Pattern
– Place polystyrene beads on preheated die.
– (Polystyrene expands/takes shape of cavity).
– Add heat to help bond beads together.
– Cool die and remove pattern.
– Coat pattern with refractory slurry and dry.
(Lost Foam)
• Steps (cont.):
– Place pattern in flask (container) and fill with loose sand.
(Sand surrounds/supports the pattern). Compact sand
periodically.
– Pour molten metal into mold.
– Molten metal vaporizes pattern by ablation and fills the
cavity.
– It actually replaces the space occupied by the pattern by
de-polymerizing the styrene.
– Degradation by-products are vented off through the sand.
(Lost Foam)
• Steps (cont.):
– Let cool and remove part.
• Advantages:
– Simple: no parting lines, risers.
– Inexpensive
– Good detail
– Minimum finishing
– Can be automated.
(Lost Foam)
• Sample parts
– Cylinder heads
– Crankshafts
– Manifolds
Investment Casting
(Lost-Wax Process)
• Steps:
– Make pattern of wax/plastic by molding/other.
– Assemble patterns onto a tree.
– Coat the pattern tree with refractory slurry.
– Recoat with stucco for strength.
Investment Casting
(Lost-Wax Process)
• Steps (cont.):
– Place pattern tree in furnace to melt wax out.
– Pour molten metal into hollow pattern. Let cool.
– Shake off the crust of refractory material.
– Cut off parts from tree, finish.

Investment Casting
(Lost-Wax Process)
Investment Casting
(Lost-Wax Process)
• Advantages:
– Suitable for high melting point alloys.
– Good surface finish / dimensional
accuracy.
– Few finishing operations.
• Drawback: Costly.
Investment Casting
(Lost-Wax Process)
Permanent Mold Casting
• Two metal halves are made, usually gray cast iron, steel
or refractory alloys, then hinged for opening/closing.
• Mold cavity and gating system are machined into the
mold.
• If part has internal cavities, metal or sand cores are used.
• Surfaces of mold cavity are coated with a refractory
slurry or splayed with graphite every few castings to
increase mold life.
• Coating also serves as parting agents.
• Coating also serves as parting agent.
• Ejector pins may be required to facilitate the

removal of the part.
• Molds are clamped mechanically and heated. Metal

is poured, metal flows by gravity.
• Casting cools and molds are opened.

• Advantages
– Mold is reusable.
– Produces good surface finish.
– Good dimensional tolerances. (0.010”)
– Good mechanical properties.
– Stronger due to faster cooling rates.
• Drawbacks:
– Lower melting pt. alloys only.
– Mold life limited by metal erosion/thermal fatigue.
– Not economical for small runs.
– Not good for intricate shapes given the difficulty in
removing mold.
• Sample Parts:
– pistons
– connecting rods
– cylinder heads
Die Casting
• A type of permanent mold casting.
• Typical applications are motors, machine
components, hand tools, toys.
• Two types of processes:
– Hot Chamber
– Cold Chamber
Die Casting
Die Casting
• A piston is used to force a volume of molten metal into a
die cavity though a nozzle. See figs. 11.20, 11.21.
• Hot Chamber Process
– A piston is used to force a volume of molten metal
into a die cavity though a gooseneck and nozzle.
– Pressures used are up to 5000 psi (2000 psi average).
– Metal is held under pressure until it cools.
– Dies are usually water cooled to improve life.
Die Casting
• Cold Chamber Process
– Chamber is not heated in the process.
– Pressures can be 3000 to 10000 psi.

– Used with high melting point alloys.
Die Casting
• Advantages
– Can produce strong high quality parts w/complex
shapes.
– Good dimensional accuracy & surface details.
– Little or no subsequent machining / finishing
required.
– Good thin walls can be made (0.015") due to high
pressures used.
– Finish marks will remain (parting lines, ejector
pins).
Die Casting
• Limitations
– Dies usually made of tool steel, can be quite expensive.
– Tool life heavily dependent on pouring temperature:
cracking seen due to thermal cycling.
– Die material is impermeable: gases cannot escape, leading
to porosities, misruns.
– Dies should be vented, resulting vents are later trimmed.
Summary
Typical defects seen in Casting
• Shrinkage
• Porosity
• Cracks
• Inclusions
• Poor surface finish
• Non-fill / misruns
• Dimensional Discrepancies
• Parting Lines
Typical Material Applications for Castings
• Aluminum
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Gray Iron
• Nickel
• Steel (Carbon & Low Alloy)
• Zinc
• Cast Iron
General Cost Characteristics of Casting
Processes
• Sand
• Plaster
• Investment
• Permanent Mold
• Die
- Die Cost
- Equipment Cost
- Labor Cost
- Production Rate

Casting Processes

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Casting Processes

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Casting Processes

• Or also based on mold types:

• Metals usually cast include:

– Typically made of sand, plaster, ceramics (good

– Usually mixed with bonding agents.

– After solidification, mold is broken to remove the

– Combination allows for more control of mold strength,

• Uses polystyrene pattern that evaporates upon

• The melted styrene leaves a cavity for the casting.

• Generally used for casting ferrous and non-ferrous

– Pour molten metal into hollow pattern. Let cool.

– Shake off the crust of refractory material.

– Cut off parts from tree, finish.

• Ejector pins may be required to facilitate the

• Molds are clamped mechanically and heated. Metal

• Casting cools and molds are opened.

– Chamber is not heated in the process.

– Pressures can be 3000 to 10000 psi.

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