Patterns For Mould Making

Patterns for mould making
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerem Altuğ GÜLER

A PATTERN is a form made of wood, metal, plastic, or
composite materials around which a moulding
material (usually prepared sand) is formed to shape
the casting cavity of a mould. Most patterns are
removed from the completed mould halves and used
repeatedly to make many duplicate moulds.
Expendable patterns of such materials as wax or
expanded polystyrene are made in quantity and are
used only once to produce an individual mould.
Pattern Types (For permanent patterns)
• Single free pattern

• Free pattern with runner (loose pattern)
• Match plate pattern
• Special pattern
Single free pattern Free pattern with runner
Match plate pattern

Pattern materials
Materials for permanent patterns

• Wood (Must be dry and hard with low porosity.)
- Pine, - Hornbeam
• Metal (Can be produced with machining or casting)
- Al alloys, - Cu alloys, - Cast iron, - Steel,
- Pb-Sn alloys
• Polymeric
- Phenolic resins, -Epoxy resins
• Plaster (Can be coated with plastic and prepared
with fibre reinforcements.)
Some characteristics of permanent pattern materials
Materials for expendable patterns
• Wax (for investment casting)
A typical pattern wax formulation
• Polymeric foam (for lost foam casting)

- EPS, - EPMMA, - Copolymers
Wax pattern and
cast part
Foam pattern and

cast part
Selection of pattern type
The type of pattern or core box used and the pattern or

core box material used for a given set of castings
depend on the following fundamental factors:
• The number of castings to be produced

• The moulding or coremaking process to be employed
• The casting design
• The dimensional tolerances required
Stages of shrinkage formation
Pattern allowances
Although a pattern is used to produce a casting of

desired dimensions, it is not dimensionally identical to
the casting. A number of allowances must be made on
the pattern to ensure that the finished casting is
dimensionally correct, to ensure that the pattern can
be effectively removed from the mould, and to allow
for cores to be firmly anchored.
• Shrinkage allowance
• Machining allowance
• Distortion allowance (especially for special shapes)
• Draft or taper
Shrinkage allowance is the correction factor built into
the pattern to compensate for the contraction of the
metal casting as it solidifies and cools to room
temperature. The pattern is intentionally made larger
than the final desired casting dimensions to allow for
solidification and cooling contraction of the casting. This
allowance for contraction is sometimes called
patternmaker's shrinkage. The total contraction is
volumetric, but is usually expressed linearly. Because
different shrinkage allowances must be used for the
individual types of metals cast, it is not possible to use
the same pattern equipment for different cast metals
without expecting dimensional changes. It must be
emphasized that these shrinkage allowances are only
guidelines and can only be applied with considerable
knowledge of the actual casting design and the foundry
moulding techniques to be used.
Volumetric solidification shrinkage of some metals and alloys
Typical pattern shrinkage allowances for various casting materials

The machine finish allowance provides for sufficient
excess metal on all cast surfaces that require finish
machining. The required machine finish allowance
depends on many factors, including the metal cast, the
size and shape of the casting, casting surface roughness
and surface defects that can be expected, and the
distortion and dimensional tolerances of the casting
that are expected. Accurate patterns combined with
automated molding can often produce close-tolerance
castings with a minimum machine finish allowance that
can reduce final machining costs considerably.
Distortion Allowances. Certain cast shapes, such as
large flat plates and domeor U-shaped castings,
sometimes distort when reproduced from straight or
perfect patterns. This distortion is caused by the
nonuniform contraction stresses during the
solidification of irregularly shaped designs. Minor
distortions are normally corrected by mechanically
pressing or straightening the casting, but if distortions
are consistent and prominent, the pattern shape can be
intentionally changed to counteract the casting
distortions. The "distorted" pattern will then produce a
distortion-free casting. Prior consultation with the
foundry is necessary to review their experience with the
warpage distortion of similarly shaped castings.
Draft is taper allowed on the vertical faces of a pattern
to permit its removal from the sand or other moulding
medium without tearing of the mould walls. (On
vertically parted moulds, draft is required on horizontal
pattern surfaces.) The amount of draft required
depends on the shape and size of the casting, the
moulding process used, the method of mould
production, and the condition of the pattern. A draft
angle of approximately 1.5° (16 mm/m, or 0.2 in./ft) is
often added to design dimensions. The draft angle may
be higher when manual moulding techniques are used.
Interior surfaces usually require somewhat more draft
than exterior surfaces, and deep pockets or cavities may
require considerably more draft.
In castings, solidification must be directed to risers
(feeders) and runner system. This is called directional
solidification. For this purpose:
• Prepare optimum runner and riser system for

appropriate thermal gradient.
• Use effective shaped risers.
• If required use chillers
• Use different types of sands in different places of
moulds. These sands must have different thermal
properties.
Shape of riser
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 (𝑉)
𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒 𝑀 =
𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝐴)
2
𝑉
𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑠 ∝
𝐴
𝑀𝑅2 > 𝑀𝐶2 (10 - 15%)
R: Riser
C: Casting
Properties effects the fluidity of alloys
• Casting temperature (Amount of superheat)

• Thermal properties of molten material
• Thermal properties of mould material
• Design of the runner system
• Mould wetting ability of the cast metal
• Surface roughness of the mould wall
• Section thickness of the cast part
• Solidification rang of the alloy (Liquidus and solidus
temperatures)

Patterns For Mould Making

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What are the different types of patterns discussed?

What factors determine the selection of pattern type?

Patterns for mould making

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerem Altuğ GÜLER

• Single free pattern

Match plate pattern

Materials for permanent patterns

A typical pattern wax formulation

• Polymeric foam (for lost foam casting)

Foam pattern and

The type of pattern or core box used and the pattern or

• The number of castings to be produced

Although a pattern is used to produce a casting of

Typical pattern shrinkage allowances for various casting materials

• Prepare optimum runner and riser system for

𝑀𝑅2 > 𝑀𝐶2 (10 - 15%)

• Casting temperature (Amount of superheat)

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