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Manufacturing Processes-I
Metal Casting

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Categories of Metal Casting Processes
1. Expendable: mold is sacrificed to remove part
 Advantage: more complex shapes possible
 Disadvantage: production rates often limited by time to make mold
rather than casting itself
2. Permanent: mold is made of metal-for many castings
 Advantage: higher production rates
 Disadvantage: geometries limited by need to open mold

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Other Expendable Processes
 Shell Molding
 Vacuum Molding
 Expanded Polystyrene Process
 Investment Casting
 Plaster Mold and Ceramic Mold Casting

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Shell Molding
Casting process in which the mold is a thin shell of
sand held together by thermosetting resin binder .
Developed in Germany during early 1940s

(1) a match-plate or cope-and-drag

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(2) box is inverted so that sand and resin fall onto the hot pattern, causing a
layer of the mixture to partially cure on the surface to form a hard shell

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 (3) box is repositioned so that loose uncured particles drop away

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 (4) sand shell is heated in oven for several minutes to complete curing
(5) shell mold is stripped from the pattern

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(6) two halves -assembled, supported by sand or metal shot in a box, and
pouring is done(7) the finished casting with sprue removed

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 Advantages and Disadvantages
 Advantages:
 Smoother cavity surface --easier flow—better finish on casting
 Good dimensional accuracy
 Machining often not required
 Mold collapsibility usually avoids cracks in casting
 Can be mechanized for mass production
 Disadvantages:
 More expensive metal pattern
 Difficult to justify for small quantities

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Expanded Polystyrene Process
Here the pattern is made of polystyrene foam pattern which
vaporizes when molten metal is poured into mold
Other names: lost-foam process, lost pattern process,
evaporative-foam process, and full-mold process
 Polystyrene foam pattern has sprue, risers, gating system, &
cores etc.
 Mold does not have to be opened into cope and drag sections

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 Contd..
 Advantages:
 Pattern need not be removed from the mold
 Simplifies and expedites mold-making, since two mold halves (cope
and drag) are not required as in a conventional green-sand mold

 Disadvantages:
 A new pattern is needed for every casting
 Economic justification of the process is highly dependent on cost of
producing patterns

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Applications
 Mass production of castings for automobile engines
 Automated & integrated mfg. systems are used to

 Mold the polystyrene foam patterns and then

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Investment Casting (Lost Wax Process)
A pattern made of wax is coated with a refractory material to
make mold, after which wax is melted away prior to pouring
molten metal
 "Investment" comes from the definition of "invest" - "to cover
completely," which refers to coating of refractory material
around wax pattern
 It is a precision casting process - capable of castings of high
accuracy and intricate detail

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 1. wax patterns are produced
2. several patterns are attached to a sprue to form a pattern tree

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 (3) the pattern tree is coated with a thin layer of refractory material
(4) the full mold is formed by covering the coated tree with sufficient
refractory material to make it rigid

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 (5) the mold is held in an inverted position and heated to melt the
wax and permit it to drip out of the cavity

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 (6) the mold is preheated to a
high temperature, which
ensures that all contaminants
are eliminated from the mold;
it also permits the liquid metal
to flow more easily into the
detailed cavity; the molten
metal is poured; it solidifies

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 (7) the mold is broken away from the finished casting -parts are
separated from the sprue

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Advantages and Disadvantages
 Advantages:
 Parts of great complexity and intricacy can be cast
 Close dimensional control and good surface finish
 Wax can usually be recovered for reuse
 Additional machining is not normally required - this is a net shape
process
 Disadvantages
 Many processing steps are required
 Relatively expensive process

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Plaster Mold Casting
Similar to sand casting except mold is made of plaster of
Paris
 In mold-making, plaster and water mixture is poured over
plastic or metal pattern and allowed to set
 wooden patterns are not used due to extended contact with water
 Plaster mixture readily flows around pattern, capturing its
fine details and good surface finish

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 Contd...
 Advantages:
 Good dimensional accuracy and surface finish
 Capability to make thin cross-sections in casting
 Disadvantages:
 Moisture in plaster mold causes problems:
 Mold must be baked to remove moisture
 Mold strength is lost when is over-baked, yet moisture content can
cause defects in product
 Plaster molds cannot stand high temperatures, so limited to
lower melting point alloys

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Ceramic Mold Casting
Similar to plaster mold casting except that mold is made of
refractory ceramic materials that can withstand higher
temperatures than plaster
 Ceramic molding can be used to cast steels, cast irons, and
other high temperature alloys
 Applications similar to those of plaster mold casting except
for the metals cast
 Advantages -good accuracy & finish

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Permanent Mold Casting Processes
 Economic disadvantage of expendable mold casting: a new
mold is required for every casting
 In permanent mold casting, the mold is reused many times
 The processes include:
 Basic permanent mold casting
 Die casting
 Centrifugal casting

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The Basic Permanent Mold Process
Uses a metal mold constructed of two sections designed for
easy, precise opening and closing
 Molds used for casting lower melting point alloys are
commonly made of steel or cast iron
 Molds used for casting steel must be made of refractory
material, due to the very high pouring temperatures

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 (1) mold is preheated and coated

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 (2) cores (if used) are inserted and mold is closed

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 (3) molten metal is poured into the mold

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 Adv. & Limitations
 Advantages:
 Good dimensional control and surface finish
 More rapid solidification caused by the cold metal mold results in a
finer grain structure, so stronger castings are produced
 Limitations:
 Generally limited to metals of lower melting point
 Simple part geometries compared to sand casting because of the need
to open the mold
 High cost of mold

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Applications
 Due to high mold cost, process is best suited to high volume
production and can be automated accordingly
 Typical parts: automotive pistons, pump bodies, and certain
castings for aircraft and missiles
 Metals commonly cast: aluminum, magnesium, Cu-based
alloys, cast iron etc.

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Die Casting
A permanent mold casting process in which molten metal is injected
into mold cavity under high pressure
 Pressure is maintained during solidification, then mold is opened and
part is removed
 Molds in this casting operation are called dies; hence the name die
casting
 Use of high pressure to force metal into die cavity is what distinguishes
this from other permanent mold processes

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Die Casting Machines
 Designed to hold and accurately close two mold halves
and keep them closed while liquid metal is forced into
cavity
 Two main types:
1. Hot-chamber machine
2. Cold-chamber machine

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Hot-Chamber Die Casting
Metal is melted in a container, and a piston injects liquid metal
under high pressure into the die
 High production rates - 500 parts per hour not uncommon
 Applications limited to low melting-point metals that do not
chemically attack plunger and other mechanical components
 Casting metals: zinc, tin, lead, and magnesium

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 (1) with die closed and plunger withdrawn, molten metal flows into the
chamber

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(2) plunger forces metal in chamber to flow into die, maintaining pressure
during cooling and solidification

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Cold-Chamber Die Casting
Molten metal is poured into unheated chamber from external melting
container, and a piston injects metal under high pressure into die cavity
 High production but not usually as fast as hot-chamber machines
because of pouring step
 Casting metals: aluminum, brass, and magnesium alloys
 Advantages of hot-chamber process favor its use on low melting-point
alloys (zinc, tin, lead)

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 (1) with die closed and ram withdrawn, molten metal is poured into the
chamber

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(2) ram forces metal to flow into die, maintaining pressure during cooling
and solidification

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 Molds for Die Casting
 Usually made of tool steel, mold steel etc.
 Tungsten and molybdenum (good refractory qualities) used
to die cast steel and cast iron
 Ejector pins required to remove part from die when it opens
 Lubricants must be sprayed into cavities to prevent sticking

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Advantages & Limitations
 Advantages:
 Economical for large production quantities
 Good dimensional accuracy and surface finish
 Thin sections are possible
 Rapid cooling provides small grain size and good strength to
casting
 Disadvantages:
 Generally limited to metals with low metal points
 Part geometry must allow removal from die cavity

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Centrifugal Casting
A group of casting processes in which the mold is rotated
at high speed so centrifugal force distributes molten metal
to outer regions of die cavity

 The group includes:

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True Centrifugal Casting
Molten metal is poured into rotating mold to produce a
tubular part
 In some operations, mold rotation commences after
pouring rather than before
 Parts: pipes, tubes, bushings, and rings
 Outside shape of casting can be round, octagonal,
hexagonal, etc., but inside shape is (theoretically) perfectly
round, due to radially symmetric forces

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 Setup for true centrifugal casting

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Casting Quality
 There are numerous opportunities for things to go wrong
in a casting operation, resulting in quality defects in the
product
 The defects can be classified as follows:
 Defects common to all casting processes
 Defects related to sand casting process

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Product Design Considerations
 Geometric Simplicity
 Corners
 Section Thickness
 Draft
 Use of Cores
 Dimensional Tolerances and Surface Finish
 Machining Allowances

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