Associate Professor Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Rajasthan Technical University, Kota Metal Casting Process: Introduction to Casting Process • Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing process. It is the first step in making most of the products. • Steps: - Making mould cavity - Material is first liquefied by properly heating it in a suitable furnace. - Liquid is poured into a prepared mould cavity - allowed to solidify - product is taken out of the mould cavity, trimmed and made to shape • We should concentrate on the following for successful casting operation: (i)Preparation of moulds of patterns (ii)Melting and pouring of the liquefied metal (iii)Solidification and further cooling to room temperature (iv)Defects and inspection
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 2 Advantages of casting • Molten material can flow into very small sections so that intricate shapes can be made by this process. As a result, many other operations, such as machining, forging, and welding, can be minimized. • Possible to cast practically any material: ferrous or non- ferrous. • The necessary tools required for casting moulds are very simple and inexpensive. As a result, for production of a small lot, it is the ideal process. • There are certain parts (like turbine blades) made from metals and alloys that can only be processed this way. Turbine blades: Fully casting + last machining. • Size and weight of the product is not a limitation for the casting process.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 3 Limitations of casting • Dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the castings made by sand casting processes are a limitation to this technique. • Many new casting processes have been developed which can take into consideration the aspects of dimensional accuracy and surface finish. Some of these processes are die casting process, investment casting process, vacuum-sealed moulding process, and shell moulding process. • Metal casting is a labour intensive process • Automation: a question
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 4 Classification of casting Process
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 5 Types of casting • The molds are constructed by several different processes dependent upon the type of foundry, metal to be poured, quantity of parts to be produced, size of the casting, and complexity of the casting. These mold processes include: • Sand casting — Green or resin bonded sand mold. • Lost-foam casting — Polystyrene pattern with a mixture of ceramic and sand mold. • Investment casting — Wax or similar sacrificial pattern with a ceramic mold. • Ceramic mold casting — Plaster mold. • V-process casting — Vacuum with thermoformed plastic to form sand molds. No moisture, clay or resin required. • Die casting — Metal mold. • Billet (ingot) casting — Simple mold for producing ingots of metal, normally for use in other foundries. • Loam molding - a built up mold used for casting large objects, such as cannon, steam engine cylinders, and bells.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 6 Sand Casting • Sand casting is widely used for centuries because of the simplicity of the process. The sand casting process involves the following basic steps: (a) place a wooden or metallic pattern in sand to create a mold, (b) fit in the pattern and sand in a gating system, (c) remove the pattern, (d) fill the mold cavity with molten metal, (e)allow the metal to cool, and (f) Break the sand mold and remove the casting. • The sand casting process is usually economical for small batch size production. The quality of the sand casting depends on the quality and uniformity of green sand material that is used for making the mold.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 7 Construction of sand casting
• The major features of molds in sand casting are as follows:
1. The flask, which supports the mold itself. Two-piece molds consist of a cope on top and a drag on the bottom; the seam between them is the parting line. When more than two pieces are used in a sand mold, the additional parts are called cheeks. 2. A pouring basin or pouring cup, into which the molten metal is poured. 3. A sprue, through which the molten metal flows downward. 4. The runner system, which has channels that carry the molten metal from the sprue to the mold cavity. Gates are the inlets into the mold cavity. 5. Risers, which supply additional molten metal to the casting as it shrinks during solidification. 6. Cores, which are inserts made from sand. They are placed in the mold to form hollow regions or otherwise define the interior surface of the casting. Cores also are used on the outside of the casting to form features such as lettering on the surface or deep external pockets. 7. Vents, which are placed in molds to carry off gases produced when the molten metal comes into contact with the sand in the mold and the core. Vents also exhaust air from the mold cavity as the molten metal flows into the mold.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 8 Process of Sand Casting
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 9 Pattern • Patterns are used to mold the sand mixture into the shape of casting and may be made of wax, wood, plastic, or metal. • Factors influencing the selection of patterns: The following factors affect the choice of a pattern. (i) Number of Castings to be produced. (ii) Size and complexity of the shape and size of casting (iii) Type of molding and castings method to be used. (iv) Machining operation (v) Characteristics of castings
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 10 Types of patterns • Single piece pattern • Split pattern • Loose piece pattern • Gated pattern • Match plate pattern • Sweep pattern • Cope and drag pattern • Skeleton pattern • Shell pattern
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 11 Pattern Allowance • It is defined as the amount of something that is permitted, especially within a set of regulations or for a specified purpose. While designing pattern, the allowances commonly considered are discussed below. • Shrinkage Allowance • Machining Allowance • Draft Allowance or Taper Allowance • Rapping or Shaking Allowance • Distortion or Chamber Allowance
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 12 Molds • A mold is a device made of metal or any other material to produce a product faster, less expensive, and more consistently. There are various types of molds for molding different products. Here are the major types of molds. For example, a waffle maker is a kind of mold. • The molten metal is poured through the pouring cup and it fills the mold cavity after passing through down sprue, runner and gate. The core refers to loose pieces which are placed inside the mold cavity to create internal holes or open section. • The riser serves as a reservoir of excess molten metal that facilitates additional filling of mold cavity to compensate for volumetric shrinkage during solidification. • Types of Molds: Metal Molds: Sand molds are characterized by the • Casting Mold types of sand that comprise them and by • Forging Mold the methods used to produce them. • Press Mold There are three basic types of sand • Die Cast Mold • Plastics Mold molds • Typical Products green-sand, cold-box and No-bake molds Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 13 Types of Molds used in Plastic Product Manufacturing
• Compression Molding
• Extrusion
• Blow Molding
• Vacuum Molding Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 14 RIM (Reaction Injection Molding)
FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) Molding
Transfer Molding
Please visit for more detail and view animation: http://moldviet.net/E-TRAIN/step1/kanagata.html
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 15 Casting Furnaces and Ovens • A casting furnace melts metal in a contained environment for laboratory and industrial applications. Certain applications or production processes use a casting furnace to molten down aluminum, brass, and other metals by applying 1000 degree temperatures. A metal melting casting furnace liquifies metal materials and pours the liquid into casting molds. The metal liquid then cools and solidifies in the shape of the mold. • How Casting Furnaces are Used In metalworking, casting furnaces produce large metal materials for various industries including automobile, farming, and architecture. These furnaces also make consumer products, too, such as tools and jewelry.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 16 Types of Casting Furnaces • Cupola Furnace Cupola furnaces, a long, chimney-like furnace, get filled with coal-coke and additives and lit. Metal is then added directly to the furnace. Some applications still use cupola furnaces. This type of heat treatment furnace is less commonly used as today’s casting furnaces offer improved efficiency. • Induction Furnace Induction furnaces offer high-quality and easy-to-use metal melting oven for casting. The average induction furnace produces 65 tons of steel at each charge. In steel melting induction furnaces, the steel changes into a crucible and an electromagnet made of coiled copper surrounds it. The coil creates a reversing magnetic field and causes eddies in the melting metal. Eddies then self-stir the steel. Excited molecules in the metal makes the induction furnace’s heat, which means there’s no addition of oxygen or other gasses into the furnace. • Open Hearth Furnace A hearth furnace melts nonferrous metals in smaller quantities. This type of casting furnace uses atomized heavy oil or natural gas to create metal- melting. The open hearth process raises the heat inside a metallurgical furnace and makes use of the waste or unused heat forced out of the furnace. The waste heat then redirects furnace fumes through brickwork and forms a checker. Industrial applications commonly use the hearth furnace as an oxygen-based furnace or an electric arc furnace.
Copyright: sl@rtu.ac.in 17 Industries and Applications That Use Casting Furnaces • Both large scale production and small-batch applications use casting furnaces to make metal parts. Industry-leading manufacturers commonly use industrial and laboratory casting furnaces for: • Metal melting • Forge • Aluminum • Electrical • Ferrous casting • Stress relief • Heat treatment • Tempering
