SPECIAL CASTING TECHNIQUES

Manufacturing Process -1 (ME-404)

By
Dr. Mayuri Baruah
Assistant Professor
Production and Industrial
Engineering Department
Contents
• Shell Mould Casting
• Investment Casting
• Die Casting and Its Variants
• Centrifugal Casting and Its Variants
• Continuous Casting
 Types of casting-based on types of casting
Expendable Mold Permanent Mold
•Can produce one metal casting only •Can manufacture many metal castings
•Made of sand, plaster, or other similar material •Usually made of metal or sometimes a
•Binders used to help material hold its form refractory ceramic
•Mold that metal solidifies in must be destroyed •Mold has sections that can open or close,
to remove casting permitting removal of the casting
•More intricate geometries are possible for •Need to open mold limits part shapes
casting
Shell Mould Casting
• Shell moulding, also known as shell mould casting
• Also known a croning process, this casting technique was invented and
patented by J.Croning during World War II.
• The sand used for the shell molding process is of a much smaller grain size
than the typical green sand mold. This fine grained sand is mixed with a
thermosetting resin binder.
• Gives high accuracy and better surface finish
• A special metal pattern is coated with a parting agent, (typically silicone),
which will latter facilitate in the removal of the shell. The metal pattern is
then heated to a temperature of 350F-700F degrees, (175C-370C).
• The mold is generally .3in (7.5mm) thick. The thickness of the mold can be
controlled by the length of time the sand mixture is in contact with the metal
casting pattern.
• The excess "loose" sand is then removed, leaving the shell and pattern.
• The shell and pattern are then placed in an oven for a short period of time, (minutes),
which causes the shell to harden onto the casting pattern.
• Once the baking phase of the manufacturing process is complete, the hardened shell is
separated from the casting pattern by way of ejector pins built into the pattern.
• Two of these hardened shells, each representing half the mold for the casting, are
assembled together either by gluing or clamping.
Steps in Shell Mould Casting
Advantages of Shell Mould Casting
• Thin and complex section can be easily cast.
• High dimension accuracy and good surface finish.
• Easily automated.
• It can be operate by an semi skilled operator.
• No further machining required.
 Disadvantages of Shell Mould Casting
• Special metal pattern required which makes it expensive for large casting.
• It is not suitable for small batch production.
• Shell sand molds are less permeable than green sand molds and binder may produce a
large volume of gas as it contacts the molten metal being poured for the casting. For
these reasons, shell molds should be well ventilated.
• Shell sand molds are less permeable than green sand molds and binder may produce a
large volume of gas as it contacts the molten metal being poured for the casting. For
these reasons, shell molds should be well ventilated.
• The expense of shell mold casting is increased by the cost of the thermosetting resin
binder, but decreased by the fact that only a small percentage of sand is used compared
to other sand casting processes.
• Size and weight limitation.
Application of Shell Mould Casting
• Shell mold casting allows the use of both ferrous and non-ferrous
metals, most commonly using cast iron, carbon steel, alloy steel,
stainless steel, aluminum alloys, and copper alloys
• Most of industrial products like gearbox housing, connecting rod, small size
boats, truck hoods, cylindrical head, Camshaft, valve body etc. are made by
shell moulding
 Investment Casting

• Originally developed by ancient Chinese and Egyptian culture to create

artwork
• Primarily used for art until development of the jet turbine engine at the
end of World War II
• a wax pattern is coated with a refractory ceramic material. Once the
ceramic material is hardened its internal geometry takes the shape of the
casting.
• The wax is melted out and molten metal is poured into the cavity where
the wax pattern was.
• The metal solidifies within the ceramic mold and then the metal casting is
broken out.
Steps in Investment Casting
Advantages of Investment Casting
• Superior surface finish
• Wide range of alloys
• Fine detail
• Extremely complex shapes and intricate features can be cast as a single
piece
• With short length or shallow depth feature, thin sections can be cast
without cold shut defects
• Excellent dimensional accuracy and tighter tolerances are easily achievable.
• Excellent dimensional precision can be achieved in combination with very
smooth as-cast surfaces
• The wax used can usually be recovered for reuse
Disadvantages of Investment Casting
• Involves many complex steps making the process relatively expensive
• The high cost of dies to make patterns has traditionally limited
investment casting to large production quantities
• The high cost is also due to specialised equipment requirement, costly
refractory material, and high labour cost
• Parts are difficult to cast if they require cores, got holes smaller than
1.6 mm or deeper than 1.5 times the diameter
Application of Investment Casting

• Aerospace and Defense

• Power Generation
• Automotive
• Oil and Gas
• Space Exploration
• Medical / Orthopedics
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Commercial and Consumer products
Basic Permanent Mold Casting

• Permanent mold that can be used repeatedly for multiple metal

castings. The mold also called a die, is commonly made of steel or
iron
• The sections of the mold are most likely machined from two separate
metal blocks. These parts are manufactured precisely. They are
created so that they fit together and may be opened and closed easily
and accurately. The gating system as well as the part geometry is
machined into the casting mold., but other metals or ceramics can be
used.
Steps involved-permanent casting
Centrifugal Casting
• Technique that is typically used to cast thin-walled cylinders
• Produces a very high quality product
• Consists of producing castings by causing molten metal to solidify in
rotating moulds
• Speed of rotation and metal pouring rate vary with the alloy and size
and shape being cast
• Centrifugal force is obtained by rotating the mold at a speed of 300 to
3000 rpm while the molten metal is being introduced
Types of Centrifugal Casting
True Centrifugal
Casting
Semi-Centrifugal
Casting
Centrifuging
Casting
True Centrifugal Casting
Semi-Centrifugal Casting
Centrifuging Casting
Disadvantages/ Limitations
Die Casting
• Metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal
under high pressure into a mould cavity
• Mould cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have
been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mould
during the process
• Most die castings are made from non-ferrous metals, specifically
1. Zinc
2. Copper
3. Aluminium
4. Magnesium
5. Lead
6. Pewter : 85–99% tin along with copper , antimony , bismuth.
7. Tin based alloys
HOT CHAMBER DIE CASTING
• Supply of molten metal is
attached to the die casting
machine and is an integral part
of the casting apparatus for this
manufacturing operation
• Materials Used: Alloys – Zinc,
Copper, Magnesium, Lead
• Temperature: Materials with
low melting points
• Chamber: Gooseneck
• Closing System: Plunger
• Process: Ongoing
Applications
•Golf equipment
•Camera housings
•Electronic housings
•Locks and deadbolts
• Advantages
• Faster-cycling production
• Intricate cast-in detail
• Reduced porosity
• Longer die casting die life due to lower melting points
• Die design efficiencies = waste reduction
• Less danger to labor

• Disadvantages
• Only low melting materials and alloys can be cast
• Plunger is always dipped into the molten metal due to which its life less
 COLD CHAMBER DIE CASTING
• Metal to be melted in a separate furnace then
transported in precise amounts to the cold-
chamber machine
• Molten metal is then injected or shot into the
mold by hydraulic or mechanical pistons
• Use of the cold-chamber die casting process is
ideal metals with high melting temperatures
• Materials Used: Alloys – Aluminum, Brass,
Copper
• Temperature: Materials with high melting
points
• Chamber: Cylindrical Sleeve, Automatic or
Hand Ladle
• Closing System: Hydraulically Operated
Plunger
• Process: Cyclical
• Application
• Pumps and compressors
• Hospital bed control panels
• Dental workstation baseplates
• Advantages
• Metal is pushed into the die with a plunger that forces the metal into to mould with
high pressure
• Metal reaches all parts of the mold for a precise fit every time
• Dies made from cold casting are denser
• Disadvantages
• Process take much longer
• Prevents the factory from creating as many products in one day
• Quality control is a huge issue
 GRAVITY DIE CASTING
• Permanent mould casting
process
• Mould cavity fills with no force
• Gives a better surface finish
than sand casting as well as
better mechanical properties,
both due to rapid solidification
• Advantages
• Good surface texture
• Equipment costs are relatively low
• No need for applied pressure, so mould designs tend to be quite simple
• Scrap metal can be recycled
• Quick set up times
• Disadvantages
• High percentage of scrap metal
• High occurrence of porosity, but this can be minimized by slower pouring
• Only good for simple 3D shapes, cannot be used for complex shapes
• There are new coatings becoming available for gravity die casting that are
much longer lasting than the silicate based coatings and that prevent the
need for constant retouching up and extend the useful life of the moulds.
SQUEEZE CASTING
• Combination of casting
and forging process
• Highest mechanical
properties attainable in a
cast product
Applications:
• Automotive industry in
producing aluminium front
steering knuckles, chassis
frames, brackets or nodes
• High capacity propellers for
boat-engine
• Advantages
• Offers a broader range of shapes and components than other manufacturing methods
• Little or no machining required post casting process
• Low levels of porosity
• Good surface texture
• Fine micro-structures with higher strength components
• No waste material, 100% utilization
• Disadvantages
• Costs are very high due to complex tooling
• No flexibility as tooling is dedicated to specific components
• Process needs to be accurately controlled which slows the cycle time down and
increases process costs.
• High costs mean high production volumes are necessary to justify equipment
investment
 Continuous Casting
• Continuous casting, also referred to as
strand casting, is a process used in
manufacturing industry to cast a
continuous length of metal
• Molten metal is cast through a mold, the
casting takes the two dimensional profile
of the mold but its length is
indeterminate.
• The casting will keep traveling downward,
its length increasing with time.
• New molten metal is constantly supplied
to the mold, at exactly the correct rate, to
keep up with the solidifying casting.
• Industrial manufacture of continuous
castings is a very precisely calculated
operation.
THANK YOU