MP Module 1
MP Module 1
CLASSIFICATION
1. Primary Shaping Processes
Primary shaping processes are manufacturing of a product from an amorphous
material. Some processes produces finish products or articles into its usual form
whereas others do not, and require further working to finish component to the desired
shape and size. Castings need re-melting of scrap and defective ingots in cupola or in
some other melting furnace and then pouring of the molten metal into sand or metallic
molds to obtain the castings. Thus the intricate shapes can be manufactured.
Some of the important primary shaping processes is: Casting, Powder metallurgy, Gas
cutting, Bending and Forging.
2. Secondary or Machining Processes
As large number of components require further processing after the primary processes.
These components are subjected to one or more number of machining operations in
machine shops, to obtain the desired shape and dimensional accuracy on flat and
cylindrical jobs. Thus, the jobs undergoing these operations are the roughly finished
products received through primary shaping processes. The process of removing the
undesired or unwanted material from the work piece or job or component to produce a
required shape using a cutting tool is known as machining.
This can be done by a manual process or by using a machine called machine tool
4. Joining Processes
Many products observed in day-to-day life, are commonly made by putting many parts
together may be in subassembly. For example, the ball pen consists of a body, refill,
barrel, cap, and refill operating mechanism. All these parts are put together to form the
product as a pen. A complete machine tool may also require to assemble more than 100
parts in various sub assemble or final assembly.
The process of putting the parts together to form the product, which performs the
desired function, is called assembly. An assemblage of parts may require some parts to
be joined together using various joining processes. But assembly should not be
confused with the joining process.
Some of the important and common joining processes are: Welding, soldering,
screwing, fitting, etc.
TYPES
1. Single Piece Pattern: As the name suggests, a single piece pattern is a simple pattern
that is made from a single piece of material. It is generally used for producing a small
quantity of products, and it is relatively easy to make.
2. Split Pattern: A split pattern consists of two or more parts that can be separated to
remove the pattern from the mold. This type of pattern is used when the product has
undercuts or other features that make it difficult to remove the pattern from the mold
in one piece.
3. Match Plate Pattern: A match plate pattern is a split pattern that is mounted on a plate.
The plate helps in positioning the pattern and facilitates its removal. Match plate
patterns are commonly used for producing products with relatively simple shapes and
small to medium production runs.
4. Gated Pattern: A gated pattern is used for producing products that have a gate or
channel. It is generally used for producing parts that are hollow or contain a fluid. The
gate or channel is created by placing a core in the mold, which is then removed after
the casting process is complete.
5. Follow Board Pattern: A follow board pattern is used for producing large and complex
products. It consists of a pattern that is mounted on a board and a follower board that
is used to shape the sand around the pattern. The follower board is placed on top of the
pattern, and sand is poured around the pattern and compacted.
• Wood: Wood is a popular material for pattern making, as it is easy to work with, readily
available, and relatively inexpensive. Wood patterns can be made from a variety of
wood species, including pine, mahogany, and birch.
• Plastic: Plastic patterns are becoming increasingly popular, as they are lightweight,
durable, and can be easily molded into complex shapes. Common plastic materials used
for pattern making include ABS, polyurethane, and polystyrene.
• Metal: Metal patterns are used for high volume production runs, as they are durable
and can withstand repeated use. Common metals used for pattern making include
aluminum, brass, and steel.
• Plaster: Plaster is a common material used for pattern making in the ceramics and glass
industries. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to work with, and can be molded into
intricate shapes.
• Wax: Wax patterns are used in the investment casting process, where a wax pattern is
coated with a ceramic shell and then melted out to create a mold for casting. Common
wax materials used for pattern making include beeswax, paraffin wax, and
• Green Sand Cores: Green sand cores are made from a mixture of sand, water, and a
binder such as clay. They are used in the green sand casting process and are relatively
easy to make and handle.
• Dry Sand Cores: Dry sand cores are made from a mixture of sand and a binder such as
resin. They are used in the dry sand casting process and require a curing process to
harden the binder.
• Shell Cores: Shell cores are made from a mixture of sand and a thermosetting resin.
They are used in the shell molding process and produce high-quality, accurate cores
with a smooth surface finish.
• Oil Cores: Oil cores are made from a mixture of silica sand and a binder such as linseed
oil or rosin. They are used in the oil sand casting process and are relatively easy to make
and handle.
• Ceramic Cores: Ceramic cores are made from a mixture of ceramic powder and a binder
such as wax or polyethylene. They are used in the investment casting process and
produce high-quality, accurate cores with a smooth surface finish.
Properties
The properties of pattern making are important considerations in the design and
fabrication of patterns for casting. The following are the most important properties of
pattern making materials:
• Dimensional Stability: Pattern making materials must be dimensionally stable to ensure
that the pattern maintains its shape and size throughout the casting process.
Dimensional stability ensures that the final product meets the desired specifications and
quality standards.
• Wear Resistance: Pattern making materials must be wear-resistant to withstand the
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
1. Always keep the stressed areas of the part in compression
Cast iron has more compressive strength than its tensile strength. The balanc++ed
sections with equal areas in tension and compression are not suitable for cast iron
components.
The casting should be placed in such a way that they are subjected to compressive
rather than tensile stresses as shown in the below figure
I.
When tensile stresses are unavoidable, a clamping device such as a tie rod or a bearing
cap as shown in figure 2 should be considered. The clamping device relieves the cast
iron components from tensile stresses.
II.
Molding Machines
Molding machines are used in manufacturing to produce a wide range of products made of
various materials such as plastic, metal, and ceramics. Different molding techniques are used
depending on the material being used and the properties required in the final product.
Here are some common molding machines and their properties:
• Injection molding machines: This type of machine injects molten plastic into a mold to
produce plastic parts. Injection molding offers high precision and repeatability, making
it ideal for producing large quantities of small, complex parts with consistent quality.
• Blow molding machines: This machine uses a hollow tube of molten plastic, which is
blown into a mold to create hollow objects such as bottles, containers, and tanks. Blow
molding is suitable for producing large and lightweight objects.
• Compression molding machines: In this process, a pre-measured amount of raw
material is placed into a heated mold and compressed using a hydraulic press.
Compression molding is commonly used to produce high-strength composite materials
and rubber products.
• Rotational molding machines: Rotational molding, also known as rotomolding, involves
heating a hollow mold and rotating it around two perpendicular axes, causing the
molten material to coat the inner surface of the mold. The process is used for producing
large and complex plastic parts, such as containers, toys, and playground equipment.
2. Shrinkage Defects
Shrinkage defects appear because metal alloys shrink as they cool. It is normal for an
alloy piece to shrink as it solidifies (which should be included in calculations when
designing the mold). However, defects occur when the metal shrinks unevenly, causing
it to either distort the shape of the final product or create interior holes. This can also
stress the metal.
Open Shrinkage Defects
Open shrinkage shows up on the surface of a cast product either as a dip (also known as a
caved surface) or a hole (also known as a pipe). When metal shrinks unevenly, it draws air
inside the mold in that area to create these types of defects.
Closed Shrinkage Defects
Closed shrinkage appears in the form of holes inside of a casting, generally where a part
of the liquid metal was hotter than the rest of the material. It can appear in macro or
micro form. Micro shrinkage, also called shrinkage porosity, looks to the naked eye like
jagged marks or lines. The holes, which look angular, can only be seen with a
microscope.
Warping
5. Metallurgical Defects
Metallurgical defects show up when there are problems in the metal of a casting. There
are three types, which include:
Slag Inclusion
Slag inclusion happens when metal isn’t properly cleared of slag before being poured. It
simply means the finished casting will have impurities or foreign material embedded in it.
When the inclusion is dirt, castings will have a honeycomb or spongy look.
Hot Tears
Hot tears, also known as hot cracks, show up when the cooling metal contracts. In this
Investment Casting
A. Creating The Pattern
It utilizes a pattern with the same details as the finished part, except that there is an
allowance for thermal contraction (i.e. shrinking).
Patterns are typically made of wax using a metal injection die.
B. Mounting The Wax Patterns And Creating The Tree
Once a wax pattern is produced, it is assembled with other wax components to form the gate
and runner metal delivery system.
Depending on the size and configuration of the desired finish component, multiple wax
patterns may be processed using a single tree.
C. Creating The Mold Shell
The entire wax pattern assembly is dipped in a ceramic slurry, covered with sand stucco, and
allowed to dry.
Cycles of wet dipping and subsequent stuccoing are repeated until a shell of the desired
thickness is created. That thickness is partly dictated by product size and configuration.
Once the ceramic shell has dried, it becomes sufficiently strong to retain the molten metal
during casting.
D. Wax Removal
The entire assembly is placed in a steam autoclave to melt away most of the wax.
Any remaining wax soaked into the ceramic shell is burned out in a furnace. At this point, the
residual wax pattern and gating material have been completely removed and the ceramic
mold remains with a cavity in the shape of the desired cast part.
This high-temperature operation also increases the strength and stability of the ceramic
material. In addition, it helps to minimize the reaction of the shell and metal during pouring.
E. Melt And Cast
The mold is preheated to a specific temperature and filled with molten metal, creating the
metal casting.
Nearly any alloy can be produced using this process. Either air melting or vacuum melting may
be employed as dictated by the alloy chemistry. Vacuum melting is utilized mainly when
reactive elements are present in the alloy.
F. Final Operations
Once the casting has cooled sufficiently, the mold shell is broken away from the casting in a
knockout operation.
The gates and runners are cut from the casting, and if necessary, final post-processing
sandblasting, grinding, and machining is performed to finish the casting dimensionally.
Non-destructive testing may include fluorescent penetrant, magnetic particle, radiographic, or
Centrifugal Casting
The centrifugal casting process steps begin with molten metal being poured into a preheated,
spinning die. The die may be oriented either on a vertical or horizontal axis depending on the
configuration of the desired part.
By spinning a mold while the molten metal is poured into it, centrifugal force acts to distribute
the molten metal in the mold at pressures approaching 100 times the force of gravity. The
combination of this applied pressure and the engineering mechanics of controlled
solidification and secondary refining produces components of superior quality.
Shell Molding
Shell mould casting is a metal casting process similar to sand casting, in that molten metal is
poured into an expendable sand-based mould. However, in shell mould casting, the mould is a
CO2 Molding
CO2 Casting is a kind of sand casting process. In this process the sand molding mixture is
hardened by blowing gas over the mold. This process is favoured by hobby metal casters
because a lot of cost cutting can be done. In addition, one can be sure of getting
dimensionally accurate castings with fine surface finish. But, this process is not economical
than green sand casting process.
Process:
The Mold for CO2 Casting is made of a mixture of sand and liquid silicate binder which is
hardened by passing CO2 gas over the mold. The equipment of the molding process includes
CO2 cylinder, regulator, hoses and hand held applicator gun or nozzle. Carbon di oxide
molding delivers great accuracy in production. Any existing pattern can be used for the
molding purpose which can be placed in the mold before the mold is hardened. This method
helps in producing strong mold and cores that can be used for high end applications. If the
process is carefully executed then casting can be as precise as produced by the shell casting
method.
Carbon di oxide casting is favored both by the commercial foundry men and hobbyist for a
number of reasons. In commercial operations, foundry men can assure customers of
affordable castings which require less machining. The molding process which can be fully
automated is generally used for casting process that require speed, high production runs and
flexibility. In home foundries this is one of the simplest process that improves the casting
quality.
Die Casting
The die casting process involves injecting molten metal with low melting points such as zinc
and aluminum into the die casting mold and allowing it to cool. Depending on the melting
point, it occurs under two different mechanisms (hot and cold chamber casting), and it is
suitable for making simple and complex sheet metal parts.
Die casting is a process that involves melting low melting point metals and injecting them into
already made mold known as die casting mold. A mold or tools come from steel fabricated for
a single project using manufacturing processes such as CNC machining. Consequently, sheet
metal parts fabricated by die casting have high accuracy, precision, and repeatability.
TYPES
Hot Chamber Die Casting
The hot chamber die casting process is the perfect method for working with low melting point
materials such as zinc, tin, lead, and magnesium alloys. It is not suitable for alloys with a
higher melting point as it would damage the pump as the pump would directly contact the
metal. It involves melting the metal and injecting it into the die using pressure from a
hydraulic system.