MCE516 – MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

MODULE ONE: WEEK 1

THE CONCEPT OF MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

ENGR. DR. UDOYE N. E.

ENGR. PROF. INEGBENEBOR A. O.
MR. OLADIPUPO S. I.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

COVENANT UNIVERSITY OTA
Why studying Manufacturing Technology?
 Manufacturing and workshop practices are necessary in the
industrial environment to produce products for the service of
mankind.
 The knowledge of manufacturing practices is highly essential for all
engineers and technocrats for familiarizing themselves with modern
concepts of manufacturing technologies.
 The basic need is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge of
manufacturing processes and workshop technology to all the
engineering students.
 The general needs of engineering students in the country and the
fact that they hardly get any exposure to hand tools, equipment,
machines and manufacturing setups.
Manufacturing is the economic term for making goods and services
available to satisfy human wants.
Manufacturing involves a series of related activities and operations
such as:
• Product design and development
• Material Selection
• Process Planning
• Inventory control
• Quality assurance
• Marketing etc
Production system is any system that produces useful products or
services.
Production is considered as a process of transformation of a set of
input elements whereby the utility of goods and services is increased.
The input is the parts and the assembled product serve as the output.
The manufacturing processes are collected together to form a
manufacturing system.
The manufacturing system takes inputs and produces products for the
consumer.
Manufacturing is the art of transforming the raw material into
finished product.
It deals with manufacture of products from molten metal and the
products obtained are called Casting.
This is the cheapest method of producing parts to a given shape.
Casting process is one of the earliest metal shaping techniques known
to human being.
It means pouring molten metal into a refractory mould cavity and
allows it to solidify.
The solidified object is taken out from the mould either by breaking
or taking the mould apart.
The solidified object is called casting and the technique followed in
the method is known as casting process.
A manufacturing system is depicted as an input-output system in Fig 1. Here the
input elements undergo technological transformation to yield a set of output
elements. The technological transformation must be optimized with reference to
an objective function which could be cost, productivity or product.

Fig 1: Manufacturing as an input-output System

Manufacturing is the heart of the system where material is converted
from one form to another and value is added.
The manufacturing system is a collection of processes and operations
that are used to obtain the desired product in the required quantity.
The distinct stages of manufacturing system:
• Manual manufacturing
• Mechanization
• Hard automation
• Soft automation
Soft Automation involves:
 CNC/DNC
 Industrial robots
 FMC (Flexible Manufacturing Cell)/FMS (Flexible
Manufacturing System)
The major components of the FMS are:
 Machine tools
 Control system
 Handling system
 Operators
 Computer Aided Design (CAD)/Computer Aided Manufacturing
(CAM)
The following points should be given due consideration while
selecting a manufacturing process:

1. Manufacturing cost
2. Production volume and production rate
3. Characteristics and properties of workpiece material
4. Limitations on shape and size
5. Surface finish and tolerance requirements
6. Functional requirements of the product
Types of Production:
The various types of production are:
1.Job order production
2.Batch or Quantity production
3.Mass production
2. Batch or quantity production
 This is a common type of production
 It requires very good managerial skill to achieve as economic plan
in production
 The most economic size is determined by sales demand, delivery
and stock requirements
 The jobs are produced in a lot or in certain quantity and this varies
between the job production and the mass production.
 This can be had in a medium size enterprise where equipment, etc.
cannot be purchased in a large scale, but to cater say a local market
and for the local demand
 WEEK 2

CASTING PROCESSES, PATTERN DESIGN AND OTHER

FOUNDRY WORK
Advantages of casting
1. Size is not a limitation
2. There are several metals which can be cast.
3. Intricate components with cavities can be casted with accuracy and good surface finish.
4. Casting, in general resists creep under high temperature.
5. Metal casting can be adopted for job work as well as for mass production.
Disadvantages
1. The process is not suitable for the metals having high melting point and low fluidity.
2. Casting do not exhibit directionality of properties i.e the strength and toughness of
castings are usually inferior to forgings
PERMANENT MOULD OR GRAVITY DIE CASTING
This process is commonly known as permanent mould casting in U.S.A and
gravity die casting in England.
A permanent mould casting makes use of a mould or metallic die which is
permanent. Molten metal is poured into the mould under gravity only and no
external pressure is applied to force the liquid metal into the mould cavity.
However, the liquid metal solidifies under pressure of metal in the risers, etc.
The metallic mould can be reused many times before it is discarded or rebuilt.
These moulds are made of dense, fine grained, heat resistant cast iron, steel,
bronze, anodized aluminum, graphite or other suitable refractoriness. The mould
is made in two halves in order to facilitate the removal of casting from the
mould. It may be designed with a vertical parting line or with a horizontal parting
line as in conventional sand moulds. The mould walls of a permanent mould
have thickness from 15 mm to 50 mm.
Fig. 1: Permanent Mould casting
Advantages
(i) Fine and dense grained structure is achieved in the casting.
(ii) No blow holes exist in castings produced by this method.
(iii) The process is economical for mass production.
(iv) because of rapid rate of cooling, the castings possess fine grain
structure.
(v) Close dimensional tolerance or job accuracy is possible to achieve
on the cast product.
(vi) Good surface finish and surface details are obtained.
(vii) Casting defects observed in sand castings are eliminated.
(viii) Fast rate of production can be attained.
(ix) The process requires less labour
Disadvantages
i. The cost of metallic mould is higher than the sand mould. The process is
impractical for large castings.
ii. The surface of casting becomes hard due to chilling effect.
iii. Refractoriness of the high melting point alloys.
Applications
i. This method is suitable for small and medium sized casting such as
carburetor bodies, oil pump bodies, connecting rods, pistons etc.
ii. It is widely suitable for non-ferrous casting.
Plaster Moulding:
The mould material in plaster moulding is gypsum or plaster of paris.
To this plaster of paris, additives like talc, fibers, asbestos, silica flour
etc. are added in order to control the contraction characteristics of the
mould as well as the settling time.
The plaster of paris is used in the form of a slurry which is made to a
consistency of 130 to 180. This plaster slurry is poured over a
metallic pattern confined in a flask. The pattern is usually made of
brass and it is generally in the form of half portion of job to be cast
and is attached firmly on a match plate which forms the bottom of the
moulding flask. Wood pattern are not used because the water in the
plaster raises the grains on them and makes them difficult to be
withdrawn.
Fig. 2: Plaster Moulding
Advantages:
(a) In plaster moulding, very good surface finish is obtained and machining cost
is also reduced.
(b) Slow and uniform rate of cooling of the casting is achieved because of low
thermal conductivity of plaster and possibility of stress concentration is
reduced.
(c) Metal shrinkage with accurate control is feasible and thereby warping and
distortion of thin sections can be avoided in the plaster moulding.
Limitations
(d) There is evolution of steam during metal pouring if the plaster mould is not
dried at higher temperatures avoid this, the plaster mould may be dehydrated
at high temperatures, but the strength of the mould decreases with
dehydration.
(e) The permeability of the plaster mould is low.
Centrifugal Casting
It is the variety method of producing castings in a rotating mould. The molten
metal is poured in to the mould which is rotating at a speed of 1500 rpm and the
centrifugal force spreads the molten metal uniformly along the entire length of the
mould and holds it there until solidification is completed.

Fig. 3; Centrifugal Casting

Most of the moulds are destroyed after solidification of castings and hence
cannot be reused. This is not suitable for mass production. Now these special
castings are used for large scale production of castings with close dimensional
tolerances and has a smooth surface finish.
The principle of special casting methods such as die casting and centrifugal
castings.
Die Casting : This is nothing but permanent metal moulds or dies. This die
made in two pieces are closed to form cavity. The die castings are of two types
1) Pressure die casting 2) Gravity die Casting
1) Pressure Die Casting : It involves the forcing of molten metal into die
cavity under pressure and maintain this pressure until it solidifies.
2) Gravity Die Casting : In gravity die casting in which molten metal is
poured to the cavity by gravity. Therefore it is known as gravity die casting.
Here the moulds are coated with refracting materials and are closed.
Fig. 4: Pressure Die Casting
 SHELL MOULDING:
Shell mould casting is recent invention in moulding techniques for
mass production and smooth finish. It is also known as Carning or C
process with close tolerance of +_ 0.02 mm and with smooth surface
finish. It consists of making a mould that has two or more thin lines
shells (shell line parts, which are moderately hard and smooth. It is
basically a sand moulding in which the clay is replaced by resin
bonding agent. it consists of the following steps.
(a) Preparation of thin shell made of a mixture of sand and thermo
setting resin around a heated metal pattern.
(b) Separating the shell from the metal pattern
(c) Clamping two halves of the shell to form the mould.
(A) Preparation of thin shell : silica sand is thoroughly mixed with
about 5% thermo setting resin binder such as phenolformaldehyde
and placed in a container.
The metal pattern plate is heated to about 250 OC in an oven and is
clamped to the top of the box.
The dump box is inverted so that the sand resin mixture covers the
pattern. After 30 seconds, the resin curves causing the bonding of
sand grains to form a shell around the pattern.
(B) Separating shell : the dump plate is returned to its original
position and the surplus sand mixture falls back into the box.
The pattern plate is removed and the shell is released by the ejector
pins.
The shells are light and thin usually 5-10 mm thick.
(C) Mould formation : shell is hardened by final curing for a few
minutes at about 320OC.
The two halves of shell are joined together by adhesives to form the
mould.
This is placed in suitable box and is supported by coarse sand or
steel shots held in a box .
The mould is ready
Advantages: the main advantages of shell moulding are:
(i) high suitable for thin sections like petrol engine cylinder.
(ii) excellent surface finish.
(iii) good dimensional accuracy of order of 0.002 to 0.003 mm.
(iv) negligible machining and cleaning cost.
(v) occupies less floor space
(vi) skill-ness required is less.
(vii) moulds formed by this process can be stored until required.
(viii) better quality of casting assured.
(ix) mass production.
(x) it allows for greater detail and less draft.
(xi) unskilled labor can be employed.
(xii) future of shell moulding process is very bright.
Disadvantages of shell moulding are:
1. Higher pattern cost.
2. Higher resin cost. ,
3. Not economical for small runs.
4. Dust-extraction problem.
5. Complicated jobs and jobs of various sizes cannot be easily shell moulded.
6. Specialized equipment is required.
7. Resin binder is an expensive material.
8. Limited for small size.
Fig. 5: Shell Moulding Process
Investment Casting (Precision Casting or Lost wax casting Process)

INVESTMENT CASTING (precision casting or lost wax casting process)

Green Sand Moulding
These moulds are prepared with natural moulding sands or with
mixture of silica sand, bonding clay, and water. These materials are
thoroughly mixed in proportions which will give desired properties
for the class of work being done. The clay has been added to
withstand the forces as the molten metal poured into the mould.
These are widely used for small and medium castings. In this case no
dry process of mould is necessary and the molten metal is poured as
soon as mould is prepared.
The term green refers to the moisture and not the colour of the sand.
To prevent the sand from burning on the face of the mould, a layer of
facing sand is given to surrounding pattern.
Dry Sand Moulding
These sand moulds are prepared in similar way as in green sand
moulds except that the mould is dried before pouring molten metal.
Drying is usually carried out in oven at about 240 oC.
The time of backing is depending on the binders used in the sand
mixture and the amount of mould surface to be dried.
The removal moisture makes the mould stronger, improves erosion
resistance and surface condition.
Dry sand moulds are used in preference to green sand moulds for
making medium to large size castings of cast iron and steel.
Core and core making:
Cores are separate shapes of sand that are generally required to form the
hollow interior of the casting or a hole through the casting.
These are placed in the mould cavity before pouring to form the interior
surface of the casting and are removed from finished part during shakeout
and further processing.
Core making core making consists of the following operations
1) core sand preparation
2) core moulding
3) baking
4) core finishing
(1) core sand preparation :
The first consideration in making a core is to mix and prepare the sand
properly. The mixing must be homogenous so that the core will be of
uniform strength throught out.
(2) Core Moulding : Core is then made manually or with machines. Normally a
core box is required for the preparation of cores.
(3) Core Baking : After the cores are prepared and placed on metal plate or core
carriers, they are backed to remove the moisture and to develeop the strength
of the binder in core ovens at temperatures from 150 - 400oC depending
upon the types of the binder used, the size of the cores and the length of
baking time.
(4) Core Finishing : All rough places and unwanted fins are removed by filing
some cores are made in two or more pieces which must be assembled usually
by pressing together with dextrin. The last operation in making of a core is
to apply a fine refractory coating to the surfacing.
Defects in Casting
The various defects which commonly occur in castings.
(1)Blow holes : These appear as cavities in a casting. When they are
visible on the upper surface of the casting, they are called open
blow holes. When they are concealed in the casting are called blow
holes. These are formed due to the trapped bubbles of gases in the
metal and are exposed only after machining.
(2)Porosity : This defects occur in the casting in the form of pin
holes. These are caused by the gases absorbed by the molten metal.
The gases commonly observed are O 2 , H 2 , and N 2 . The later two
forms oxides and nitride respectively.
(3)Shrinkage Allowance : It is a void or depression in the casting
caused mainly due to uncontrolled solidification of the metal.
(4) Hot Tears : They are internal or external cracks having ragged
edges occuring immediately after metal has solidification. These are
produced due to poor design and sudden sectional changes.
(5) Shift : This is an external defect in a casting caused due to core
misplacement or mismathing of top and bottom parts.
(6) Shell : It is an enlargement of the mould cavity by metal pressure
resulting in localized or overall enlargement of casting.
(7) Scabs : These are lumps of excess metal on the casting as a result
of erosion of mould by the stream of molten metal.
 PATTERN:
A pattern is a model or the replica of the object (to be casted). It is
embedded in moulding sand and suitable ramming of moulding sand
around the pattern is made.
The pattern is then withdrawn for generating cavity (known as mould)
in moulding sand.
Thus it is a mould forming tool.
Pattern can be said as a model or the replica of the object to be cast
except for the various al1owances a pattern exactly resembles the
casting to be made.
 PATTERN:
It may be defined as a model or form around which sand is packed to
give rise to a cavity known as mould cavity in which when molten
metal is poured, the result is the cast object.
When this mould/cavity is filled with molten metal, molten metal
solidifies and produces a casting (product). So the pattern is the
replica of the casting.
 PATTERN:
OBJECTIVES OF A PATTERN
1 Pattern prepares a mould cavity for the purpose of making a casting.
2 Pattern possesses core prints which produces seats in form of extra
recess for core placement in the mould.
3 It establishes the parting line and parting surfaces in the mould.
4 Runner, gates and riser may form a part of the pattern
5 Properly constructed patterns minimize overall cost of the casting.
6 Pattern may help in establishing locating pins on the mould and
therefore on the casting with a purpose to check the casting
dimensions.
7 Properly made pattern having finished and smooth surface reduce
casting defects.
Patterns are generally made in pattern making shop. Proper
construction of pattern and its material may reduce overal1 cost of the
castings
The common materials used for making patterns are:
wood,
metal,
plastic,
plaster,
wax or mercury.
Wood
Wood is the most popular and commonly used material for pattern
making.
It is cheap, easily available in abundance, repairable and easily
fabricated in various forms using resin and glues.
It is very light and can produce highly smooth surface.
Wood can preserve its surface by application of a shellac coating for
longer life of the pattern.
Disadvantages:
1. It is susceptible to shrinkage and warpage and its life is short
because of the reasons that it is highly affected by moisture of the
moulding sand.
2. After some use it warps and wears out quickly as it is having less
resistance to sand abrasion.
3. It can not withstand rough handily and is weak in comparison to
metal.
4. In the light of above qualities, wooden patterns are preferred only
when the numbers of castings to be produced are less.
5. The main varieties of woods used in pattern-making are shisham,
kail, deodar, teak and mahogany.
Advantages of wooden patterns
1 Wood can be easily worked.
2 It is light in weight.
3 It is easily available.
4 It is very cheap.
5 It is easy to join.
6 It is easy to obtain good surface finish.
7 Wooden laminated patterns are strong.
8 It can be easily repaired.

Disadvantages
1 It is susceptible to moisture.
2 It tends to warp.
3 It wears out quickly due to sand abrasion.
4 It is weaker than metallic patterns.
Metal
Metallic patterns are preferred when the number of castings required
is large enough to justify their use.
These patterns are not much affected by moisture as wooden pattern.
The wear and tear of this pattern is very less and hence posses longer
life. Moreover, metal is easier to shape the pattern with good
precision, surface finish and intricacy in shapes. It can withstand
against corrosion and handling for longer period. It possesses
excellent strength to weight ratio.
The main Disadvantages
1. Metallic patterns are higher cost, higher weight and tendency of
rusting. The metals commonly used for pattern making are cast
iron, brass and bronzes and aluminum alloys.
Plastic:
Plastics are getting more popularity nowadays because the patterns
made of these materials are lighter, stronger, moisture and wear
resistant, non sticky to moulding sand, durable and they are not
affected by the moisture of the moulding sand.
Moreover they impart very smooth surface finish on the pattern
surface.
These materials are somewhat fragile, less resistant to sudden
loading and their section may need metal reinforcement.
The plastics used for this purpose are thermosetting resins.
Phenolic resin plastics are commonly used.
These are originally in liquid form and get solidified when heated to
a specified temperature.
How to prepare a plastic pattern,
A mould in two halves is prepared in plaster of paris with the help of
a wooden pattern known as a master pattern.
The phenolic resin is poured into the mould and the mould is
subjected to heat.
The resin solidifies giving the plastic pattern.
Recently a new material has stepped into the field of plastic which is
known as foam plastic.
Foam plastic is now being produced in several forms and the most
common is the expandable polystyrene plastic category. It is made
from benzene and ethyl benzene.
Plaster
This material belongs to gypsum family which can be easily cast and worked
with wooden tools and preferable for producing highly intricate casting.
Advantages of plaster:
1. They have high compressive strength
2. High expansion setting type which compensate for the shrinkage allowance
of the casting metal.
Plaster of paris pattern can be prepared either by directly pouring the slurry of
plaster and water in moulds prepared earlier from a master pattern or by
sweeping it into desired shape or form by the sweep and strickle method.
It is also preferred for production of small size intricate castings and making
core boxes
Wax:
Patterns made from wax are excellent for investment casting process.
The materials used are blends of several types of waxes, and other
additives which act as polymerizing agents, stabilizers, etc.
The commonly used waxes are paraffin wax, shellac wax, bees-wax,
cerasin wax, and micro-crystalline wax.
The properties desired in a good wax pattern include low ash content
up to 0.05 per cent, resistant to the primary coat material used for
investment, high tensile strength and hardness, and substantial weld
strength. The general practice of making wax pattern is to inject
liquid or semi-liquid wax into a split die. Solid injection is also used
to avoid shrinkage and for better strength. Waxes use helps in
imparting a high degree of surface finish and dimensional accuracy
castings.
Wax patterns are prepared by pouring heated wax into split moulds
or a pair of dies.
The dies after having been cooled down are parted off. Now the wax
pattern is taken out and used for moulding.
Such patterns need not to be drawn out solid from the mould. After
the mould is ready, the wax is poured out by heating the mould and
keeping it upside down.
Such patterns are generally used in the process of investment casting
where accuracy is linked with intricacy of the cast object.
FACTORS EFFECTING SELECTION OF PATTERN
MATERIAL: The following factors must be taken into consideration
while selecting pattern materials.
1. Number of castings to be produced. Metal pattern are preferred
when castings are required in large number.
2. Type of mould material used.
3. Kind of moulding process.
4. Method of moulding (hand or machine).
5. Degree of dimensional accuracy and surface finish required.
6. Minimum thickness required.
7. Shape, complexity and size of casting.
8. Cost of pattern and chances of repeat orders of the pattern
TYPES OF PATTERN
The types of the pattern and the description of each are given as under.
1. One piece or solid pattern
2. Two piece or split pattern
3. Cope and drag pattern
4. Three-piece or multi- piece pattern
5. Loose piece pattern
6. Match plate pattern
7. Follow board pattern
8. Gated pattern
9. Sweep pattern
10.Skeleton pattern
11.Segmental or part pattern
1. Single-piece or solid pattern:
Solid pattern is made of single piece without joints, partings lines or
loose pieces. It is the simplest form of the pattern. Typical single
piece pattern is shown in Fig 6

Fig 6:Single piece pattern

2. Two-piece or split pattern
When solid pattern is difficult for withdrawal from the mould cavity, then solid
pattern is splited in two parts. Split pattern is made in two pieces which are
joined at the parting line by means of dowel pins. The splitting at the parting
line is done to facilitate the withdrawal of the pattern. A typical example is
shown in Fig. 7.

Fig 7 .Two-piece or split pattern

3. Cope and drag pattern:
In this case, cope and drag part of the mould are prepared separately. This is
done when the complete mould is too heavy to be handled by one operator.
The pattern is made up of two halves, which are mounted on different plates.
A typical example of match plate pattern is shown in Fig. 8.

FIG 8: Cope and drag pattern

4. Three-piece or multi-piece pattern
some patterns are of complicated kind in shape and hence can not be made in
one or two pieces because of difficulty in withdrawing the pattern. Therefore
these patterns are made in either three pieces or in multi-pieces. Multi
moulding flasks are needed to make mould from these patterns.
5. Loose-piece Pattern
Loose piece pattern (Fig. 10) is used when pattern is difficult for
withdrawal from the mould. Loose pieces are provided on the pattern
and they are the part of pattern. The main pattern is removed first
leaving the loose piece portion of the pattern in the mould. Finally
the loose piece is withdraw separately leaving the intricate mould.

Fig. 10: Loose-piece pattern

6. Match plate pattern
This pattern is made in two halves and is on mounted on the opposite sides of a wooden
or metallic plate, known as match plate. The gates and runners are also attached to the
plate. This pattern is used in machine moulding. A typical example of match plate pattern
is shown in Fig. 11.

Fig 11: Match plate pattern

7. Follow board pattern:
When the use of solid or split patterns becomes difficult, a contour
corresponding to the exact shape of one half of the pattern is made in a wooden
board, which is called a follow board and it acts as a moulding board for the
first moulding operation as shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 12: Follow board pattern

8. Gated pattern
In the mass production of casings, multi cavity moulds are used. Such moulds
are formed by joining a number of patterns and gates and providing a common
runner for the molten metal, as shown in Fig. 13. These patterns are made of
metals, and metallic pieces to form gates and runners are attached to the pattern.

Fig 13: Gated Pattern

9. Sweep pattern
Sweep patterns are used for forming large circular moulds of symmetric kind by
revolving a sweep attached to a spindle as shown in Fig. 14. Actually a sweep is a
template of wood or metal and is attached to the spindle at one edge and the other
edge has a contour depending upon the desired shape of the mould. The pivot end
is attached to a stake of metal in the center of the mould.

Fig. 14: Sweep Pattern

10. Skeleton pattern
When only a small number of large and heavy castings are to be made, it is not economical to
make a solid pattern. In such cases, however, a skeleton pattern may be used. This is a ribbed
construction of wood which forms an outline of the pattern to be made. This frame work is
filled with loam sand and rammed. The surplus sand is removed by strickle board. For round
shapes, the pattern is made in two halves which are joined with glue or by means of screws
etc. A typical skeleton pattern is shown in Fig. 15.

Fig 15: Skeleton Pattern

11. Segmental pattern:
Patterns of this type are generally used for circular castings, for example wheel
rim, gear blank etc. Such patterns are sections of a pattern so arranged as to form
a complete mould by being moved to form each section of the mould. The
movement of segmental pattern is guided by the use of a central pivot. A
segment pattern for a wheel rim is shown in Fig. 16.

Fig 16: Segmented Pattern

PATTERN ALLOWANCES:
Pattern may be made from wood or metal and its colour may not be same as that
of the casting.
Pattern carries an additional allowance to compensate for metal shrinkage.
It carries additional allowance for machining.
It carries the necessary draft to enable its easy removal from the sand mass.
It carries distortions allowance also.
Pattern may carry additional projections, called core prints to produce seats or
extra recess in mould for setting or adjustment or location for cores in mould
cavity.
It may be in pieces (more than one piece) whereas casting is in one piece. Sharp
changes are not provided on the patterns.
These are provided on the casting with the help of machining.
Surface finish may not be same as that of casting.
The size of a pattern is never kept the same as that of the desired
casting because of the fact that during cooling the casting is
subjected to various effects and hence to compensate for these
effects, corresponding allowances are given in the pattern. These
various allowances given to pattern can be enumerated as,
1. Allowance for shrinkage,
2. Allowance for machining,
3. Allowance for draft,
4. Allowance for rapping or shake,
5. Allowance for distortion and
6. Allowance for mould wall movement
Foundry is the process of forming unfinished metal product by melting the raw material and
pouring it in to mould cavity. It is a plant where the castings are made.
Foundry tools and equipment may be classified into three groups namely
 Hand tools,
 Flasks
 Mechanical tools.
Hand Tools in Moulding
(1) Shovel : It is used for mixing and tempering the moulding sand and loading the sand into
flask.
 (2) Riddle : It is a wire mesh fitted in to a wooden frame used for screening the
sand and to scatter the fine moulding sand over pattern

(3) Rammer : these are used for packing the sand around the pattern in a flask. This is
made of hard wood with one end flat and other wedge.
(4) Trowels: These are used for cleaning, smoothing and patching the flat surface
of the mould.

(5) Slick : It has a flat on one end and spoon on the other end.
It is used for patching and smoothing the mould after the pattern has been drawn.
(
(6) Lifter : It is used for removing the sand particles from the mould.
(7) Strike of bar : This is used to cutting off extra sand after
ramming and bringing it to level with the surface.

(8) Bellow : These are used to blow excess parting material form the pattern and also to
blow loose sand particles from the mould.
(
(9) Sprue Pin : Pin used to make riser hole called riser pin.
(10) Swab : It is soft brush used for moistening the sand around the pattern.
(11) Gate Cutter : It is a piece of steel sheet bent in the form used to cut gates.

Gate Cutter Swab

Sprue Pin
(
(12) Mallet : It is used to loosen the pattern to withdraw it from the
mould and for stripping the core box from the cores.
(13) Vent rod : It is used to make series of small holes to permit
gasses to escape while molten metal in being poured.

Vent Rod
(
(14) Draw Spike or Screen : It is used to rap and draw patterns from
the sand.
(15) Water Sprinkle : It is a device used for wetting and tempering the
mould sand.
(
Moulding Boxes : Sand moulds are prepared in specially constructed boxes
called flasks. The purpose of flask is to impart the necessary strength to the
sand in moulding. Moulding flask is generally made into two parts. The Cope
(Top section) and the drag (bottom section). These two are held in position by
dwel pins.

(a) Snap flask : It is a small flask with open form. It is made with hinge on one
corner and a lock on the opposite corner. It can be removed from the mould
before it is poured
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(b) Box Flask : It is suitable for small and medium size castings, it is
removed from the mould only after solidification of casting.
(c) Wooden moulding boxes : Wooden boxes are often used for
making relatively large castings.
Mechanical Tools: These tools in the foundry include the many types
of moulding machines that will ram the mould, roll it over, and draw
the pattern.
Besides there are power operated riddles sand mixtures and sand
conveyers etc.
METAL CASTING
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QUESTIONS
1.Define Pattern.
2.What is the purpose of Core.
3. Name different types of hand moulding tools used in foundry.
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The
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