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Metal Casting Processes
Metal Casting Processes
Metal-Casting Processes
2001 Prentice-Hall
Page 11-1
Advantages
Almos t any metal cas t; no l imit to s i ze, s hape or weight; low tooling cos t. Good dimens ional accuracy and s urface finis h; high production rate .
Limitations
S ome finis hing r equi red; s omewhat coars e finis h; wide tole rances . Part s i ze l imited; expens iv e patterns and equipment requi red. Patterns have low s trength and can be cos tly for low quantities Limited to nonferrous metals ; l imited s ize and volume of production; mold mak ing time re lativ ely long.
S hel l mold
E xpendable pattern
Mos t metals cas t with no limit to s i ze; compl ex s hapes Intri cate s hapes ; good dimens ional accu- racy and finis h; low poros ity.
Ceramic mold
Intri cate s hapes ; c los e tol erance parts ; good s urfac e finis h.
Limited s i ze.
Inv tment es
Intri cate s hapes ; excel lent s urface finis h and accuracy; almos t any metal cas t .
Permanent mold
Good s urface finis h and dimens ional accuracy; low poros ity; high production rate .
High mold cos t; l imited s hape and intri cacy; not s uitabl e for high-melting-point metals . Di e cos t is high; part s i ze l imited; us ually limited to nonferrous metals ; long lead time. E quipment is expens iv part e; s hape l imited.
Die
E xce ll ent dimens ional ac curacy and s urface finis h; high production rate .
Centrifugal
Large cylindr ical parts with good qual ity; high production rate .
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Die-Casting Examples
(a)
(b)
Figure 11.1 (a) The Polaroid PDC-2000 digital camera with a AZ91D die-cast, high purity magnesium case. (b) Two-piece Polaroid camera case made by the hot-chamber die casting process. Source: Courtesy of Polaroid Corporation and Chicago White Metal Casting, Inc.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Process
Sand Shell Expendable mold pa ttern Plas t er mold
Maximum
No limit 100+
Shape complexity*
1-2 2-3
Dimensional accuracy*
3 2
Minimum
3 2
Maximum
No limit --
0.05
No limit
5-20
No limit
0.05
50+
1-2
1-2
--
0.005 0.5
100+ 300
1-3 2-3
3 2-3
1 3-4
1 1
1 2
75 50
Die Centrifuga l
<0.05 --
50 5000+
1-2 2-10
1-2 1-2
3-4 3-4
1 3
0.5 2
12 100
*Rela tive rat ing:1 bes t, 5 wors t . Note : Thes e ratings are only genera l; s ignificant varia tions can occur, depending on the methods us ed.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Casting Examples
Figure 11.2 Typical grayiron castings used in automobiles, including transmission valve body (left) and hub rotor with disk-brake cylinder (front). Source: Courtesy of Central Foundry Division of General Motors Corporation.
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Machinability E G F G G Wear resistance P G E F E Strength F G E G G Weightb E G P G P Repairability E P G F G Resistance to: Corrosionc E E P E P Swellingc P E E E E aE, Excellent; G, good; F, fair; P, poor. bAs a factor in operator fatigue. cBy water. Source : D.C. Ekey and W.R. Winter, Introduction to Foundry Technology. New York. McGraw-Hill, 1958.
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 11-8
Figure 11.7 Taper on patterns for ease of removal from the sand mold.
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Figure 11.8 Examples of sand cores showing core prints and chaplets to support cores.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Squeeze Heads
Figure 11.9 Various designs of squeeze heads for mold making: (a) conventional flat head; (b) profile head; (c) equalizing squeeze pistons; and (d) flexible diaphragm. Source: Institute of British Foundrymen. Used with permission.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.10 Vertical flaskless molding. (a) Sand is squeezed between two halves of the pattern. (b) Assembled molds pass along an assembly line for pouring.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.11 Schematic illustration of the sequence of operations for sand casting. Source: Steel Founders' Society of America. (a) A mechanical drawing of the part is used to generate a design for the pattern. Considerations such as part shrinkage and draft must be built into the drawing. (b-c) Patterns have been mounted on plates equipped with pins for alignment. Note the presence of core prints designed to hold the core in place. (d-e) Core boxes produce core halves, which are pasted together. The cores will be used to produce the hollow area of the part shown in (a). (f) The cope half of the mold is assembled by securing the cope pattern plate to the flask with aligning pins, and attaching inserts to form the sprue and risers. (continued)
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 11-13
Figure 11.11 (g) The flask is rammed with sand and the plate and inserts are removed. (g) The drag half is produced in a similar manner, with the pattern inserted. A bottom board is placed below the drag and aligned with pins. (i) The pattern, flask, and bottom board are inverted, and the pattern is withdrawn, leaving the appropriate imprint. (j) The core is set in place within the drag cavity. (k) The mold is closed by placing the cope on top of the drag and buoyant forces in the liquid, which might lift the cope. (l) After the metal solidifies, the casting is removed from the mold. (m) The sprue and risers are cut off and recycled and the casting is cleaned, inspected, and heat treated (when necessary).
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 11-14
Figure 11.12 Surface roughness in casting and other metalworking processes. See also Figs. 22.14 and 26.4 for comparison with other manufacturing processes.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Dump-Box Technique
Figure 11.13 A common method of making shell molds. Called dump-box technique, the limitations are the formation of voids in the shell and peelback (when sections of the shell fall off as the pattern is raised). Source: ASM International.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Composite Molds
Figure 11.14 (a) Schematic illustration of a semipermanent composite mold. Source: Steel Castings Handbook, 5th ed. Steel Founders' Society of America, 1980. (b) A composite mold used in casting an aluminum-alloy torque converter. This part was previously cast in an all-plaster mold. Source: Metals Handbook, vol. 5, 8th ed.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Ceramic Molds
Figure 11.16 Sequence of operations in making a ceramic mold. Source: Metals Handbook, vol. 5, 8th ed.
Figure 11.17 A typical ceramic mold (Shaw process) for casting steel dies used in hot forging. Source: Metals Handbook, vol. 5, 8th ed.
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 11-19
Investment Casting
Figure 11.18 Schematic illustration of investment casting, (lostwax process). Castings by this method can be made with very fine detail and from a variety of metals. Source: Steel Founders' Society of America.
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Figure 11.19 Investment casting of an integrally cast rotor for a gas turbine. (a) Wax pattern assembly. (b) Ceramic shell around wax pattern. (c) Wax is melted out and the mold is filled, under a vacuum, with molten superalloy. (d) The cast rotor, produced to net or near-net shape. Source: Howmet Corporation.
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Vacuum-Casting Process
Figure 11.21 Schematic illustration of the vacuum-casting process. Note that the mold has a bottom gate. (a) Before and (b) after immersion of the mold into the molten metal. Source: From R. Blackburn, "Vacuum Casting Goes Commercial," Advanced Materials and Processes, February 1990, p. 18. ASM International.
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Pressure Casting
Figure 11.22 (a) The bottom-pressure casting process utilizes graphite molds for the production of steel railroad wheels. Source: The Griffin Wheel Division of Amsted Industries Incorporated. (b) Gravity-pouring method of casting a railroad wheel. Note that the pouring basin also serves as a riser. Railroad wheels can also be manufactured by forging.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.23 (a) Schematic illustration of the hot-chamber die-casting process. (b) Schematic illustration of the cold-chamber die-casting process. Source: Courtesy of Foundry Management and Technology.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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(a)
Figure 11.24 (a) Schematic illustration of a cold-chamber die-casting machine. These machines are large compared to the size of the casting because large forces are required to keep the two halves of the dies closed.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.24 (b) 800-ton hot-chamber die-casting machine, DAM 8005 (made in Germany in 1998). This is the largest hot-chamber machine in the world and costs about $1.25 million.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.26 Examples of cast-in- place inserts in die casting. (a) Knurled bushings. (b) Grooved threaded rod.
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Alloy
Aluminum 380 (3.5 Cu-8.5 Si) 13 (12 Si)
Elongation in 50 mm (%)
2.5 2.5
Applications
Appliances , automotive components , ele ctr ical motor frames and hous ings Compl ex shapes with thin walls, parts requir ing s tr ength at elevated tempe ratures Plumbing fiztures , lock hardware, bushings , ornamental cas tings Power tools , automotive parts , sporting goods Automotive parts, office equipment, hous ehold utens i ls , building hardware , toys Appliances , automotive parts , building hardware ,busines s equipment
Brass 858 (60 Cu) Magnes ium AZ91 B (9 Al-0.7 Zn) Zinc No. 3 (4 Al)
200 160 --
15 3 10
5 (4 Al-1 Cu) Sourc e : Data from Amer ican Di e Cas ting Ins titute
320
--
2001 Prentice-Hall
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Figure 11.27 Schematic illustration of the centrifugal casting process. Pipes, cylinder liners, and similarly shaped parts can be cast with this process.
Kalpakjian Schmid Manufacturing Engineering and Technology 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 11-30
Semicentrifugal Casting
Figure 11.28 (a) Schematic illustration of the semicentrifugal casting process. Wheels with spokes can be cast by this process. (b) Schematic illustration of casting by centrifuging. The molds are placed at the periphery of the machine, and the molten metal is forced into the molds by centrifugal force.
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Squeeze-Casting
Figure 11.29 Sequence of operations in the squeeze-casting process. This process combines the advantages of casting and forging.
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Melt Spinning
Figure 11.32 Schematic illustration of melt-spinning to produce thin strips of amorphous metal.
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