Casting: Definition, Types, Steps involved in casting,

Advantages, Disadvantages, Importance [PDF]

mechanicalenotes.com/casting-process/

November 1, 2018

Definition of Casting:
Casting is a process in which the liquid molten metal is poured into the casting cavity
whose shape is same as that of the shape of the casting to be produced, allowing to
solidify and after solidification, the casting will be taken out by breaking the mould called
as Casting Process.

Types of Casting Processes:

There are various types of Casting Processes but out of which, I will be explaining only
four types of casting processes in detail. They are

1. Sand Casting Process

2. Die Casting Process
3. Shell mold Casting Process
4. Investment Casting Process

The explanation for the types of Casting processes are as follows.

1.Sand Casting Process:

Sand Casting is a process in which the liquid molten metal is poured into the casting
cavity whose shape is the same as that of the shape of the casting to be produced,
allowed to solidify and after solidification, the casting part will be taken out by breaking
the mold called as Sand Casting Process.

The parts of the Sand casting process are Cope and drag, Sprue, Pouring Basin, Runner,
Ingate, Casting Cavity, Riser, Parting Line, Chaplets, etc.

With the help of sand casting process, cylinder blocks, machine tool beds, pistons, etc.
can be produced.

2.Die Casting Process:

Die Casting is a metal casting process which is characterized by forcing the molten metal
into a mold cavity under high pressure or under gravity.

In Sand Casting Process, the Mould is made up of Sand whereas, in Die Casting
Process, the mold is made up of Metal.

Types of Die Casting Process:

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There are two types of Die Casting process.

Gravity Die Casting

Pressure Die Casting

Gravity Die Casting:

If the flow of molten metal into the mold cavity is due to the gravitational force, then it is
called Gravity Die Casting.

Pressure Die Casting:

If the flow of molten metal into the mold cavity is due to the external pressure, then it is
called Gravity Die Casting.

3.Shell Mold Casting Process:

If the mold is made like a shell called shell mold casting. Shell means the thin mold or
Hollow mold.

The material used for mold is a Phenolic resin (Thermosetting Plastic) has the viscosity of
(Dynamic Viscosity equal to 1500 to 2000 Centipoise). You can dip the pattern into
phenolic resin for 1 to 2 minutes and take the pattern out.

This method is used for producing the symmetrical and circular shape of castings only.

4.Investment Casting Process:

In the Investment Casting Process, the wax is used as a Pattern Material whereas
Cement Concrete is used as a Mould Material.

Because of Cement concrete mold, the same mold can be used for producing a few
numbers of castings. Therefore, it is also called a Semi-Permanent Mould Casting
Process.

Steps involved in the Casting Process:

There are 5 steps involved in Casting process and they are as follows.

1. Pattern making
2. Mold and Core making
3. Pouring and Solidification
4. Fetling
5. Inspection

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 By Krzysiulek, sand casting working principle

1.Pattern Making:
The pattern is the replica of the casting to be produced. Replica means the shape of the
pattern is same as the shape of the casting to be produced.

Pattern Size = Casting size (+/-) allowances.

By Glenn McKechnie,Two sets of castings (bronze and

aluminium) from the above sand mold

Types of Allowances:

There are five types of allowances in the casting process.

Shrinkage allowance
Machining allowance
Draft allowance
Shake allowance
Distortion allowance

Read: Types of allowance and defects in casting process

Properties possessed by the Pattern:

No moisture absorption by the pattern material would take place.

Surface finish produced on the pattern material must be good or excellent.
The material should be of low density.

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 Easiness in fabrication.
It should be cheaper (Pattern Cost).

Types of Pattern in Casting:

There are 4 types of pattern in casting process and are as follows.

Solid pattern
Split pattern
Match plate pattern
Cope Pattern and Drag Pattern

Types of Pattern Materials:

The different types of pattern materials used in the casting process are as follows.

Wood Pattern:

Except for moisture absorption, the wood is possessing all other properties which are
required as pattern material, and out of all the different woods, the wood which is
absorbing less moisture will be used as pattern material.

Example: Teak wood, Mohagaoni, etc.

Metal Pattern:

In the case of metal patterns, the density is high and it is difficult to manufacture the metal
patterns.

Ex: Aluminium, white metal, Titanium has low density, but they are very costly.

Aluminium = 2.7 gm/cc

White metal = 3.2 gm/cc

Titanium = 4.3 gm/cc

When wooden parts are used for producing metal patterns, the double shrinkage
allowance must be provided on the wooden pattern.

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Plastic Pattern:

They are processing all the properties which are required for pattern material.hence in
today's manufacturing industry, plastics are the most commonly used pattern materials.

Ex: Epoxy resin, PVC, Nylon, Cellulose, Polystyrene, etc.

Polystyrene: It is used for producing very large castings where the removal of the pattern
is not possible.

Ex: Producing bed of Machine.

Wax Pattern:

It will be selected as pattern material for producing the complex shape of the pattern, to
produce the complex shape of the casting i.e. because of the highest softness of the wax
material, it is possible to produce the Complex shape of the pattern easily.

2.Mold and Core making:

After creating a pattern with any of the material mentioned above, we need to create sand
mould.

For creating a sand mould, the properties of green sand has to be known.

Let's understand what is mold, what is a molding, and what are the different molding
materials in detail...

What is mould or mold?

It is described as a void or cavity created in a compact sand mass with the help of a
pattern which (mold), when filled with molten metal produces a casting.
The mold is made by using the molding sand consists of basic elements such as

Silica Sand Particles: They are used for producing the required strength of the
molding sand. (75-80%) of sand is filled with Silica sand Particles.
Clay: It is used for producing the bond between the sand particles. (15-20%) of clay
is filled in molding sand.
Water or Sodium Silicate: It is used for initiating the bond formation between the
sand particles(6-8%).

Silica Sand + Clay + Water = Green Sand.

Silica Sand + Clay + Sodium Silicate = Dry Sand.

Green Sand or Dry Sand with 50% Clay is called as Loam Sand.

What is a molding?

The process of making a cavity or mold in the compact sand is called as Moulding.

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What are molding materials?

A material which possesses high refractoriness can be used for mold making. Thus,
the mold making material can be metallic or non-metallic(sand).
For Metallic Moulds, the common materials are Cast iron, mild steel, and alloy
steels.
For Non-Metallic Moulds: Materials used are molding sand, Plaster of Paris, silicon
carbide, graphite, and ceramics.

Note:

Out of all materials, the molding sand is the most commonly utilized non-metallic
molding material because of its certain inherent properties namely refractoriness,
high permeability, and workability along with good strength. Moreover, it is also
highly cheap and it is easily available.

Core making:
In order to create hollow components in casting process, core is to be placed in the
casting cavity and when the molten metal surrounds the core, a hollow component is
produced.

3.Pouring and Solidification:

After the creation of pattern, core as well as mould, the next step is to pour the molten
metal into the sand molding.

When the molten metal is poured, it will not move to each and every corner. Therefore,
chills are provided at the corners to do the solidification fastly.

4.Fetling:
Fetling is nothing but, breaking of the mould after production of a component so as to
take it out from the sand mould.

5.Inspection:

After production of component, it is inspected under the guidance of quality engineers

and further it is sent to the machining shop where the surface finish of the component is
to be done.

These are the five steps involved in the casting process.

Advantages of Casting:
The Advantages of Casting Process are as follows.

High complexity shapes: Casting processes can create any complex structures
economically.

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 Short lead time: Short lead time compared to others and hence, ideal for short
production runs.
Low-cost tooling: Tooling and equipment costs are low compared to some other
metal manufacturing processes.
Design flexibility: The size of an object doesn’t matter for casting.
Wider material choice: all types of engineering alloys can be cast.

Disadvantages of Casting:
The disadvantages of Casting Process are as follows.

Dimensional accuracy: Because of shrinkage in the casting, the dimensional

accuracy might be at risk. So, the designers must take care of providing the
allowance to the product(Pattern) before pouring the molten metal.
Low strength: Due to high porosity compared to a machined part.
Post-processing: It requires Secondary machining operations in order to improve
the surface finish.
Lower Melting Point: Generally limited to metals of the lower melting point.
Not suitable for low-volume production.

Importance of Casting Process:

This process is widely used to manufacture complex parts.
All major parts like milling machine bed, the bed of lathe machine, IC engine
components, etc. are made by this casting process.
It produces the best quality sand casting products at the lowest possible cost
compared to the machining process.
High Production rate.

References:

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