BDS5032

Casting
technology
Aims:
1. To give a definition of casting
2. To detail lab steps followed to cast prosthesis
3. To explain requirements of materials involved in
casting.
Subject Title Goes Here

Objectives:
1. An understanding of available casting technologies
and materials used
2. An understanding of relevant requirements for casting
• Casting technology :
is the process of converting the wax pattern into metallic
restoration by pouring the molten metal into a mould made
from the investment material.
The purpose of the casting procedure is
to provide exact metallic duplicate of missing tooth (or teeth)
structure with maximum possible accuracy in all dimensions.
For →Inlays, Onlays, Crowns & Bridges and metallic
removable prosthesis.
 Indirect restorations
Inlay Onlays Gold 3-unit bridge

Crown
Gold bridge
 Steps of casting procedures

• Wax pattern construction

• Spruing
• Investing
• Wax elimination
• Casting
• Finishing
• Polishing
 I- Wax pattern construction
Direct technique

Indirect technique

Indirect direct technique

 II- Spruing

The wax pattern is attached to a sprue

for proper handling without distortion

Role of a sprue:

• Create a channel to allow the molten wax to escape from the mold.
• Enable the molten alloy to flow into the mold which was previously
occupied by the wax pattern.
Plastics Metals
Sprue materials
Hollow
Or
solid

Waxes
melt at the same rate as the wax pattern thus
allowing easy escape of the molten wax
 Attachment and Direction:
Sprue should be attached to the
thickest part of the wax pattern
with a 45ᵒ angle to the proximal wall
This orientation avoids:
* Turbulent flow of the molten metal
→ air bubbles leading to
# porosity
 Diameter (Thickness):

Equal or slightly Thicker than the thickest part of the wax pattern →
* improves flow of alloy into the mold
• provides reservoir during solidification.
Reservoir:
• piece of wax attached 1 mm.
Away from the wax pattern
• it is the last part to solidify,
allows continuous feeding of molten alloy
to compensate solidification shrinkage
and to avoid shrinkage porosity
Number of sprues
may be single, double or multiple
There may be a main sprue with accessory sprues.

Single Double Multiple

 Length of sprue
Should keep the wax pattern
about 6-8 mm from the
end of the casting ring
Short sprue → prevent escape of air leading to
back pressure porosity.
Long sprue → fracture of the investment, as mold will not
withstand the impact force of the entering molten alloy.
Preparation of the casting ring
 Casting ring and liner:
Casting ring may be metallic, or rubber ring.
Selection depends on:
choice of casting alloy and investment material.
Casting ring lined using asbestos,
then wet the liner.

Functions of liner:
1) Creates space to allow for investment expansion.
2) Allow setting of investment material under water to give hygroscopic
expansion.
3) Facilitate removal of investment from the casting ring after casting.
 Types of ring

Metallic Rubber Split

 III. Investing the wax pattern:
Wax pattern must be invested immediately to avoid
distortion of wax pattern,
which may be due to release of internal stresses
Wax is a hydrophobic material →
Improper wetting of wax pat. →
irregular surface of the metallic cast.
Minimized by applying
surfactants (surface acting agents)
on the wax surface →
* increases surface energy of the wax
* decrease contact angle between wax pattern and
investment material.
Methods of investing the wax pattern:
Hand investing procedure and vacuum
***Vacuum mixing of investment
is highly recommended
to obtain casting with minimal surface defect.
Investing wax pattern may be
OR
done by regular mix investment technique
by double mix investment technique →
* improve adaptability of the investment material
to the surface of wax pattern
* avoid distortion of wax

# After the ring is filled to the rim,

# allow the investment to set for about one hour
# remove the crucible former and the metallic sprue
 Investing technique

Hand mixing Vaccum

IV- Wax elimination
Heating the investment must be done
to achieve the following:
1) All traces of the wax are vaporized: bring the furnace to
200º C and hold this temperature
for 30 minutes.
Most of the wax will be eliminated by this time.
2) Increase the temperature gradually to the final burnout
temperature (about 650º C), this is accompanied by
thermal expansion of the investment.
The mold temperature is now ready for casting.
 V- Casting
A) Melting the alloy

Using flame Using electric furnace

 B) Casting:
A casting machine requires
* a heat source to melt the alloy.
* casting force, so the casting will be completed.
Methods of melting alloys:
* flame:
Melting gold alloys is done by a blow pipe flame while melting base
metals is done by oxyacetylene flame.
* electric furnace.
Methods of Casting: (driving the alloy into the mold)
* Air pressure casting machine: Compressed air
* Centrifugal casting machine.
* Both centrifugal and gas pressure
 Casting machines

Air pressure casting machine Centrifugal casting machine

Solidification of the alloy is done under pressure, then
Allow for cooling and
when the color of the molten alloy has changed
from red to black color,
the ring should be quenched in water.

Devesting , Finishing and polishing of the casting are

subsequently performed.
According to the type of the casting alloy, pickling is
performed then sand blasting of the cast restoration.
VI- Devesting and finishing
VII- Polishing
Investment materials used in dental
castings.
These are ceramic materials that are used to form the mold into
which a molten alloy is casted. The materials suitable for this
purpose should have certain requirements to fulfill:
• Withstand high temperature without decomposition during
casting
• Have sufficient expansion to compensate for the casting
shrinkage .
• Have sufficient strength to withstand the force of molten alloy
entering the mold.
• Porous to permit escape of air or gases.
• Capable of producing a smooth surface and fine details of the
casting.
• Should be broken away easily after casting.
• Should be cheap.
• Should be easily manipulated.
Components of investment materials:

All the investment materials are composed of:

• Refractory material (65%)
• Binder (30%)
• Modifiers (5%)
 1. Refractory Material

• Definition: It is a material that withstands high temperature.

• It is usually a form of Silicon dioxide (silica), e.g. quartz, tridymite,
cristobalite or a mixture of these, i.e. one of the polymorphic
forms of silica.
• Function:
• - It withstands high temperature.
• -It produces thermal expansion of the investment. The type of
refractory material is determined by the amount of casting
shrinkage of metals and alloys.
• As cristobalite gives more expansion than quartz so it is used in
the crown and bridge work, while quartz is used in soldering.
Polymorphic Material (Silica)

Displacive transformation

βQuartz βTridymite βCristobalite

(Hexagonal) (Rhombohedral) (Cubic)

525C 160C 270C

αQuartz αTridymite αCristobalite

(Hexagonal) (Rhombohedral) (Cubic)
(1.4% expansion (1% expansion (1.6% expansion
at 600C). at 600C). at 400 C )

It is the transformation from α form of silica to  form; this is

associated with an expansion.
 2- Binder

• Definition: It binds the refractory particles (silica) together to

form a coherent solid mass.
• Function:
• Binds the silica particles.
• Provides more strength to the material.
• Gives, in some types of investment, setting and hygroscopic
expansion, which share in the compensation of the casting
shrinkage of the metal.
 3-Modifiers (Additives)

• Definition: These are chemicals added in small amount to modify

various physical properties.
• Function:
• They prevent oxidation of the molten alloy during casting e.g.
graphite, carbon and copper: act as reducing agents.
• They may prevent shrinkage of the investment during heating.
e.g., boric acid (eliminates the contraction of gypsum when
heated above 300 °C).
 According to Binder

Gypsum Phosphate Silicate

bonded bonded bonded
investment investment investment
Gypsum Magnesium Polysilisic acid
ammonium
CaSO4.2H2O
phosphate
Point of Gypsum Phosphate Silicate
comparison Bonded Bonded Bonded
Investment Investment Investment

1) Form of Powder / Powder / water Powder / 2

supply water or liquids
Powder /
Special liquid
(Silica sol)
 Phosphate Silicate
Point of Gypsum
Bonded Bonded
comparison Bonded
Investment Investment
Investment

On mixing On mixing the 2

On mixing powder + water; liquids:
2) Setting
powder + water; a)
reaction
Ammonium Hydrolysis
CaSO4.1/2H2O diphosphate +
+ H2O MgO b)
H2O Gelation
CaSO4.2H2O
(stone) Magnesium c)
-Acts as a binder Ammonium Dryness
Phosphate
-Acts as a binder
 Point of Gypsum Phosphate
Silicate
comparison Bonded Bonded
Bonded
Investment Investment
Investment

Setting expansion -Setting expansion -No setting or

due to crystal due to crystal growth, hygroscopic
3) Properties
growth of particles which is higher when expansion.
of CaSO4.1/2H2O mixed with special
liquid. - Setting shrinkage
a)
Dimensional during gelation due to
- Hygroscopic -Hygroscopic formation of coherent
changes
expansion when expansion is Polysilicic acid gel
During
allowed to set under negligible when mixed (change from sol to
setting
water. with water, but high gel)
when
mixed with special
liquid.
Point of Gypsum Phosphate
Silicate
comparison Bonded Bonded
Bonded
Investment Investment
Investment

Thermal expansion: -Thermal expansion Green shrinkage

of silica at 400-700o C of silica due to during dryness at
3) Properties
due to displacive displacive 170oC.
transformation from  transformation from  High heat -
to  cristobalite form to  cristobalite form.. shrinkage at
a)
Shrinkage: From 200- 700oC due to
Dimensional
400oC due to transformation of
changes
dehydration of the Polysilicic acid gel
During into Cristobalite
binder. This can be
setting Thermal -
eliminated by addition
of chemicals (boric expansion of high
acid). amount of silica
due to displacive
transformation.
 Gypsum Phosphate Silicate
Point of
Bonded Bonded Bonded
comparison
Investment Investment Investment

Setting, hygroscopic High Thermal

Setting, and thermal
3) Properties expansion will
hygroscopic and expansions will compensate ;
thermal compensate a) Solidification
expansions( 1.6 the solidification
a) shrinkage of Base
%). will compensate shrinkage of Gold
Dimensional metal alloy (2.3%).
the solidification alloy, when powder is
changes b) Setting
shrinkage of Gold mixed with water &
During shrinkage of
alloy ( 1.6 %). for Base metal alloy
setting c) Green shrinkage
(2.3%)., when mixed d) High heat
with special liquid. shrinkage
 - Strong - Stronger - Strongest
- Magnesium
ammonium
phosphate (binder) - As silica particles
- Sufficient
c) Strength gives sufficient are tightly packed
strength at strength at room together.
room & high temperature.
temperature (Green strength).
to withstand -At high
the driving temperature,
force of the Ammonium diacid
phosphate + silica
gold alloys
during
casting. silico- phosphate
complex which
increase the
strength.
 Non Porous
So venting is
required to allow
escape of air from
d) Porosity Porous mold. In order to
prevent
backpressure
porosity &
incomplete casting.

4) Casting ring - Metallic ring - Rubber ring

lined with wet which is removed
asbestos after setting of
paper the investment
 - Casting of Casting of; - Casting of Base
5) Uses gold alloys -Base metal metal alloys
As the total alloys (when As the total amount
amount of its mixed with special of its expansion is
expansion is liquid). equal to the
equal to the -- Or gold alloys solidification
solidification (when mixed with shrinkage of base
shrinkage of water). metal alloys (2.3
gold alloys %).
(1.6 %).
 Special types of Investment Materials

Solder investment:
Gypsum bonded investment is used with minimal
expansion (by using quartz as refractory material) in order
not to change the relation between the soldered parts (i.e.,
parts do not shift in position during setting and heating the
investment).
 Casting Faults:

I) Distorted casting:
Due to distortion of the wax pattern.
** Improper handling of the wax pattern and/or its
** Delayed investing.
II) Dimensional inaccurate casting:
Small or large casting may be due to :
a. Improper type of investment material.
b. Improper temperature.
 III) Surface roughness of the casting:
due to:
*Porous cast (H2 releasing silicone impression)
* Air bubbles on the surface of wax pattern
during the investment procedure
* Improper use of wetting agent
* Improper vacuum investing
 VI) Porosity:

1) Shrinkage spot porosity:

at the point of attachment to the sprue, it is due to using a
thin sprue,
which leads to incomplete feeding of the molten alloy during
solidification.
2) Back pressure porosity: It is due to using ***short
sprue. The distance between the wax pattern and the end
of the ring is more than 6 mm;
***Non porous investment
air will not escape from the mold and creates back pressure
during flow of molten alloy into the mold.
 V) Incomplete casting and rounded margin:
Due to resistance of the flow of molten alloy into the
mold:
*Using short sprue.
*Insufficient venting of the Investment.
*Insufficient casting pressure.
*Under heating of the alloy causing premature
solidification.
*Incomplete wax elimination.
 Defective Castings:

Back pressure porosity Suck back porosity

Short margin

generalized surface
Localized spot porosity porosity
Aims:
1. To give a definition of casting
2. To detail lab steps followed to cast prosthesis
3. To explain requirements of materials involved in
casting.
Subject Title Goes Here

Objectives:
1. An understanding of available casting technologies
and materials used
2. An understanding of relevant requirements for casting
Reading material:

1. Sakaguchi and Powers; Craig`s restorative dental materials

13th edition (Chapter 12)
2. J.A Von Fraunhofer; Dental materials at a glance, 2010
(Chapter 9) Goes Here
Subject Title
3. Richard Von Noort; Introduction to dental materials 3rd
edition (Chapter 3.3)
4. John F. McCabe and Angus W.G. Walls; Applied dental
materials 9th edition (Chapters 5, 9)
5. Powers, Wataha and Chen; Dental materials: formulations
and applications 11th edition (Chapter 12)
Thank you