CAIRO UNIVERSITY

FACULITY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
SECOND YEAR MECHANICAL

CASTING PROCESSES
Metal Casting

Metal casting is the process of creating objects by filling a cavity with liquid metal and
letting the metal cool. Metal casting is approximately 6000 years old, as the first cast
objects appear to be copper arrowheads dated from approximately 4000 BC.

A. Sand casting
In spite of its innocuous name, sand casting is one of the most major industrial metal
casting processes. Sand casting accounts for over 90% of all metal poured for casting.

The process of sand casting begins by fabricating a pattern for the final object. The
pattern is often two piece due to the construction of the mold. The pattern can be
made from virtually any substance including wood, foam, clay and plastic.

The mold which contains the sand is called a flask. It consists of two pieces, the top or
cope and the bottom or drag. The centerline divides the cope from the drag. Holes
called sprues feed molten metal into the flask and holes called risers allow air bubbles
to escape.

To begin the casting process, the flask is broken into its two pieces. The pattern is
inserted into the flask and the flask reassembled. Sand is packed tightly around the
pattern. Then the flask is opened and the pattern removed. The sand imprint is
checked carefully, and appropriate risers and sprues added (if not contained on the
original pattern). Then the flask is closed and molten metal poured into the sprues until
it emerges from the risers.

After the metal has cooled, the flask is broken open and the cast part removed. The
sand is cleaned and recycled back for the next casting operation. The sprues and
risers are removed and the part is cleaned.

Tricks:

Either "green" sand

(actually black) or dry sand
is used for casting. In
green sand casting, the
sand binder is kept moist
with water. The part is cast
as soon as possible
after the pattern is removed.
In dry sand casting, an
organic binder is used -- and
the mold is baked after
the pattern is removed.
Green sand casting is more economical, dry sand casting has better dimensional
tolerances.

To create a hole in the middle of a casting, a baked sand part called a core is inserted
in the mold after the pattern has been removed. The core will be removed
destructively after the casting is complete -- leaving a hole in the middle of the part.

Polystyrene or Styrofoam can be used to create a one-time pattern for a specialty

casting. In this process, the pattern is inserted into the flask and left there. When the
molten metal is poured over the pattern, it vaporizes and the vapor escapes from the
riser holes.

Materials:

Any metal that can be melted. Common metals

include cast iron, steel, brass, bronze,
aluminum alloys, and magnesium alloys.

Advantages:

 Exceptionally economical
 Virtually no materials waste, as leftovers
can be remelted and used again
 The castings can range from a few
ounces to thousands of pounds
 The castings are isotropic
 Virtually unlimited freedom of shape

Disadvantages:

 Dimensional tolerances of 1/16" are typical -- this is large for many applications
 The castings have a work hardened (chilled) surface and cause significant tool
wear in post casting machining
D. Permanent mold casting
(gravity die casting)
In gravity die casting, the metal is poured into the mold using only the force of gravity.
The mold is typically a two piece mold clamped solidly together.

Molds for casting iron or steel are made of graphite or other refractories. Molds for
casting aluminum, magnesium or copper alloy castings are made of iron or die-steel.
Molds incorporate the necessary sprues and risers, and also typically have pins for
ejecting the castings.

Materials:

Materials best suited for gravity die castings are materials with relatively low melting
points in order to be fluid in the mold. Typically iron, magnesium alloys, and aluminum
alloys are cast using this process. Copper and zinc alloys tend to be insufficiently fluid.
Steel and steel alloys require special molds.

Typical applications are:

- pistons/cylinders/rods
- gears
- kitchenware

Advantages:

 the mold can be chilled to speed cooling

 good surface finish
 good dimensional accuracy
 only one mold is required
 
Disadvantages:

 limited numbers of alloys can be used

 complex shapes cannot be cast
 mold production is time consuming and costly
 mold sizes are limited
E. Die casting
Die casting is one of the most common manufacturing processes. The basic idea is to
force metal into a permanent mold using high pressure. The metal then cools (often
assisted by water cooling of the die). The mold is then opened, and the casting
ejected.

Molds for die casting are quite elaborate. They are usually constructed of alloy steel in
two pieces (called the cover and the ejector). The die must withstand high temperature
and pressure, so the die is typically made for chromium or tungsten steel alloys. In
order to increase die life, and improve throughput, the die is usually cooled with water,
air or nitrogen.

There are two major types of die casting machines. Hot chamber die casting machines
are used for low melting point materials. A typical hot chamber machine is shown
below. When the piston is raised, molten metal flows into the gooseneck. The molten
metal is forced out of the gooseneck and into the die by the plunger. These machines
are FAST typically operating at 150+ shots per minute.
 The cold chamber die casting machine is shown below. Die castings of aluminum,
magnesium, brass and bronze are all made on cold chamber machines. In a cold
chamber, the metal is fed first from the holding furnace into a chamber. The plunger
then takes that metal and forces it into the die. Cold chamber machines are typically a
bit slower than hot chamber machines.

Materials:

Materials best suited for die castings are zinc, aluminum, magnesium, copper,
lead and tin. High pressure die casting is generally limited to non-ferrous metals
because of the difficulty in making refractory molds capable of withstanding the
high temperature and pressure.

Applications:

- automotive parts
- appliances
- office machines
- bathroom fixtures
- outboard motors

Hot chamber machines are:

- good for low temperature zinc alloys (approx. 400°C)
- faster than cold chamber machines
- cycle times must be short to minimize metal contamination
- metal starts in a heated cylinder
- a piston forces metal into the die
- the piston retracts, and draws metal in
 
Cold chamber machines:

- casts high melting point metals (>600°C)

- high pressures used
- metal is heated in a separate crucible
- metal is ladled into a cold chamber
- the metal is rapidly forced into the mold before it cools

Advantages:

 intricate parts possible

 short cycles
 inserts feasible
 cycles less than 1 minute
 minimum finishing operations
 thin sections, high tolerances, good surface finish
 
Disadvantages:

 metal die is costly

 porous parts
 not suited to large parts
 long setup times
 $5000-200,000 for machine
 metal melting point temperature must be lower than die