Metal casting is a complex process that involves the application of high pressure to molten metal, making it prone to

several unwanted occurrences that may compromise the quality of eventual products. These are casting defects, and
they are posing major concerns to manufacturers.
Defects associated with casting are of different types. Each has its peculiar features, causes, and prevention
procedures. The key to mastering casting is understanding the various associated defects and causes. Consequently,
you can proactively avoid these imperfections and deliver high-quality products to customers.
Here, we cover the basics of defects that can occur during different types of casting process, including specific
examples of defects that can appear in your castings. You will also learn the various causes of these casting defects
and remedies for each one.
What Are Casting Defects?
Casting defects are imperfections or irregularities that compromise the quality specifications of a component. There
are various reasons and sources for casting imperfections, ranging from material failure to casting equipment or non-
optimized procedure.
While some of these defects may be tolerated or neglected, some casting surface defects result in weak casting, odd
shapes, and poor functionality. Therefore, they must be removed or prevented to ensure better functioning of the
end product.
There are various types of casting defects, but they are generally grouped into four categories, namely:
Metallurgical defects
Defects due to heat
Mold material defects
Casting shape defects
Let’s look at the different defects in each group and their causes and remedies.
Metallurgical Defects
These defects occur majorly due to problems related to the metal material. There are five different types of
metallurgical defects, including:
1. Porosity Defects
These are internal die casting defects that are usually difficult to spot. You will usually find them where there are
small holes, voids, or pockets of air on the metal. Typically, porosities occur whenever air is trapped in the metal
during the casting process. As a result of this, gaps may occur at the top of the die, or the mold may fill too slowly.
Thus, the resulting component may have weakened structural resistance. There are two major porosity defects:
Gas Porosity
When the cast metal solidifies inside the mold, it cannot retain as much gas as when it was in liquid form. Therefore,
the metal tends to release gas. The inability of the gas to pass through the mold easily leads to the trapping of
bubbles inside the metal. These bubbles appear as:

Pinholes. These are small holes that occur in the upper parts of a die-casted part. You will usually see them (via
visual inspection) in groups near the casting’s surface.

Blowholes. They are larger holes that occur inside the cast workpiece. Unlike pinholes, they are not visible to the
naked eye. Therefore, you will need x-ray, ultrasonic, harmonic, or magnetic analysis to detect them.

Open holes. These are types of blowholes that appear on the surface of the workpiece. They occur due to air
trapping when the metal is being poured into the mold. Scars are shallow forms of open holes.
These defects appear round or oval on the surface of castings. They often have smooth surfaces with bright yellow or
bright white color. As a result, you can identify gas porosity defect in casting by visual inspection after the casting
process. On the other hand, you need an X-ray device to check for this defect on non-machined surfaces.
Causes
Involved Gases in Metal Alloy Filling. Metal casting involves filling dies with molten metal alloy at high pressure
and speed. Therefore, an inability of the molten alloy to flow stably and orderly may cause turbulences involving
gases. The turbulences often occur due to blind areas in the gating system, unreasonable casting parameters, and
improper design of launders. Thus, you may notice some porosity defects due to these turbulences.

Released Hydrogen from the Molten Alloy. This is one of the main causes of porosity in casting. The moisture in
the air or smelting tools may enter the molten metal or steel alloy, thereby further decomposing into hydrogen.
When cooling and solidifying the cast, hydrogen’s solubility decreases, causing it to get released and form gas
porosities.

Gases from Mold Release Agents. Upon contact, the molten metal alloy often heats up mold release agents. As a
result, they decompose and produce gas that ends up causing porosity defects. Likewise, using too many mold
release agents can cause gas volatilization.

Remedies
Ensure clean and dry metal alloy ingots are used to prevent hydrogen formation.Use suitable casting parameters,
including injection speed and pressure.Control the smelting temperature to prevent overheating.Employ sprue and
runner with a sufficient length of greater than 50mm. Thus, you will ensure a stable and adequate flow of gases.The
mold release agent should be of the highest quality and controlled quantity.

Shrinkage Porosity
Shrinkage porosity is different from the round, smooth surfaces of gas porosity; they occur as jagged, angular edges.
It is normal for metals to shrink when then cool and solidify. However, if the shrinkage cavity is uneven, distorts the
shape of the component, or creates internal holes, it becomes a defect. The common shrinkage porosity defects are:

Open Shrinkage Defects. They occur on the cast product’s surface as dips (caved surfaces) or holes (pipes). The air
is drawn inside the mold when the metal alloy shrinks unevenly will create an open shrinkage.

Closed Shrinkage Defects. These appear as holes inside the casting where there’s uneven heating of the molten
metal. They can occur in micro or macro forms. Macro shrinkages look like jagged lines or marks and are visible to the
eyes. On the other hand, the micro holes look angular and can be seen with microscopes.

Warping. This shrinkage occurs during or after metal solidification, changing the component’s shape and
dimensions. They cause the metal to curve in flat or large sections.

Causes
High concentration of the metal in specific areas of the mold.Too low injection pressure.Poor runner and gating
design.Uneven pattern of metal solidification.Temperature differences in different parts of the molten
metal.Extremely high pouring temperature.

Remedies
Use simple casting geometries with improved runner and gating design.Ensure optimum filling of cavities by
improving runner using simulation software.Increase the metal injection pressure.Insert cooling coils, ribs, or internal
chills to ensure proper heat dissipation.Clean the metal surface to remove contamination.

2. Sinks
A sink is a press-down impact on the casting surface that does not precisely copy the mold design. Sinks appear on
the casting surface when there is a sub-surface cavity present. These depressions occur along thick-walled areas on
the metal surface. Since sinks reflect light, you can easily identify these casting surface defects by visual inspections.

Causes
The uneven wall thickness of castings often leads to uneven shrinkage upon solidification.Partially overheated die
causes the casting to solidify slowly in those overheated areas.Inadequate venting of the die cavity, thereby causing
gas to compress between the liquid metal surface and the cavity surface.Low injection pressure.Poor feeding effects
due to short pressure-holding time.
Remedies
Optimize the structural design of the casting to ensure even wall thickness.Improve die cavity’s venting
performance.Avoid overheating the die cavity and give the metal more pressure-holding time.Increase metal
injection pressure.

3. Slag Inclusions
A slag inclusion firmly attaches to the casting, reducing the mechanical characteristics of the final product. It usually
occurs when non-metallic materials cause irregular crusts on the casting surface. The casting defect is ribbon-like
entrainment or pocket with sharp edges and irregular shapes. In addition, other forms of inclusions include sand,
nails, dirt, or oxides. Although they are only a few millimeters thick, you can see them with your naked eye.

Causes
Pouring and solidification of liquid metal containing slag particles.Improper gating system.Formation of insoluble
inter-metallic compounds during the solidification process; thus, causing them to segregate in residual liquid.Adding
alloy that has not fully dissolved in the melt.

Remedies
· Thorough and regular die cleaning.Improve the design of the gating system.Use clean molten metal.Apply a small
piece of alloy material and observe metal alloys as they change.

4. Dross
Dross refers to a metal loss that occurs during nonferrous metal casting operations. As metal melts, it oxidizes to form
layers of impurities and scum that floats to the surface of the metal. The impurities occur due to the mixing of the
oxide of the base metal and other metals on the surface.

Causes
· Thermite reaction.
Too high metal temperature.Formation of oxides due to the reaction that occurs between the air in the mold and the
high-temperature liquid metal.

Remedies
Avoid stirring that may result in oxidation and thermite reaction.Reduce the metal temperature.Decrease the melting
time.

5. Soldering
Soldering is a common casting defect during the casting process. It occurs when molten metal attaches itself to the
surface of the die cavity and stays there after removing the casting. Consequently, some areas of the casting parts are
either missing material or excess material. You can identify soldering by visual inspection.

Causes
Damages, insufficient hardness, or low roughness of the die cavity.Improper ejection mechanism causing inclined
injection.Overheating the molten metal alloy or dies.Using mold release agents with poor quality.Insufficient amount
of iron element in alloy.

Remedies
Repair any damages to the die cavity and improve its roughness.Adjust draft angles and gate design.Ensure balanced
ejection by optimizing the ejection mechanism.Monitor and control the temperatures of die and molten alloyUse
high-quality mold-release agents.Use an adequate Iron element with a 0.8% to 1.1% margin.

Defects Due to Heat

There are five casting defects caused by heat, including hot tears, cold shut, and thermal fatigue.

1. Hot Tears
Hot tears are some of the significant casting abnormalities that occur due to heat. This defect occurs during the
solidification of the metal casting. At this stage, thermally induced tensile strains and stresses develop in the metal.
The hot tear occurs as the metal contracts when solidifying. You typically see them as irregular or linear patterns on
the die-casted parts.

Causes
Thermal contractions on the metal surface.Inadequate metal pouring temperatures.Improper solidification process
and placement of gates.

Remedies
Use good fillet at junctions.Place the gates near the die accurately.Employ standard solidification methods.Ensure
even thickness throughout the material.

2. Cold Shut
Cold shut defects are cracks that have round edges. They occur when metal flows into the mold from more than one
point. However, the metal is too cold and cannot merge properly to form a perfect piece. Thus, a cold shut occurs as
cracks with rounded edges through the middle of the workpiece, create a weak spot on the casting.

Causes
Improper design of the gating system.Low temperatures of the liquid metal.Reduced fluidity of molten metal.Thin
sections of the casting.

Remedies
Optimize the gating system to prevent narrow cross paths and ensure proper metal flow.Improve gas permeability of
mold.Increase the metal pouring temperature to prevent early solidification.

3. Thermal Fatigue

This defect is prevalent in aluminum die casting because the dies undergo high thermal stress. Thermal stresses
develop from thermal gradients that occur during the heating and cooling of the surface during injection, ejection,
and lubricant spraying. Since die-casting dies are prone to high thermal and mechanical loads, subjecting them to
repeated cycles of very low and high temperatures will lead to structural weakness and cracks within the component.

Causes
Continuously subjecting the die to high temperature.Edges and corners with too small radii.Temperature gradient is
too close to the gate.

Remedies
Give corners and edges permissible radii.Reduce the temperature gradient close to the gate.Allow the die to cool for
some period.

Mold Material Casting Defects

There are 7 types of casting defects caused by unsuitable mold material. Read on.

1. Cuts and Washes

These are areas of excess metals that occur when the molten metal washes away part of the molding sand. When
this happens, the sand does not have enough strength to resist erosion. Cuts and washes appear as low bulges along
the surface of the workpiece. They usually tilt toward the end where the liquid metal had more pouring pressure.

Causes
· Excess metal in some areas of the mold.The high-velocity flowing of molten metal causes excess metal to pass
through the gate.

RemediesEnsure proper design of the gating system.Improve the core and mold strength.Add more binders to the
core sand.
2. Fusion
Fusion is another sand casting defect that occurs when sand grains fuse with the flowing liquid metal. This results in a
thin layer of hard, glassy crust firmly attached to the casting. The main cause of this defect is the low refractoriness of
sand. As a result of sand’s low refractoriness, it is unable to resist the high temperature of the liquid metal. Thus, a
fusion defect occurs.

Causes
Low refractoriness of sand or clay.Mixing metal with sand grains.Too high metal pouring temperature.

Remedies
· Enhance the refractoriness of molding materials.Reduce the pouring temperature of molten metal.

3. Runout
Runouts happen when the molten metal leaks from the mold. As a result of this, the mold cavity will not be filled
completely. Therefore, you tend to get missing or incomplete casted components. In most cases, the appearance is
smooth, but you can also get irregular and rough runouts sometimes.

Causes
A faulty mold or die casting machine.

Remedies
Design casting molds with precision.Inspect molds before casting and replace defective ones.Use high-quality raw
materials that can withstand high temperatures for designing molds.

4. Swells
Metallostatic forces often cause the mold wall to move back, causing a swell in the dimensions of the workpiece. This
means that the casting will enlarge beyond the desired volume, showing as slight, smooth bulges. As a result, its
feeding and machining requirements will increase and it may lead to metal wastage.

Causes
Low strength mold.Improper ramming of the sand mold.

Remedies
Design molds to withstand molten metal pressure to prevent the mold wall from moving backward.Use stronger,
well-rammed molds.

5. Drops
These defects happen when the casting is still in molten form. They are caused when pieces of loose molding sand or
lumps drop from the surface of the cope into the mold cavity. As a result, an abnormal and irregularly shaped
projection occurs on the casting’s surface. Drops can also make the metal surface look dirty and unsuitable for use.

Causes
Low sand strength.Insufficient fluxing of the molten metal.Soft ramming.Absence of reinforcement of sand projection
in the cope.

Remedies
Use sand with higher strength.Removing the molten metal impurities with proper fluxing.Provide harder
ramming.Reinforce the sand projections with gaggers or nails.

6. Metal Penetration
This occurs in situations when the molten metal penetrates openings or gaps in the molding sand. The main reason
for this is that the grain size of the molding sand is too coarse, preventing the proper flowing of the liquid metal.
Consequently, you will get a rough and irregular casting surface, lowering its aesthetics. You can easily see the effects
of metal penetration with your naked eye.

CausespUsing sand with high permeability and low strength.Soft ramming of sand.
Using coarse or large sand grains causes more extreme metal penetration.Lack of mold wash.

RemediesUse small-sized, high-strength grain.Ensure hard ramming and low permeability of sand.
7. Rat Tails
Rat tails appear as irregular cracks or lines on castings. These defects occur due to the compression failure on the
mold cavity surface when the molten metal is excessively hot. The molten sand expands under the influence of heat,
which causes the mold wall to move backward and give way. In the process, the casting surface will show a small line
mark. If such failure occurs severally during the casting procedure, you may notice crisscrossing small lines on the
component’s surface.

CausesPoor expansion capabilities of the sand.Improper mold design.Excessive metal pouring temperature.
RemediesAdd combustible additives to molding sand.Reduce the metal pouring temperature.Design mold to be less
hard to ensure adequate expansion.

Casting Shape Defects

Not right casting shape can cause two types of defects: mismatches and flash.

1. Mismatches
Mismatches are casting defects that occur due to the misalignment of the lower and upper parts of the mold. It could
occur when the cope and drag of the mold are not properly lined up before pouring the metal. There are two types
of mismatches, namely mold shift and core shift. Mold shift is a result of the misalignment of the mold and it often
shows as a horizontal displacement. On the other hand, core shift occurs due to the misalignment of the core, and it
appears as a vertical displacement.

CausesLoose box pins. Wrong pattern dowel pins.Placing the upper part and lower part of the mold wrongly causes
misalignment.

RemediesEnsure proper match plate pattern alignment and mounting.Use the right molding box and closing pins.
2. Flash
Flashes are any excess or unwanted material that occurs as thin, irregular-shaped occurrences on the parting line of a
die-casting part. Typically, it is a thin sheet of metal forming on the parting faces and turning into dross after re-
melting. Since flashes often have larger sizes, they can be seen by visual inspection.

Causes
Insufficient clamping force.Inadequate cleaning of the parting surface.Too high injection speed and filling
temperature.Insufficient strength of the die material.Deformed or worn-out hinges of the casting machine.

RemediesAdjust the casting parameters such as injection speed, filling temperature, and clamping force.Ensure
regular maintenance of casting machines.Clean up the die cavity and parting surface.

RapidDirect Is Your Casting Services Partner

Now you can already understand the different casting defects and the ways to avoid them. If you have a die casting
need, it is best to choose an experienced service provider, then RapidDirect is your best bet.
Our experts are skilled and experienced in the casting process, like die casting. Therefore, you can be sure that we
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We boast superior quality materials, advanced processes, and experienced technicians. We handle all projects
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issues that may cause die-casting defects. With RapidDirect, you can be sure of strict manufacturing processes and
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Conclusion
The metal casting process is complex and can result in various surface defects. A better understanding of these
casting defects will give you better chances for quality control in castings. Knowing all about casting defects and
remedies will ensure the superior quality of your casting.
While these defects can be normal in some situations, experienced die casting professionals can help you prevent or
rectify them. Therefore, you must work with a partner that ensures quality control inspections. Contact RapidDirect
today for questions and inquiries on die casting.