Castings on IndustryNet

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Casting presents a  manufacturing process by which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process. Casting materials are usually metal or various cold setting materials that cure after mixing two or more components together; examples are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwisedifficult or uneconomical to make by other methods.

Casting is a 6000 year old process and the oldest surviving casting is a copper frog from 3200 BC.

Types of castings:

Metal

Metal casting is one of the most common casting processes. Metal patterns are more expensive, but are more dimensionally stable and durable.Metallic patterns are used where repetitive production of castings is required in large quantities.

Plaster, concrete, or plastic resin

Plaster and other chemical curing materials such as concrete and plastic resin may be cast using single-use waste molds as noted above, multiple-use 'piece' molds,or molds made of small rigid pieces or of flexible material such as latex rubber. When casting plaster or concrete, the material surface is flat and lacks transparency.Often topical treatments are applied to the surface. For example, painting and etching can be used in a way that give the appearance of metal or stone.Alternatively, the material is altered in its initial casting process and may contain colored sand so as to give an appearance of stone.By casting concrete, rather than plaster, it is possible to create sculptures, fountains, or seating for outdoor use. A simulation of high-quality marble may be made using certain chemically-set plastic resins with powdered stone added for coloration, often with multiple colors worked in.The latter is a common means of making washstands, washstand tops and shower stalls, with the skilled working on multiple colors resulting in simulated stained patterns as is often found in natural marble or travertine.

The casting process simulation uses numerical methods to calculate cost component quality considering mold filling, solidification and cooling, and provides a quantitative predictionof casting mechanical properties, thermal stresses and distortion. Simulation accurately describes a cast component’s quality up-front before production starts. The casting rigging can be designed with respect to the required component properties. This has benefits beyond a reduction in pre-production sampling, as the precise layout of the complete casting system alsoleads to energy, material, and tooling savings.

The software supports the user in component design, the determination of melting practice and casting method through to pattern and mold making, heat treatment, and finishing.This saves costs along the entire casting manufacturing route.

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