How Does Metal Casting Work?
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Overview of Metal Casting
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Metal casting occurs when a metalworker pours liquefied metal into a hollow cavity and then allows the metal to cool and harden inside. The hollow cavity is the cast (or mold), and it gives the desired size and shape to the part being manufactured. The finished metal part is then ejected from the cast and polished. Metal casting is used to make complex or highly customized metal parts that would be difficult or expensive to manufacture through other means, such as machining, forging, welding or rolling.
The Metal Casting Process
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The first step in the metal casting process is to obtain the necessary mold. Metalworkers generally send detailed blueprints regarding the size and shape of the mold to a foundry, which constructs the mold and ships it to the casters. Recently, casters have begun making their own molds with the use of computer-aided design systems. Metalworkers place the finished mold into a support frame, which contains a cooling apparatus. The melting of the metal occurs in a specific area of the foundry; once the casting mold is in place, workers transfer molten metal from the melting area to a large apparatus above the mold. The apparatus pours the molten metal into the cast at a pre-determined rate regulated by a computer. Once the mold is full, the cooling apparatus activates and causes the metal to harden. Finally, the mold is opened and the finished piece is removed and cleaned.
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Problems in the Metal Casting Process
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There are a number of problems that can occur during the metal casting process. If the liquefied metal becomes contaminated, the resulting piece will not be as strong and may break when it is removed from the mold. Additionally, contaminated metal may also harm the mold itself, causing it to become unusable. Gas bubbles may also form in the metal part after it has cooled, which may also cause the piece to become extremely brittle. Finally, if the cooling apparatus does not function properly, the molten metal may harden before the cast is completely filled, causing the piece to be deformed.
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.mfg.com/en/categories/process-metal-casting.jsp, http://www.petit-fritsen.nl/engels/klokken/foto.htm
