Apart from other metal product manufacturing techniques, metal casting is prevalently employed to create functional parts and prototypes suitable for end use. Metal casting companies consider it less expensive than CNC machining, where a large metal sheet is precisely machined to provide the desired shape.
Metal casting service comprises diverse processes. The implementation of the right procedure depends on the metals used, the casting process complexity, and the run size. The metal casting process involves the pouring of molten metal into a mold. As it cools, the metal hardens, acquiring the shape of the mold.
Today, we will learn about the various types of metal casting techniques that are extensively employed for multiple purposes. Let’s check them out.
Popular Metal Casting Techniques
Metal casting typically can be divided into two principal categories:
- Reusable Molds- These molds are usually made of metals and can be reused multiple times.
- Expendable Molds- These are semi-permanent molds with sand cores which allow the creation of more complex geometries.
Now, coming to casting metal supplies, they broadly rely on these two techniques, which are again classified into the following types:
- Slush Casting- This casting process does not require a core. It creates hollow castings by coating the mold with a small quantity of molten metal. Thus, basically, it creates a “metal skin”. Aluminum, pewter, and zinc are the prevalently used metals for slush casting.
- Pressure Casting- The flow of molten metal is controlled by air, gas, vacuum, centrifugal, or mechanical forces. Therefore, precision is superlative in such a metal casting service since these manual forces can be varied.
- Centrifugal Casting- As the name suggests, centrifugal force rotates the water-cooled mold at high speed while the molten metal is stuffed. This process is generally applied for round or cylindrical objects like rings, etc.
- Continuous Casting- Continuous casting creates simple metal shapes like circles, squares, or rectangles. A funnel is filled with molten metal, which gradually cools down and the cast is extracted. Often, this procedure is used for producing steel raw material.
- Die Casting- In this process, a basin holds the molten metal. Then, an injection device forces the liquid metal into a die or metallic mold. This procedure offers custom metal casting advantages.
- Sand Casting- It is the oldest form of metal casting method because sand is plentiful, inexpensive, high-heat tolerant, and pliable. The casting core is created with sand, and molten metal is fed in. It is ideal for manufacturing large parts since the surface finish is rough.
- Foam Casting- It is a combination of investment and sand casting techniques. The polystyrene foam pattern is implemented in this process. Sometimes, before filling liquid metal, the foam pattern is removed.
- Shell Casting- This metal casting service is similar to sand casting, but here, the resin is mixed with sand for enhanced support. It has better dimensional accuracy.
To conclude, metal casting is the most cost-effective manufacturing procedure. The technique varies depending on the metal type.
