This document provides an overview of investment casting (lost wax process) and shell moulding casting methods. It describes the basic procedures for each method, including producing wax patterns, assembling patterns, investing/coating patterns, removing wax, pouring metal, and finishing. Advantages of each include high dimensional accuracy, complex shapes, and smooth surfaces. Disadvantages include higher costs and limited size for shell moulding. Applications mentioned are for small precision parts in industries like machinery, jewelry, and medical implants.
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This document provides an overview of investment casting (lost wax process) and shell moulding casting methods. It describes the basic procedures for each method, including producing wax patterns, assembling patterns, investing/coating patterns, removing wax, pouring metal, and finishing. Advantages of each include high dimensional accuracy, complex shapes, and smooth surfaces. Disadvantages include higher costs and limited size for shell moulding. Applications mentioned are for small precision parts in industries like machinery, jewelry, and medical implants.
This document provides an overview of investment casting (lost wax process) and shell moulding casting methods. It describes the basic procedures for each method, including producing wax patterns, assembling patterns, investing/coating patterns, removing wax, pouring metal, and finishing. Advantages of each include high dimensional accuracy, complex shapes, and smooth surfaces. Disadvantages include higher costs and limited size for shell moulding. Applications mentioned are for small precision parts in industries like machinery, jewelry, and medical implants.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
This document provides an overview of investment casting (lost wax process) and shell moulding casting methods. It describes the basic procedures for each method, including producing wax patterns, assembling patterns, investing/coating patterns, removing wax, pouring metal, and finishing. Advantages of each include high dimensional accuracy, complex shapes, and smooth surfaces. Disadvantages include higher costs and limited size for shell moulding. Applications mentioned are for small precision parts in industries like machinery, jewelry, and medical implants.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
SEMINAR ON SPECIAL CASTING S Shell molding and investment casting
K N KRISHNAN NAMBEESAN ROLL NO: 7
MTECH ,SOE CUSAT
INTRODUCTION All metals may be cast in sand moulds and there is no limitation about the size of the casting which can be made. Sand casting is having wide applications (because of low cost)\ however, sand moulds are single purpose moulds as they are completely destroyed after the casting has been removed from the moulding box. The use of a permanent mould casting would do a considerable saving in labor cost of mould making. Special casting methods are not commonly employed because of their high initial cost however special casting methods have following advantages over conventional sand casting. • High production rates. • Lower production cost. • Better surface finish. • Denser and fine grain structure. • Greater dimensional accuracy. • More ductile. • Good quality (less defects).
Classification of special casting
Metal Mould Casting- (a) Gravity die or permanent mould casting. (b) Die casting: Hot chamber process, cold chamber process. (c), Slush casting. ,. (d) Pressed or corthias casting. 2. Non-Metallic, Mould- Casting (a) Centrifugal casting • True centrifugal casting. • Semi centrifugal casting. • Centrifuge casting. (b) Carbon dioxide moulding (c) Investment mould casting or lost wax process or precision casting (d) Shell moulding (e) Plaster moulding. 3 Continuous Casting (a) Reciprocating moulds (b) Stationary moulds (c) Direct sheet casting.
INVESTMENT CASTING OR LOST WAX
PROCESS OR PRECISION CASTING This process uses wax pattern which is subsequently melted from the mould, leaving a cavity having all the details of the original pattern (required casting). 1. Pattern wax is injected into metal die to form a dispensable pattern. 2. Gating Patterns are gated to a sprue to form a tree or cluster, and base of the pattern material is attached to the tree. 3. (a) Solid Pattern : A metal flask is put over the cluster of pattern and sealed to a base plate to form a container. A hard setting moulding material is then poured into the flask, completing the pattern cluster completely. (b) Shell Pattern: The ceramic shell is formed by dipped the clustered patterns in ceramic slurry and then sprinkling them with a refractory grain. This procedure is repeated until the required thickness of the shell is achieved. 4. Pattern Removal : The flask and shells are then placed in ovens to bake at a moderate temperature in order to slowly melt the embedded patterns. The cavity left in the mould will receive the poured molten metal. 5. Casting : The flask or shell is inverted and the metal is poured into the hot mould. Investment Casting Process. Procedure 1. Producing a die for making wax pattern • Dies may be made either by machining cavities in two or more matching blocks of steels or by casting a low melting point alloy around a (metal) master pattern. • Dies halves are then sent for necessary machining and drilling the gate through which wax is to be injected for preparing expendable patterns (wax, plastic, tin, frozen mercury in merest process but wax is more commonly used). 2. Making wax patterns • The die halves are closed and properly clamped. • Molten wax is then forced into die, under pressure, by means of a wax injection machine. • Allow cooling and solidification. • The die is then opened and the pattern is removed. • A lubricant is then sprayed on to the die surfaces and the same is closed for casting the next wax pattern (therefore one wax pattern is used for one piece only). 3. Assembling the wax patterns Assemble a number of small wax patterns to a common wax gating system so that they can be placed together in one mould (to increase the. production). 4. Precoating the pattern assembly • The wax pattern assembly is dipped into a slurry of a refractory coating material. A typical slurry consists of 325-mesh silica flour suspended in a ethyl silicate solution. • Wax pattern assembly is next, sprinkled with 40 to 50 AFS (American Foundry Society) silica sand and is permitted to dry. Investing the, wax pattern assembly for the production of moulds • This is done by inverting the wax assembly on the bottom board, surrounding it with a Paper lined steel flask and pouring the investment moulding mixture around the pattern. The mould material settles by gravity and completely surround,/the pattern as the work table is vibrated. • The moulds are then allowed to dry in air for 2 to 3 hours. Removal of wax pattern • The wax pattern can be removed from the mould by two methods • Place the mould in a furnace in an inverted position i.e. the sprue downwards. The wax is melted out due to heat and collected for reuse." • In other method, mould is placed in-a bath of trichloromethylene vapours which also enable the recovery of wax for reuse. Pouring and casting • The mould is again heated at the rate of 40 00 to 70 °C per hour from about 150 °C to 1000 °C for ferrous alloys and 650 °C aluminum alloys. • Preheating is done — To remove the wax if any. — It helps the metal to flout easily and fill up properly. — It causes expansion of the mould. After preheating, the metal is poured into the investment mould under simple gravitational force or under the force of applied air pressure or by centrifugal force. Cleaning, finishing and inspection • Each casting is separated from the assembly and the gates, runner etc. are removed. • Finishing and inspection of casting is done. Advantages of Investment Casting • High dimensional accuracy of the order of ± 0.08 mm can be attained. ^ A very smooth surface without parting line. • Machining can be eliminated. • Very thin sections can be cast easily (0.76 mm). • Complex contours and intricate shapes can be easily cast. • Die castings can be replaced when short runs are involved. • Castings are sound and have large grains as the rate of cooling is slow. • Complex shapes are possible because pattern is withdrawn by melting it. Disadvantages of Investment Casting • The process is suitable for small size parts. • This is a more expensive process. • Process is relatively slow. • Pattern is expendable, one wax pattern is required to make one investment casting. • The use of cores make the process more difficult. Application of Investment Casting • Parts for sewing machines, locks, rifles, burner nozzles, milling cutters and of tools, jewellery and art casting. • in dentistry and surgical implants: • Parts of gas turbines. • Corrosion resistant and wear resistant alloy parts used in diesel engines, picture and chemical industry equipments. SHELL MOULDING . Introduction It is a process in which, the sand mixed with a thermosetting resin is allowed to contact with a heated metallic pattern plate, so that a thin and strong shell of mould around the pattern. Then the shell is removed from the pattern and the cope and removed together and kept in a flask with the necessary back up material. After that metal is poured into this mould. Procedure A metal pattern, heated to about 175°C to 350°C, is clamped over a box .Molding sand mixed with thermosetting resin such * as phenol formaldehyde, urea formal polyesters., is partially filled . The box and pattern are inverted for a short time. The mixture when comes with hot pattern, it causes an initial set and builds up a coherent sand shell pattern. The thickness of this shell is about 6 mm to -18 mm and,. is depends on pattern temperature and the sand mixture. This takes 5 to 20 seconds only.
• The box and pattern are brought in its
original position. The shell of resin bonded sand is retained on the pattern surface, while the unaffected sand falls into box. The shell, still on the pattern is cured by heating it in an oven from 250°C to 350°C for 1 to 3 minutes. • The assembly is removed from the oven and the shell is stripped from the pattern by ejector pins. In order to obtain clean stripping, a silicon parting agent may be sprayed on the pattern. • The shell halves are assembled with clamps and supported in a flask with backing material. The shell mould is now ready for pouring. Advantages of Shell Moulding Suitable for thin sections. Surface finish obtained is excellent. Good dimensional accuracy (Tolerance = 0.002 to 0.003 mm per mm). Less floor space. It can be easily machined and machining and cleaning cost is negligible. The total sand used is only 5 to 10% that of green sand mould. The moulds can be stored until required. Less skilled labor is required. Cooling rate of cast metal is slow so larger gain size. Disadvantages of Shell Moulding Initial cost of pattern and sand is high. Special equipments are to be used. Reuse of sand is difficult. Maximum size of casting is limited. Minimum thickness of the section that can be cast is 4 mm. Certain casting shapes are unsuitable when proper parting and gating are not available. Applications of Shell Moulding o It is well suited to ferrous and non ferrous alloys castings in the range of 0.1 to 10 kg. o Alloys that can be cast by shell moulding are aluminum alloys, copper alloys, cast irons, stainless steels etc. o Components cast by shell moulding are small pipes, cam shafts, bushings Reference • Manufacturing process – S K Garg • Manufacturing Engg Technology – Serope Kalpakjian & Steven R Schimid • http://www.deangroup-int.co.uk/
1.3 Fundamentals of Metal Casting - Fluidity of Molten Metal - Different Types of Casting Process - Defects in Casting - Testing and Inspection of Casting