Die casting: an efficient method of creating a broad range of shapes, are one of the most mass produced components.

Many toy cars use die casting in their production. It offers high accuracy in its products with a good quality surface finish which is suitable for many products without need for extra polishing or machining.The Process: Die casting first requires the creation of a steel mould (called a die) of the part to be cast, these moulds once created are fitted to the die casting machine and injected under pressure with the desired molten metal or alloy of choice. There are two methods of injection, hot chamber and cold chamber. Hot Chamber method: Hot chamber casting machines use an oil or gas powered piston to drive the molten metal heated within the machine into the die. The piston pulls back allowing the molten metal to fill what is called the goose neck once the liquid metal has filled the goose neck the piston can then force the liquid metal into the die. The clamping force used to inject the metals can range from 400-4000 tons. This method has fast cycle times which can be as low as seconds when producing small parts. Cold Chamber Method: Cold chamber casting machines do not heat the metal, the molten metal must be ladled into the cold chamber manually or by an automatic ladle system, the molten metal is then forced into the die by a hydraulic piston at high pressure. Advantage: high dimensional accuracy, fast production, thinner wall achievable, wide range of shapes possible, simple assembly, good finish Disadvantage: casting must be smaller than 600mm & thickest should be below 13mm . high initial cost, large production required to make economical, some porosity is common, limited to high fluidity metals.
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Investment casting: an industrial process based on and also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. Steps: 1. Produce master pattern from wax, clay 2. Mould making: from master pattern, produce master die 3. Produce wax pattern: assemble wax pattern 4. Investment: ceramic mould known as investment, is produced by three repeating steps: coating, stuccoing, and hardening. 5. Dewax: The investment is then allowed to completely dry, which can take 16 to 48 hours. Drying can be enhanced by applying a vacuum or minimizing the environmental humidity. 6. Burnout & preheating: The mold is then subjected to a burnout, which heats the mold between 870 C and 1095 C to remove any moisture and residual wax, and to sinter the mold. Sometimes this heating is also used as the preheat, but other times the mold is allowed to cool so that it can be tested 7. Pouring: The investment mold is then placed cup-upwards into a tub filled with sand. 8. Removal: The shell is hammered, media blasted, vibrated, waterjeted, or chemically dissolved (sometimes with liquid nitrogen) to release the casting. The sprue is cut off and recycled. The casting may then be cleaned up to remove signs of the casting process, usually by grinding. Mainly used in aerospace & power generation industries. Advantage: excellent surface finish, high dimensional accuracy, extreme intricate casting possible, almost all metal can be cast, no flash, parting line Disadv: fairly expensive & time consuming. Occasional defects Graphite polystyrene used for expandable pattern & gating. Graphite is combined with cement, starch & water fired at 1000 deg C to consolidate graphite

Centrifugal Casting: Centrifugal casting is a method of producing casting by pouring the molten
metal into a rapidly rotating mould. The metal is thrown out towards the mould face by the centrifugal force under considerable pressure. Characteristics: free from defects, less loss of metal, better mechanical impurities, high production rate, high wear resistance. No blister, no non metallic inclusion. Types: True centrifugal casting, Semi Centrifugal casting & Centrifuge casting. True centrifugal castings are produced by pouring molten metal into the cavity of a rapidly rotating metal mold to whose walls metal is thrown centrifugal force and where it solidifies in form of a hollow casting. It is production of hollow casting by centrifugal force alone and without aid of a central core. Molten metal is poured into spinning mold cavity and metal is held against wall of the mold by centrifugal force. The speed of rotation and metal pouring rate vary with alloy and size and shape being cast. The centrifugal casting machines used to spin mould may have either a horizontal or a vertical axis of rotation and for short casting the rotational axis vertical. In the vertical axis machine the central hole will not be completely cylindrical, but slightly paraboloidal, which need machining after casting is made. There are two types of horizontal axis centrifugal casting machines which differ in way metal is distributed along the length of mold during pouring : 1. pouring through (ladle or spout) travels horizontally, while spinning mold is stationary. 2. ladle is stationary and the mold travels. Molds may be made of cast iron or steel, copper, graphite, ceramic, or dry sand. Adv: high density casting, less inclusion & impurities, high output, no need gate riser, holoow interior without cores, less directional variation. Disadv: contamination of interior surface, inaccurate dia of surface, not for all alloy Semi centrifugal casting process is used to produce solid castings and hence, requires a core to produce hollow cavities. Semi Centrifugal Casting process is used only for symmetrically shaped objects and the axis of rotation of the mould is always vertical. Gear blanks, sheaves, wheels and pulley are commonly produced parts by Semi Centrifugal Casting process. Working principle: In Semi Centrifugal Casting the mould is prepared in the usual manner using cope and drag box. 2. The mould cavity is prepared with its central axis being vertical and concentric with the axis of rotation. 3. The core is placed in position and the mould is rotated at suitable speeds, usually less than true centrifugal casting process. 4. The centrifugal force produced due to the rotation of the mould causes the molten metal to fill the cavity to produce desired shape Used for making wheels, rings, rollers, sheaves, pulleys, flywheels, gear blanks, Turbo-Supercharger diaphragm disk, steel railroad wheels, nozzles.

Gates: gating system (sprue and gates) serves as the path by which molten metal flows into the pattern cavity and feeds the shrinkage which develops during casting solidification Elements of gating systems are Pouring Basin, Sprue, Sprue Base Well, Runner, Runner Extension, Ingate, Riser Design consideration/ features: 1. The mould should be completely filled in the smallest possible time without having to raise neither metal temperature nor use of higher metal heads. 2. The metal should flow smoothly into the mould without any turbulence. A turbulence metal flowtends to form dross in the mould. 3. Unwanted materials such as slag, dross and other mould materials should not be allowed to enterthe mould cavity. 4. The metal entry into the mould cavity should be properly controlled in such a way that aspirationof the atmospheric air is prevented. 5. A proper thermal gradient should be maintained so that the casting is cooled without any shrinkage cavities or distortions. 6. Metal flow should be maintained in such a way that no gating or mould erosion takes place. 7. The gating system should ensure that enough molten metal reaches the mould cavity. 8. It should be economical and easy to implement and remove after casting solidification. 9. The casting yield should be maximised.

Cores: core is a device used in casting and molding processes to produce internal cavities and reentrant angles. The core is normally a disposable item that is destroyed to get it out of piece Purpose: provide accurate internal shape 2. Simplify moulding for difficult outer shape 3. Provide gating system through cores 4. Prepare critical area of casting accurately 5. Avoid top box using cover core. Co2 core preparation: silica sand with 3-4 % sodium silicate can be rammed into corebox & gassed with co2 to prepare hard and cheap cores. Used for large cores need not drying.