Metal Casting Zone Info Blog

Archive for October, 2009

im doing A level Design and technology and i would like to know what the environmental impacts are of die casting.. i cant find anything on the web so if anyone knows anything please give me as much info as poss thanks

The process by which molten metal or liquefied metal is poured or inserted into metallic molds at room temperature under pressure, to get desired and particular shape. The molds in which the molten metal is poured are called dies which are generally made up of steel and these dies are patterned accurately to form desired object that do not require touch-up or post-machining. Dies have a great benefit as it can be reused multiple number of times as the temperature of the liquefied metals that is poured in steel dies do not really affect the steel dies. A Zinc Die Casting Company is in great demand recently because of its flexibility because zinc die casting parts can be made conveniently in any desired shape, size and texture mentioned according to the buyer. They are well-known for its outstanding dimensional tolerances and different touch up alternatives. Zinc die casting parts come in a wide variety of designs which satisfies every buyer and along with this it is known to have exceptional longevity. This is because of the wonderful process of creating parts that are tougher compared to what were made before. Zinc die casting parts not just strong enough but are also light weight, hence these prove to give remarkable functioning. Undoubtedly the wall thickness on the castings is quite narrow and light-weight but still they remain strong and durable. In fact most of the parts last for a lifelong but you should take correct care of these zinc die casting parts which is too easy as they really do not need too much of preservation. Apart from low-maintenance and longevity, zinc die casting parts are comparatively affordable to those parts that are produced by other casting methods like sand-casting, stamping and forging. The prices of zinc die casting parts are limited and reasonable as these parts do not require a great amount of pre and after-production assistance from other different machines and equipments which involves time and money. Hence this makes the cost of manufacturing of zinc die casting parts lower, which are sold at quite reasonable prices and this highly satisfies the buyer. Due to all these factors zinc die casting company is in great demand all over the industrial market. The entire industrial market hugely uses zinc die casting parts to assemble vehicles, machineries, fixing valves, connecting pipes, creating toys and in a variety of other productions. The increasing industrial production has raised the demand for zinc die casting parts because of its strength, lightness and affordability. What else does an industrial buyer want? Well now that you are impressed with the different uses and advantages of zinc die casting parts, you can get in touch with any of the die casting zinc companies’ that are present online. You will get entire information on the range of parts offered by these companies along with the prices charged. You can choose from the variety offered by them, the size, pattern, and the quality, whatever is your selection, you get everything and according to your specifications. Get best quality zinc die casting parts at reasonable prices over the Internet.

Do you think there will be casting calls for the Silver Chair for the role of Jill Pole in NYC?
and what type of girl would they want?

Today, custom designed jewelry has become very popular. The most famous among all custom designed jewelry is the 3D-CAD design. It is Computer Aided Design, which has changed the whole facet and landscape of custom designed jewelry. Earlier, people could not comprehend or even see renditions of these kinds of designs. However, now with the help of CAD, people are able to create designs of much higher quality and of greater flexibility. Here we will talk about this new phenomenon but, before learning more about the CAD designs, we must learn and fully understand the custom jewelry design process.

A process called lost wax casting is used to make most custom made jewelry. A jeweler or an artisan carves a prototype of the jewelry out of the wax with the help of small knives and scalpels. Then he pours plaster all around the wax prototype, also known as the model. Once the plaster hardens, it forms an exact impression of the given model in the flask. After that, the wax model is burnt out of the flask, and it leaves a cavity of the jewelry design. Then, molten metal is slowly injected into the flask with the help of centrifugal or vacuum casting. When the metal cools down, it also hardens. Then the investment stands ready and reveals the jewelry casting. Finally, the casting is polished and filed, and if needed, any gems can be set into the jewelry. The custom jewelry can be an engagement ring, an anniversary ring, or virtually any other item.

Custom CAD design involves a different process of creating a jewelry item. It is a sophisticated modeling process with the help of advanced software. It enables the user to plot detailed coordinates for the mechanical drawing. 3D-CAD software has countless kinds of designs, which can easily outdo traditional tools and methods. One of the most important benefits is that the 3D-CAD jewelry design enables you to see the computer rendering before the completion of the jewelry. In the traditional methods, the jewelers would make crude sketches of your own concept, and leave the rest to your own imagination. However, in 3D-CAD, you can see the realistic images of the different designs that help the designer and ultimately you, make a final decision.

It is paramount to find a qualified jeweler to assist you with making your custom jewelry design come to life. Like different kinds of occupations and trades, there are also different kinds of skillful jewelers. If you want to buy a piece of custom jewelry, then you must pre-screen the jeweler to know whether he or she is capable of making custom designed jewelry. Try to look at their different designs, and determine their competence, design skills, and craftsmanship. You must be sure whether they are capable of making the exact design that you want. Once the jewelry is made, it is extremely difficult to make changes. The jeweler will not remake it without charging extra service fees. Custom designed jewelry is the best choice, if you can get it made by an authorized and qualified jeweler. Find one such jeweler, and your dream custom designed jewelry dreams will be fulfilled.

im a 28 yr old supervisor in a small foundry. the economy is tearing up the industry and im scared for the survival of this dying breed of men. im very good at what i do, im a true melter of steel. i can make any type of steel or iron and love doing it. what are my options as far as success and a good future in this business?

Casting process started about 6000 years ago. The oldest surviving casting figure is of a copper frog from 3200 BC. Casting may be used to form most intricate of shapes, both internal and external. With the use of casting, we can minimize or eliminate several operations like machining, forging and welding.

With the advancement in technology, casting is now playing a greater role in our lives than before. Even in construction, objects are now casted in a single piece which would otherwise require assembly of several pieces if made by other methods. The example is flyover construction, where material like cement, concrete, iron are casted In a required shape and then fixed.

There are several other advantages of metal casting process including meeting the requirements of mass production. In automobile industry, thousands of cast engine blocks and transmission cases are produced every year. Through casting, heavy metal objects can be casted which would otherwise be difficult to produce. Hydroelectric plant parts, pump housing, valves are examples of the advantages of metal casting.

The casting process is further divided into expendable casting and non-expendable mold casting. Expendable casting includes Sand Casting, Plaster Casting, Shell Molding and Investment Casting This type of casting involves the use of temporary and non-reusable molds.

Non-expendable mold casting includes at least four different methods including permanent mold casting, die casting, centrifugal casting and continuous casting.

I will give you definitions of major casting processes that are used to make metals for different industries.

Die Casting

Die casting is a process for producing engineered metal parts by forcing molten metal under high pressure into reusable molds often called as dies. These dies can be designed to produce complex shapes with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. Most die castings are made from nonferrous metals, specifically zinc, copper, and aluminum based alloys, but ferrous metal die castings are possible.

Aluminum Casting Process

Aluminum is one of the few metals that can be cast by all of the processes used in casting metals. There are factors like cost, quality and feasibility that affects production of aluminum parts. If you are interested in contacting suppliers of aluminum, ferrous and non-ferrous casting.

Investment Casting

Investment Casting is one of the oldest methods for metal forming. It is also called as lost-wax casting. Investment casting process is generally used for small castings but the process has also produced aircraft doors, heavy steel casting and aluminum casting. This process is more expensive than die casting or sand casting. Investment casting process is generally used for aerospace and power industries.

In the end, I would like to say that casting are helping the industries grow. They are shaping the future. They play an important role in our lives and made life much easier for us.

Spin Casting has brought rapid prototype technology to a completely different level of production efficiency. With the capability of producing prototypes in different metals spin casting has given companies options never before experienced in rapid prototype techniques. Now with spin casting technology fragile, functional metal parts can be manufactured with rapid prototype models. Spin casting can cut production times by a considerable percentage and have prototypes available for testing the same day as production. The spin casting technology also eliminates the need for considerable post production tooling and refinishing. Spin casting technology is also easy to use with all the custom features necessary to produce even complex design specifications.

Spin Casting Fabrication Metals

Spin casting technology can accommodate a number of metals to produce fine quality prototypes that are fully functional and produced according to design specifications. Using rubber molds a variety of metals can be used with spin casting technology to produce a variety of finished products. Spin casting can produce prototypes consisting of zinc alloys which are a favorite casting metal, as these metals can accept a variety of surface finishing compounds. These alloys are commonly used in spin casting to replace aluminum, copper and low-grade steel. Spin casting prototypes are suitable for electroplating to produce the appearance of brass, silver or gold.

 

Spin casting can also produce prototypes in many other types of materials as well. Using polyurethane, polyester, epoxy or wax; spin casting can produce a number of products in a variety of materials. Comparing the production cost of spin casting and traditional tooling has spin casting as the most cost effective method of production. Spin casting can produce the same products as traditional tooling and molds but for a fraction of the cost. With spin casting an additional feature is be able to control the number of items manufactured. With traditional manufacturing, single or small item orders are generally more expensive with prices decreasing as unit numbers increase. But spin casting costs remain stable throughout the production process regardless of the number of items produced making it very cost efficient.

Spin Casting Fabrication Steps

Spin casting requires the use of molds that are made from a silicone based material and can accommodate the original parts to form exact details of the models used in production. Once prepared the spin casting molds are hardened and the models are removed leaving detailed molds that will be used for prototype production. With spin casting temperatures reaching around 400C air vents are cut into molds to allow gases to escape during the production process. Spin casting uses centrifugal force to inject fabrication material into molds ensuring all details of the model are reproduced in the prototype. Spin casting allows for complete adjustment of production speeds, pressure controls and cycle times. Prototypes produced by spin casting are precision products that will meet all design specifications and tolerances.

Spin casting cuts the time needed to produce prototypes by a considerable amount and will have prototypes available for the testing phase in a shorter amount of time. Spin casting technology can support post production finishing by being able to use a wide variety of materials. Spin casting techniques are easy to use, cost effective and a time conserving technology for the production of rapid prototypes.

Diecast toy vehicles were first produced in England and the USA in the early 1900s. This was the beginning of what was to become one of the most popular toys ever. Diecast toys are now collected by tens of thousands of people,both children and adults,all over the world.

The early diecast models were very simple,featuring just a painted metal body with no interior fittings whatsoever.They were unfortunately made from low grade cast metal alloys which in most cases did not stand the test of time.These low quality alloys become brittle as they age and gradually deteriorate and crumble. As a result of this early die cast toys from the first quarter of the twentieth century are quite scarce today.

Before very long however these early diecast toy makers realised that there was a really good market for toy vehicles. Cars,trucks,airplanes miniature farm equipment,and many other models,were widely produced by a number of manufacturers. As demand grew the quality of materials used to make the toys was improved. Increased attention to detail also became the rule as manufacturers vied for more sales.

In the early 1930s Modelled Miniatures were introduced. These 1/43 scale miniature vehicles were designed for use with model train set layouts. Soon they became popular as a collectible,in their own right,and were known as Dinky Toys.

The height of popularity for Dinky Toy diecast model vehicles came in the 1950s and 60s. They were a fairly basic low detail model but were extremely popular.The flashy big American cars seen on TV shows,which began in the 1950s,became very desirable Dinky Toys and outsold the more staid small English cars of the time.

Dinky toys were made into the 1970s when they died out mainly due to the competition from Mattel Hot Wheels. Vintage Dinky Toys today are a much in demand collectible and some of the scarcer models fetch extremely high prices.

The well known Lesney Matchbox cars started production in England in 1947 and thus began a new trend in diecast models. In 1953 Lesney made a miniature diecast model of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation coach complete with horses. This model was a huge success and more than a million were sold.

The Lesney Matchbox cars were produced in huge numbers with 75 different vehicles in each line. This gave collectors an immense variety of models to collect.

The Corgi line of diecast vehicles was introduced by Mettoy in the 1950s. These were also very successful. One of the big reasons for their success was that these cars had exceptional attention to interior fittings. They had detailed interior decor. They were even fitted with clear plastic windows. These very detailed miniatures vehicles were a big hit with collectors.

In 1968 Mattel introduced Hot Wheels cars with an initial line of 16 vehicles. These early Hotwheels vehicles all had a red line around the side of the tires. This led to their becoming known to collectors as Red Line Hot Wheels models. The initial sixteen models with which the line began are now known to collectors as the “Sweet Sixteen” and are much in demand.

Hot wheels vehicles are collected around the world by rabid collectors and were a huge success story for Mattel. They continue in production at the present time.

There are now hundreds of different companies offering diecast toys to collectors. They are manufactured in Taiwan,Korea,China, and other countries around the world. High quality and attention to detail are a must if a diecast toy is to be a success as a collectible. Diecast toys made around the world are now mostly of very good quality.

what is the best material out there to rapid prototype a part from when using it for a sand cast mold?

Metal clay is a suspension of tiny particles of metal in a clay binder, which can be used to make jewellery, beads and small findings. The beauty of metal clay is that it can be manipulated in the same way as any modelling clay, but once fired the binding agents are burnt off leaving the metal form intact. Although there is a certain amount of shrinkage (between 10-15% for the more modern versions), very fine detail can be achieved, including impressions that would require casting in any other method of metalwork.

Silver metal clay results in objects containing almost pure silver (also known as fine silver) which is ideal for enamelling. There are two popular brands available – Precious Metal Clay (also known as PMC) and Art Clay Silver (ACS). Precious Metal Clay was developed in the early 1990′s in Japan and consists of microscopic particles of pure silver (or fine gold powder) and a water-soluble binder which burns off during firing. The original formula of PMC (now called ‘Standard’) has to be fired in a kiln at a temperature of 1650F and has a high shrinkage rate of around 30%. Two additional versions were later developed called PMC+, which can be fired at 1490F and PMC3, which can be fired at temperatures as low as 1100F. Both of these later versions of PMC have much lower shrinkage rates, allowing much finer detail to be worked into designs.

Art Clay Silver (ACS) was also developed in Japan and is similar in consistency to PMC+. The main difference with ACS is that it can be fired using a hand-held torch or gas oven. Because of subtle differences in the binder components and the longer firing times, ACS benefited from having a considerably lower shrinkage percentage – only 8-10%. This means that ACS can be worked in more detail without any loss of definition in fine work. Art Clay Slow Dry was introduced soon after, which has a much longer working time before requiring firing, allowing intricate work to be moulded into the clay with no loss of malleability.

Art Clay 650 and Art Clay 650 Slow Dry are now becoming increasingly popular, as not only do they have a longer working time but can be fired at temperatures as low as 650C/1200F. This allows jewellers to incorporate glass and Sterling Silver into the designs without fear of damaging the components. AIDA, the manufacturers of ACS have also introduced Oil Paste, a product only used on fired metal clay or milled fine silver, and Overlay Paste which is designed for drawing designs onto glass and porcelain. These two products have allowed the use of metal clay products to be incorporated into a whole new range of designs and mediums, expanding the potential of this product.

Metal clays allow jewellers to work with a material that is as malleable as ordinary modelling clay but produces fine (almost pure) silver jewellery of exquisite intricacy and beauty. Once polished it has a lustre and shine that is easily comparable to cast silver and because of the development of the products over the last few years shrinkage is now no longer an issue. The type used depends on personal preference as both types have their advantages, but incorporating metal clays into your jewellery design gives you a new medium to explore with beautiful results.