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Foundry: Metal Casting

Metal casting is what the name suggests. Basically metal casting is the process of melting down metal into a liquid state. The liquid metal is then poured into a cast; this cast allows the metal to cool creating the desired result of the intended mould or specific item they wish to make out of metal. The finished product is then sent off to be polished up and ready to be distributed.

Metal casting is used for more “tailor-made” areas of manufacturing metal products which would generally cost a whole lot more if they had to be machined welded. A great aspect of Metal casting is that it also allows the ability to re-create the same product with great ease and they products are identical of one another.

The most important and integral part of metal casting is the mould. The mould is essentially what the product is going to be. These moulds are manufactured in a foundry. Manufacturers take their dimensions, sketches and ideas for the mould to the foundry where the moulds are produced. These moulds then get sent off to the casters. Casters put the completed mould into a back up frame that contains cooling apparatus. The melting down of the metal happens in a very particular place in the foundry. When the mould is done and is ready to be cast, casters move the liquefied metal over large machines and equipment above the mould, this equipment helps the liquefied metal flow down into the cast. This equipment also monitors the rate at which the liquid metal flows into the cast. The cooling equipment then cools the metal down allowing the metal to harden and become a solid state. The castings are now removed and the product is now ready to be cleaned.

Metal casting isn’t the easiest process on the planet and problems can occur during the casting process. Pollution is a major problem worldwide, but in terms of metal casting, this can also have an effect on the metal. If the metal, in its liquid state is exposed to forms of pollution this will cause imperfections within the metal itself, thus when the metal is solidified it can cause weak spots and thus when the cast is removed from the mould, the cast can break. Not only can the casting become affected but the mould too. Gas bubbles can also form after the cooling process which will also cause the metal to become brittle and could possibly even show signs of bubbles on the metal itself. If there is malfunction or something goes wrong in the cooling process the cast could harden before all the metal fills the mould which will lead to deformations within the cast.

Some metal casting processes can be easily carried out by hobbyists and enthusiasts within their own chambers of work and don’t necessarily need to take place within a foundry.

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