ALUMINIUM CASTING

Introduction:

Aluminium castings have the advantage of being produced to near net shape, maximising
the yield and minimising further machining. They have many end uses but the transport
industry is the predominant market. By 1855 investment and sand castings were being
produced from the newly discovered aluminium metal. By the turn of the century the cost
of refining aluminium had dropped so dramatically that by the 1920’s aluminium was
extensively being alloyed with copper, magnesium, silicon and other elements and made
into foundry ingots to provide the modern world with light, durable and versatile aluminium
castings.

The Process:

One of the oldest methods of producing a shape in metal is that of casting. Casting involves
the melting of the metal in a furnace or ladle and pouring this molten metal into a hollow
mould, usually made in sand, or in another suitable material. A sand mould is used once
and a metal mould, known as a chill mould or die, may be used many times, reproducing the
same shape of casting. Aluminium may be cast by all of the processes used for casting
metal. These processes, in decreasing order of amount of aluminium cast in the UK are
pressure diecasting, permanent mould casting, sand casting, plaster casting and investment
casting.

Pressure Diecasting:

The pressure diecasting processes consume almost twice as many tonnes of aluminium
alloys as all other casting processes combined. These processes are especially suited to the
production of large quantities of relatively small parts. Aluminium diecast parts may weigh
up to around 5 kilograms.

High Pressure Diecasting:

High pressure diecastings are made by injecting molten aluminium alloy into a metal mould
under substantial pressure. Rapid injection and rapid solidification under high pressure
combine to produce a dense, fine grained surface structure, which results in excellent wear
and fatigue properties. Diecastings maintain close tolerances and produce good surface
finishes.

Diecastings are not easily welded or heat treated because of entrapped gases. Special
techniques, such as vacuum diecasting may reduce these entrapped gases. Aluminium alloy
diecastings are not usually heat treated to improve mechanical properties, but may be
treated to improve dimensional and metallurgical stability. Approximately 85% of aluminium
alloy diecastings are produced in aluminium-silicon-copper alloys. This family of alloys
provides a good combination of strength and castability at reasonable cost.

Low Pressure Diecasting:

Molten metal is introduced into metal moulds at pressures up to 170 kPa. Thinner walls
can be cast by low pressure diecasting than can be cast by permanent mould castings. This
process can be highly automated.

Gravity Diecasting, Permanent Mould Casting:

Permanent mould castings are suited to high production runs, and are normally larger than
pressure diecastings, the maximum weight of these castings is usually about 10 kilograms.
Tooling costs are high, but less than those for pressure diecasting. Destructible cores may
be used and internal cavities can be fairly complex. Permanent mould castings are gravity
fed with a relatively low pouring rate, either by hand or by robot. The metal mould
produces rapid solidification. Castings produced by the permanent mould method have
excellent mechanical properties, are generally sound and hold good dimensional tolerances.
Permanent mould castings may be heat treated, which further enhances their mechanical
properties. For maximum properties the full heat treatment cycle of a solution treatment,
followed by a quench, and natural or artificial ageing is used.

Sand Casting:

Moulds are formed by ramming sand onto a pattern. The pattern is removed leaving a
cavity in the sand. Internal cavities for the casting may be made with sand cores. Molten
metal is poured into the mould and after it has solidified the mould is broken to remove the
casting. Sand casting is a versatile and low cost process using a wide range of alloy types.
Sand castings do not have the dimensional accuracy of other casting processes and have a
relatively poor surface finish. They have the advantage of flexibility of numbers of castings
produced, it may be very few or many.

Shell Mould Casting:

A mould is made of a resin-bonded sand, in the form of a shell from 10 – 20mm thick, much
thinner than the massive moulds used in sand casting. Shell mould castings produce finer
surface finishes than sand casting and give greater dimensional accuracy. Equipment and
production costs are relatively high and the size and complexity of the castings are limited.

Plaster Casting:

In this process the moulds are made of plaster. The plaster slurry is poured around a
pattern, the plaster is baked, and the pattern removed leaving a mould cavity. Plaster
moulds have high reproducibility, permitting castings to be made with fine detail and close
tolerances. The surface finish of plaster casting is good. Although the costs for basic
equipment for plaster casting are low, the operating costs are high.

DIMENSIONING & TOLERANCING IN CAVITY CORE

METAL CASTING

Investment Casting:

This process uses refractory moulds formed over expendable wax or thermoplastic
patterns. A refractory slurry is invested around an arrangement of patterns and the
refractory is dried and the pattern is melted out, leaving a cavity. The molten metal is then
cast into the fired mould. Investment casting produces components that require almost no
further machining. The advantages of the process, to produce thin walls, good tolerances
and fine surface finishes, lend it to the production of precision engineered parts.
Centrifugal Casting:

The centrifugal casting method forces metal into spinning multiple moulds arranged around
a central pouring sprue. Mould materials may be of steel, baked sand, plaster, cast iron or
graphite. Cores may be used in these moulds. There is a limitation on the shape and size of
the castings available by this method and the casting cost is high, though the integrity of the
castings comes closer to that of wrought products and equates well with permanent mould
castings.

The Products Without aluminium castings the world we live in today would be very
different. Aluminium castings are found in most vehicles in use today from cars, buses,
trains, to ships, aircraft and spacecraft. The wide variety of aluminium casting alloys
available, allows the selection of materials with good strength and good corrosion resistance
and other special properties.

PROCESS SIMULATION

In this age of energy conservation the advantages of lightweight aluminium outweighs the
initial cost of the material, particularly in transport applications where light weight equals
less fuel. During the working life of transport vehicles the total fuel consumption is lowered
when the overall weight of the vehicle is reduced by the use of aluminium castings rather
than, for example, cast iron. Over 70% of aluminium castings in Western Europe are used in
transport applications. General engineering products and processes utilise the corrosion
resistance, strength and versatility of aluminium castings. In the home aluminium castings
form parts used in cooking pots, washing machines, refrigerators, chairs and tables etc. In
offices castings are used in furniture, computers and other small lightweight high technology
equipment. Together, these engineering, office and domestic applications account for up to
20% of aluminium castings used. Architects design private houses or public buildings using
aluminium casting alloys to enhance the appearance of these structures. Aluminium casting
alloys can be anodised to provide a very corrosion resistant surface with coloured finishes to
complement any structure. Around 8% of aluminium castings are used in the building and
construction industry.

CASTED PRODUCT

DIE CAST TOOL USED