Sand
casting, the most widely used casting process,
utilizes expendable sand molds to form complex metal
parts that can be made of nearly any alloy. Because the sand mold must
be destroyed in order to remove the part, called the casting, sand
casting typically has a low production rate. The sand casting process
involves the use of a furnace, metal, pattern, and sand mold. The metal
is melted in the furnace and then ladled and poured into the cavity of
the sand mold, which is formed by the pattern. The sand mold separates
along a parting line and the solidified casting can be removed. The
steps in this process are described in greater detail in the next
section. In sand casting, the primary piece of equipment is the mold,
which contains several components. The mold is divided into two halves -
the cope (upper half) and the drag (bottom half), which meet along a
parting line. Both mold halves are contained inside a box, called a
flask, which itself is divided along this parting line. The mold cavity
is formed by packing sand around the pattern in each half of the flask.
The sand can be packed by hand, but machines that use pressure or impact
ensure even packing of the sand and require far less time, thus
increasing the production rate. After the sand has been packed and the
pattern is removed, a cavity will remain that forms the external shape
of the casting. Some internal surfaces of the casting may be formed by
cores.
Sand casting is used to
produce a wide variety of metal components with complex geometries.
These parts can vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from a couple
ounces to several tons. Some smaller sand cast parts include components
as gears, pulleys, crankshafts, connecting rods, and propellers. Larger
applications include housings for large equipment and heavy machine
bases. Sand casting is also common in producing automobile components,
such as engine blocks, engine manifolds, cylinder heads, and
transmission cases.
Sand casting is able to make use of almost
any alloy. An advantage of sand casting is the ability to cast materials
with high melting temperatures, including steel, nickel, and titanium.
The four most common materials that are used in sand casting are shown
below, along with their melting temperatures.
Materials
Melting temperature
Aluminum alloys 1220 °F
(660 °C)
Brass alloys 1980 °F (1082 °C)
Cast
iron 1990-2300 °F (1088-1260 °C)
Cast
steel 2500 °F (1371 °C)
The material cost for
sand casting includes the cost of the metal, melting the metal, the mold
sand, and the core sand. The cost of the metal is determined by the
weight of the part, calculated from part volume and material density, as
well the unit price of the material. The melting cost will also be
greater for a larger part weight and is influenced by the material, as
some materials are more costly to melt. However, the melting cost in
typically insignificant compared to the metal cost. The amount of mold
sand that is used, and hence the cost, is also proportional to the
weight of the part. Lastly, the cost of the core sand is determined by
the quantity and size of the cores used to cast the part.
Green
Sand Casting, Aluminum
Sand Casting, Grey
Iron Casting, Aluminum
gravity casting, Sand Casting
Process Manufacturer, Turbocharger Parts, Gravity
Die Casting
Advantages:
Can
produce very large parts
Can form complex shapes
Many material
options
Low tooling and equipment cost
Scrap can be recycled
Short
lead time possible
Applications:
Engine
blocks and manifolds, machine bases, gears, pulleys, agriculture
parts,marine parts,medical parts,hardware, automobile parts,ect.