Green Sand: Green sand is also called as foundry sand or molding sand. This is utilized for sand Metal Casting . When this sand is oiled or moistened, it has a tendency to pack well and retain the shape. Green sand is a mix of pulverized coal, water, bentonite clay and sand. Out of these four components, the biggest part is that of the sand.  There are several proportions of these four components. The different ratios are used to adjust the surface finish, moldability and capacity of the hot molten metal to degas. The prime use of this sand is in the Casting . The coal is usually called as sea coal in foundries. The Amount of Sea Coal is just about less than five percent. It undergoes partial combustion when there is molten metal present and this causes offgassing of organic vapors.

Green sand is stored in flasks (as the casters call the container). Boxes without the bottoms or lids are these types of boxes. This box is divided into two half parts and these are connected together. These halves are called as the top or cope and bottom or drag flask.

As per its name, green sand is not green in color. The word “green” is used as it is used in the wet state.

Casting Sand: Some Metal Casting sands are oil bonded and foundry mix sand. This is a mixing of oil, resin and sharp fine silica sand. Such a mix can be utilized in sand casting of all varieties of metals. Some casting sands consist of 20 percent more oil and resin as compared to other brands. What you are trying to do is to find the best mix that will have good freen power and a very good finish.

A good substitute for for water bonded freen sands is an oil bonded sand thats good for casting sand. The advantage over traditional, older sands is that as water is absent, the sand does not steam like the traditional sands. This sand is more secure to use than green sand. The reason is that potentially explosive quantities of steam are not generated. Due to this dearth of steam generation and the smooth texture of the sand, the oil bonded sand results in a smoother surface finish. The novice can use these sands and get professional results.

Use of casting sand: The same techniques, patterns and tools that are used for water bonded sands can be used for oil bonded casting sands. As the sand has better adhesive properties, there are fewer hassles with loose sand in the impression. The difference is that water cannot be used to manage loose sections. However, as the self adhesion is better, there are fewer problems of crumbling.

When the oil comes in contact with molten metal, it does not burn. When the castings are being shaken out, it is advisable to take off the sand that is burned. This sand that is burned can then be mixed again in the pile of fresh sand. It reabsorbs oil and works very well. After repeated use of this sand, the oil gets depleted. In this case, around 30W of non-detergent motor oil can be used to reload the sand with oil.

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A pot in which metal is held, while melting in a furnace is called as a “Crucible.” It is made of silicon carbide and clay graphite.

Shapes of a Crucible: One shape of a crucible is the shape of a barrel and this type of Crucible is called a Blige Shapped Crucible. The part of the crucible in the middle region is called as a bilge. This is the widest part of the crucible and has the maximum diameter. The top of the Metal Casting crucible has lesser diameter than the bilge. The base of the crucible has lesser diameter than the top. As per a thumb rule, the # of a bilge crucible is the number of pounds of aluminum that it would hold. For bronze and brass, thrice the # can be held. For instance, a #5 bilge crucible can hold almost 5 pounds of aluminum and 15 pounds of brass. This thumb rule is applicable for bilge shape only.

If you are looking at an “A” shaped crucible, you will see that it has a narrow bottom and a wider top so that it looks like the shape of an “A”. What these are tend to be mostly straight sides and then these straight sides are bent outwards. The diameter continuously increases from the base to the top. As it is simpler to manufacture this shape than the bilge one, the A shaped crucible has a lesser cost. When compared with the equivalent bilge style, the capacity of the A shaped crucible is lesser.

Both the above mentioned shapes can be manufactured in Clay graphite and silicon carbide.

Properties of crucibles: A crucible must be able to bear the extremely high temperatures of the molten metal. For this, the melting point of the material used to create the crucible must be more than the melting point of the metal that in placed in the crucible. Also, the crucible material must have excellent strength even in the white hot state.

For melting metals like aluminum and zinc, a steel crucible made at home can be used. The reason is that the melting point of aluminum and steel is lesser than steel. In this case, the interior surface of the steel Metal Casting crucible undergoes flaking or scaling. Due to this scale, the molten metal is polluted. The thickness of the crucible walls decreases fast. Hence, a coating of marcote-7 is applied to the inner surface of the steel crucible. The use of steel crucibles is okay if the contamination due to the scales is not regarded serious.

Materials used: To construct a Metal Casting crucible, the usual refractory materials (i.e. carbon bonded silicon carbide and clay graphite) can survive the extremely high temperatures of work of a foundry. In addition, silicon carbide is a very durable material.

Some of the clay graphite crucibles can be used up to 2750 degrees Fahrenheit. Some A shaped crucibles are used up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. These crucibles can be used to handle gold, silver, bronze, brass, aluminum and zinc alloys.

The A shaped crucibles have a rough surface finish and there are dents along the rims. However, this roughness does not interfere with the performance by any means.

Tongs that are correctly fitted are very important when you are handling various crucibles. In correct tongs can lead to damage or total failure of the crucible. When you look at the base of the furnace and crucible, its very important that there is a disk of cardboard or some other coating that is between.

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There are various types of Metal Casting tools. Provided below are details of some of the casting tools.

Esmarch plaster scissors: These are German stainless steel cast scissors of high quality. The entire length is 20 centimeters or 8 inches. There is a 6 centimeters slanted blade for safety of the patient. The handle for leverage is of 15 centimeters. This is perfect to cut the inner layers of synthetic cast materials or plaster.

Good stainless steel scissors are really what you want for casting and the best ones are Lister Bandage Scissors. The size of the blade is 5.5 centimeters. It resists rust and corrosion. This scissors are perfect to remove QuickCast splints and casts.

Cast scissors for serial finger casts: These are manufactured from German stainless steel of highest quality. The total Length comes out to be exactly Nine Centimeters. There is a 1.3 centimeters slant design on the cutting surface. During cast removal, there is good patient safety and the scissors offer excellent force.

Casting spreader: This has a stainless steel construction. There is a spring loaded handle to facilitate use.

Metal Casting breaker: The length of the cast breaker is seven inches. This is an O.R. quality German instrument. This is used for lightweight cast breaking and trimming. This has deep serrated tips and is free of latex. The cast breaker is available in sizes of 9.5 inches also.

Plaster and Utility shears: The length of this instrument is 8 inches. This is a German instrument of O.R. quality. There is a spring loaded handle design that decreases the hand fatigue. This is very efficient in case of cotton or cloth wadding. It is free of latex.

Wire suture scissors: This is a stainless steel scissors of high quality. This is a perfect device to remove finger serial casts and to make tight corner cuts.

Fiskars all purpose snips: This instrument has a positive safety latch, a stainless steel spring and a comfort grip. The design is such that there is maximum power and handling ease. Its important to be able to cut a variety of materials with one tool so its good to have some stainless steel blades that are of high quality. Low temperature thermoplastics can be cut at room temperature by this device.

Aviation snips: These snips are of industry quality. Non-heated splinting material can be cut with efficiency. It can be used to cut straight lines as well as wide curves. The handles are coated with plastic to increase the comfort. This device can be used in the left hand as well as right hand.

Its easier to operate spring action scissors for those with weak hands and Softouch Spring Action Scissors are the best option to help with Scissor Operation. There is a gray cushion grip. This is used to provide relief to the finger and thumb discomfort. It also absorbs squeezing pressure. The handle can be easily gripped and used in the left hand or right hand. There is a gentle spring action to open blades at the end of each cut. This offers relief to the hand and joints. There is a large slide lock for single handed operation. This also maintains the blades closed for portability and safe storage. It is free of latex.

Cast stand: The height can be adjusted. This comprises of a drip bucket. While the limb is being casted, it provides support to the arm or leg of the patient.

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Some of the Casting supplies are described below.

Cast cutters and blades: There are two varieties of cast cutter blade for plaster casts – 2 inches and 2.5 inches. This comprises of one blade and in most of the cutters, stainless steel blades fit in. This has a maintenance free operation and is comfortable to use. There is a high torque motor and an ON / OFF switch. The Cast cutter blade for synthetic casts is also available in two sizes – 2 inches and 2.5 inches. This has the same features as mentioned above. The Hercules Plaster Shears 7.5 inches is a Hercules heavy duty bandage and plaster shears 7.5 inches (19.1 cm) and has a serrated blade. The Cast cutter heavy duty with metal housing consists of one 2 inches fiberglass blade. In most of the cutters, a stainless steel blade can be fitted. The length is 12.5 inches and weight is 3 lbs 13 oz. This is specially lubricated for greater service and more comfort. The heavy duty can be used in both clinical use and fabrication setting.

Cast padding: The specialist Metal Casting padding 3 inches X 4 yards is made up of micro pleated cotton fabric that stretches more than 50 percent. There is no need to tear and tuck for a smooth and comfortable fit. This is also available in sizes of 4 inches X 4 yards as well as 2 inches X 4 yards. The Sof Rol padding 3 inches X 4 yards is made of 100 percent surgical grade rayon. This is also available in sizes of 2 inches and 4 inches X 4 yards.

Metal Casting splinting materials: The orthoplast II splint material plain is available in size of 18 inches X 24 inches X 1/8 inch. The setting time is 3 to 4 minutes. The finished splints can be butt bonded, hinged, bonded, strapped and riveted. There is a wax coated surface. This is self adhering when heated. This is majorly designed for upper extremities. What it is really perfect for are hand splints. Its the contours of the body that is molds to so you don’t get any wrinking which is very good. The orthoplast splinting material plain is available in sizes of 18 inches X 24 inches X 1/8 inch. This is made of a low heat thermo plastic material and is highly comfortable. After this material is heated, it can be molded or cut to any shape and adheres to itself. This material can be butt bonded, hinged, bonded, strapped and riveted. This can also be used in cylindrical casting procedures.

Heat gun: This is of two types – heat gun and master heat gun 220 volt.

Splinting pans: The forma splint 14 inches X 10 inches is an extremely compact and lightweight design. So, it is perfect for small splinting needs or for varying spots. This has a stainless steel working tank of dimensions 13 inches X 9.5 inches X 1.25 inches. This has a lexan cover. Water is maintained at controlled temperatures by a variable temperature thermostat between 150 degrees Fahrenheit and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a high heat safety switch and grounded hospital grade plug. The empty weight of this device is 5.5 lbs. In only 15 short seconds this will be heated to the required temperature.

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Iron Metal Casting can be referred to as products made out of melted iron molecules. These molecules are, first, poured into mold and allowed to cool. They are then extracted. The casting properties depend a great deal on the foundry practice. They also depend on the cooling rate. Iron contains huge carbon concentrations. This content facilitates melting, simplicity of casting, and machining. Iron casting designs have a great variation owing to the property of iron to resist shrinkage during the process of cooling. The end product attains a great reputation for its strength and durability. Tensile strength ranges between 20,000 psi and over 60,000 psi. The values of hardness (without heat treatment) range between 100 and 300 BHN.

Some factors need to be considered while buying iron Metal Casting . The quality of the foundry that is being used should be one of the first things on the list of things to check. This should be done because foundry practices determine the casting properties. The consumer might have a tough time in finding the apt one. Secondly, the concentration of carbon should be looked into. The percentage of carbon commonly ranges between 2.5 and 4%. An addition of even 0.1% would cause the tensile strength to decrease by around 2700 psi. As youo can imagine, each foundry is run very differently which means that their casting procedures will be very different if compared to one another.

Green sand molding is the most commonly used type of Casting . Normally, small and medium sized products are produced using this type of casting. Shell molding is preferred for bigger applications. One thing that shell molding does is to help the cooling of the mold that contains the heated metal. This process gives a better finishing to the final product as compared to all the other processes. Centrifugal casting is used for producing big cylinders and pipes. Both, producer and consumer would get highly satisfied if a proper blend of correct casting process and reputed foundry is made.

Iron castings are utilized extensively in machinery, automotive, and agricultural industry. Parts such as turbine and pump housings, dynamometer bases, compressors are made out of iron castings. Majority of manufacturers have the caliber to go for high and low production outputs. They are also entitled to go for short order runs. To give the customer the highest accuracy and quality there are standard prototypes that should be used. Some manufacturers provide finishing services like galvanizing, painting, and machining as well. In general, iron castings include alloy casting, ductile castings, and malleable castings. There are some terms relating to iron castings. They need to be known in order to get a fair idea of iron.

Brinell Hardness Number (BHN): It can be defined as the method used for measuring the hardness of iron. For iron castings, a metal ball of 3000Kg is put on a flat iron piece. After the removal of ball, indentation observed is recorded. This measurement indicates the value of hardness.

Tensile Strength: Tensile strength can be defined as the quantity of bending and stretching undergone by a material before tearing or breaking. Here the metal is iron.

Modulus of Elasticity: It can be defined as the ratio of stress to strain. This value determines the elasticity as well as the stiffness of the concerned material.

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Aluminum is amongst those metals which can be ‘cast’ by every process used in metal casting. These processes, in descending order of quantity of aluminum  casting are: die casting, permanent mold Casting , sand casting, plaster casting, investment casting, and continuous casting. The Metal Casting process is selected on the basis of factors such as cost, feasibility, quality, etc.

Feasibility is not a problem, as all the above methods are quite practicable. However, the most suitable casting method can be decided according to the design features or dimensions.  For instance-Large products are made using sand casting. The quality factor is also important in selecting the casting process. Quality refers to both, mechanical properties (ductility and strength) and soundness (surface imperfections, cracking, and porosity freedom).

The methods most commonly used can be described as follows:

Die Metal Casting : As per the statistics, around $2.Its been said that each year in the united states, there are about 5m worth of die castings of aluminum alloys produced. The process of die casting utilizes almost two times the tonnage of aluminum  alloys as the combination of other casting processes. Die casting is best suited for large quantity production of relatively tiny parts. Aluminum die castings upto 50 Kg of weight can be produced if casting-machine costs and high tooling are justified.

Some common applications of die cast aluminum  alloys are inclusive of alloy 380.0 for Lawnmower housings, Alloy A380.0 for streetlamps housings, dental equipment, typewriter frames, Alloy 360.0 for frying skillets, instrument cases, cover plates, parts needing corrosion resistance, Alloy 413.0 for outboard parts of motor like connecting rods, pistons, housing, and Alloy 518.1 for conveyor components, escalator parts, aircraft, marine hardware.

Die castings cannot be easily heated or welded due to entrapped gases. Efforts are being on the war footing to overcome this obstacle. The die castings of aluminum  alloys are generally produced using aluminum -silicon-copper alloys. This alloy family gives an excellent combination of corrosion resistance, strength, and cost, along with respite from ‘hot shortness’ and high fluidity which are mandatory for easy casting. Alloys with a lower content of copper will really help to avoid corrosion and should be used for corrosion to be avoided.

‘Permanent Mold’ casting: ‘Permanent mold’ casting is best suited for high-volume production. Their size is larger than ‘die castings’. These castings have a very low pouring rate. They are gravity-fed. Outstanding mechanical properties are exhibited by ‘permanent mold’ castings. There is a lot of scope for further improvement if they are given heat treatment.

Some of the most common alloys of ‘aluminum  permanent mold casting’ include Alloy 366.0 for automotive pistons, Alloys 355.0, A357.0, C355.0  for impellers, timing gears, compressors, missile and aircraft components, Alloys A356.0, 356.0 for aircraft wheels, parts of machine tools, pump parts, valve bodies, marine hardware, and 296.0, 333.0, 319.0.

Sand casting: This type of casting involves formation of casting mold (with sand). It is inclusive of conservative sand casting & lost-foam casting. The first thing we are looking at involes the process of making a pattern of sand and then pouring the hot metal into it and then allowing it to form and then breaking it. The foam that goes into the mold in the lost foam pattern process should be assumed that the foam is dispensable. The rest of the procedure is the same as conservative sand casting.

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Brass Metal Casting , as the name suggests, involves the use of brass as the molten metal. Brass casting can be carried out by the way of sand Metal Casting only. Sand casting can be defined as a ‘cast part’ produced by formation of a mold from a mixture of sand and pouring the casting liquid (mostly molten metal) into mold. Then the air-cooling of the mold takes place. The mold must only be moved after the metal becomes solidified. The metal used here is brass. It is a known fact that brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Hence, to be precise, the molten metal consists of two elements. 

Sand molding consists of two types- ‘Green sand’ molding and ‘air set’ molding. The first one consists of a blend of moisture, clay, silica sand and other additives. The second one makes use of dry sand bonded to all the above materials except moist clay, by the way of using an adhesive, which is fast curing.

At times, there is a placing of a temporary plug (in the mold cavity) to enable the formation of a channel to pour the fluid which is to be molded. The molds of the second type, i.e. Two part molds are produced with molds are formed by the air-set process. The two parts are bottom and top. The tamping-down of the sand mixture takes place as it gets added. Many a times, the final assembly of the mold is vibrated to get the sand compacted and get the unwanted voids filled. Then the molten alloy (brass) gets poured into mold. After the solidification and cooling of brass, the separation of casting from sand mold takes place. Normally, such molds are one-time usable.

Casting Patterns: A designer or an engineer provides the design of the object to be produced. On the basis of this design, a pattern is built by an efficient pattern maker by the use of plastic, metal, or wood. Polystryene is another good choice and can aslo be used. The casting brass would get contracted during solidification. Sometimes another thing that can cause this is non-uniformity. Therefore, the size of the pattern should be a bit larger as compared to the final product. ‘Contraction Allowance’ is the name given to this difference. Brass enters the mold cavity through a runner system including sprue and other feeders.

Molding box: A molding box having multiple parts (also known as casting flask whose bottom and top halves are called drag and cope respectively) is constructed for receiving the pattern. There may be an addition of sand to nullify the defects introduced due to the pattern getting removed.

Chills: To have a proper control over metallurgical structure and solidification of brass, plates of brass, or any other metal can be placed in mold. Its at these particular spots that a very hard structure may be formed. Chills can be used for promoting directional solidification as well.

Design Requirements: The thing in making and the pattern corresponding to it should be designed in such a way that every stage of process can get accommodated. One should be able to take away the pattern without causing any disturbance to molding sand.

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Lost Foam Metal Casting is a sub type of Investment Casting. This type of casting method uses foam pattern as the investment. This method benefits from the advantages of the foam properties helpful to make simple and cheap castings. These types of simple castings are impossible using the regular cope and drag method.

Here are the details of the Casting Process:

Foam Shaping: The original foam pattern of the Polystyrene is generally molded or carved.

Carving Polystyrene: The formed foam or polystyrene is then carved using traditional carving tools or the new-age hot-wire cutting tools. It can also be sanded easily.

Injecting Polystyrene in a Mold: Polystyrene contains pentane as a blowing agent and is commonly used for beads. The beads are pre-extended, stabilized and then blown into the mold to form pattern sections. A steam cycle forces the beads to expand fully, after this the fuse together and then it undergoes an in-mold cooling cycle. The final shape if very complex, then it is molded in sections. A cluster is formed by aging and gluing together the shaped foam sections. 

Preparing Final Mold (Investment) for Metal Casting : Gates and Raisers are generally attached to the pattern, they are also the part of the casting as this helps reduce the shrinkage. If you think of how you are going to coat the foam you probably will want to use either pouring, dipping, or spraying as your method of choice. The reason for this coating is that it forms a barrier and helps to prevent the molten metal to penetrate or cause sand erosion while pouring. Structural integrity of the casting is protected thanks to the coating. The cluster when dried is backed up with un-bonded sand and is placed in a flask. Proper and uniform compaction is then achieved by performing mold compaction using a vibrating table. It takes a lot of time but you can now pour into the mold that is hopefully perfectly prepared.

Automatic pouring is the preferred method in Lost Foam Metal Casting . This is the most critical process and also a bit difficult than the traditional foundry practice. As there are no parting lines or fins to remove the cleaning is easier and requires far more less time and operations in the Lost Foam Casting process.

Advantages of Lost Foam Casting: Due to its unique properties, foam is easy to carve glue and manipulate. It also provides accurate dimensions as Lost Foam Casting is more accurate and effective than sand casting. There are no fins or parting lines the finishing process is easy and less time consuming. The elimination of cores makes complex casting designs easy. Lost Foam Casting also allows us to control the wall thickness and thus no core prints are required thus eliminating shifts or fins and also saves the trouble of sand mixing and core defects. As there are no drafts multiple levels of casting is possible. Precise gate and riser replacements are achieved. Unconventional forms of casting that are difficult or impossible to achieve in traditional cope and drag method are easily achieved in Lost Foam Costing.  Due to simpler process and easy finishing work, the process is very cost effective and lowers the overall price of the final product.

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Lost Wax Metal Casting is known as Cire Perdue in French. This is a very important process where a scuplture made by an artist is used to cast bronze. The Lost Wax Casting method is also known as  Investment Casting in the modern industrial world. A long time ago this process was really only used to cast lots of smal items but today you can go to a wide variety of foundries and see each foundry using the process differently. Today this developed method of Lost Wax Casting is used to make articles like fine jewelery, show pieces, dental restoration, a few specific industrial parts and also some machine tools.

Process of Lost Wax Casting :
 
Rough Sculptor making: A creative artist makes an original sculptor or mold or an artwork by using raw material like wax, plaster of Paris or clay. A mixture of oil based clay and wax is preferred as these materials retain their softness.

When you hear the term Final Mold Making, you will then know that the mold is made as per the original sculptor. The mold is made up of two pieces and a key with shim is placed between the two pieces during construction so the mold can be put accurately back together. Molds are generally made using plaster or fiberglass or any other material that may be suitable. An inner mold of latex or vinyl or silicone is put pup preserve the details of the original art work. Generally, the original art work made of plaster mold cracks and breaks during the initial phase of deconstruction. Many a times, numerable molds are required to get the exact replica of the original art work.

Filling up the mold: Once the latex and plaster mold is complete and finished, molten wax is poured into the mold till it gets an even coating all around the mold. The thickness of the wax coating is around 1/8 inch. This process is then repeated until the desired thickness is achieved.

Removal of wax replica: The hollow wax replica of the original art work is then removed from the mold. It would be nice if you could reuse the mold a variety of times but becausee there is significant wear and tear it really can only be used one time.

Softening: Each wax mold is then chased or softened using heated metal tools. The metal tools are rubbed around portions that show cracks or the joining line of the mold, where the pieces have come together. Separately molded wax pieces are then heated and attached. All of the imperfections will now be dressed since the mold is finished. The final piece then looks like a bronze sculpture.

Making paths for molten bronze: It is also known as “spuring”, in short the wax copy is then branched with treelike wax, so that the molten bronze reaches the right parts and also it helps the air to escape. The critical and careful spuring begins from the top of the wax copy. The top of the copy is attached to by wax cylinders to different points on the wax copy.

Slurry, burnout, testing, pouring, release, metal-chasing, and painting are the final steps in the process of Lost Wax Metal Casting .

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Die casting is the method used for forcing molten metal into mold cavities under high pressure. Die Casting is very versatile and hence, is the widest used method for casting a metal. Die casting is same as permanent mold casting the only difference is that the metal is injected into the mould at very high pressure of 10-210 Mpa. This results in a more uniform part, usually good dimensional accuracy and also good surface finish.

The different metals and alloys that can be used in die casting are zinc, aluminum, copper, magnesium, tin and lead. Ferrous metals can also be used for die casting, die casting method is generally used for applications in which a large quantity is medium or small sized parts are required with detail, good dimension and fine surface finish.

There are namely two equipments used for die casting cold chamber and hot chamber process.

Lets take a look at the cold Chamber Process because within the cold chamber process, you get to fill a cold chamger of each module with molten metal. The time exposure provided for the molten metal to plunge the walls of the mold is less. This clod chamber process method is very useful for metals like aluminum, copper and metals that easily alloy with iron at high temperatures.

Hot Chamber process: In the hot chamber process method of Casting , the pressure that is connected to the die cavity is forever and permanently in molten metal. As the plunger moves towards the open position that is towards the non - pressurized area, the inlet port connected to the pressurizing cylinder is uncovered.

The die casting molds which are used in this method are expensive and take usually take long production time. These die casting modules are also called as “dies’

Advantages of Die Casting: The method of die casting gives excellent dimensional accuracy. The dimensional accuracy is as good as 0.1mm for the first 2.5cms and 0.005 for the first inch. Smooth cast surfaces can also be provided with Die Casting. Small and thin walls and can be made using the method of die casting walls as tiny as 0.75mm approximately can be casted. Inserts like thread insert, high strength bearing surfaces and heating elements can also be inserted using the Die Casting method. Die Casting also helps in reducing or even completely eliminating the use of secondary machining operations. The use of Die Casting method also helps to reduce the production time and a huge number of articles can be produced in a very short time. Die casting method also helps to retain as well as increase the tensile strength of the metal. You can get great strength that is about as high as 415 MPa and that is about 60ksi.
 
Disadvantages of Die Casting: The casting weight is very less hardly between 30 grams and 10 kgs. Also the size of the material that needs to be casted using the Die Casting method needs to small say around 600mm. Die Casting can really take money out of your wallet quickly becuase it has a high initial cost. Die Casting method makes the metal porous up to some extent. In the Die Casting method the thickest section needs to be less than 13mm or 0.5 inches.

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