CASTING DEFECTS

BY
AISHA HABEEB
SVS INSTITUTE OF DENTAL SCIENCES
 Contents

Introduction
Classification of defect in casting/common
causes of casting defects
Dimensional Inaccuracies or Dimensional errors in
casting
Distortion
Surface roughness
Surface irregularities
Nodules
Fins
Ridges/Veins on casting surface
Discolored castings
Pits (inclusion porosity)
Incomplete casting
Porosity
Conclusion
unsuccessful castings
defects in castings
Lost wax technique
Classification of defect in casting/common causes of
casting defects.
According to Rosenstiel
 Rough casting

Large nodule
Multiple nodules
Nodules on occlusal surface
Fins

Incomplete castings
 suck back porosity

inadequate or excessive
expansion.
According to O’Brien
 General Problems with Problems with
problems internal porosity external porosity

accuracy localize shrinkage porosity back pressure porosity

distortion subsurface porosity
bubbles
micro porosity
fins
short rounded margins
miscasting's
pits
According to Anusavice
Distortion

Surface roughness
Porosity

Incomplete or missing detail

Dimensional Inaccuracies or
Dimensional errors in casting

The final fit of a casting depends on a balancing out

of contraction and expansion which occurs during
its construction.
 Casting too large

eliminated by

use of correct temperature correct type of investment

Casting too small

eliminated by

Heating the mold sufficiently

The tolerance limit of dental castings are
approximately one tenth the thickness of
human hair.
Control of Dimensional accuracy

Use mixing water of correct temperature (usually mouth

temperature)
use constant water powder ratio
For hygroscopic expansion immerse the investment
before it reaches initial set
control time and temperature
cast into the heated mould while it is still at the correct
temperature.
Any marked distortion of the casting is probably related to
wax pattern distortion
Unquestionably some distortion of the wax pattern
occurs as the investment hardens around it
The distortion of the wax pattern after its
removal from the die is a function of the
temperature and time interval before investing
Distortion can occur during spruing the
pattern because of the heat transferred to the
pattern
Pattern should be removed carefully from the die,
and should be invested immediately.
Surface roughness
 The surface of a dental casting
should be an accurate
reproduction of the surface of the
wax pattern from which it is made
Definition: Relatively finely spaced surface
imperfections whose height, width and
direction establish the predominant surface
pattern.
• Improper finishing of wax pattern
• Improper water powder ratio
• Excess surfactant
• Direct wax pattern
• Raid heating rates
• Underheating
• Too high a pressure during casting
• Composition of investment
• Foreign bodies
• Impact of molten alloy
• Pattern position
Control of surface roughness
Wetting agent be applied in
thin layer
Before starting to invest a direct wax pattern taken from
the mouth it should be washed in water
 Mold should be heated gradually, at least 60
min should elapse during the heating of the
investment filled ring from room temperature to
700ºC.

A gauge pressure of 0.10 to 0.14 MPa in air pressure casting machine or 3 to 4 turns of the
spring in an average type of centrifugal casting machine is sufficient for small casting.
Surface irregularities
Bubbles of gases trapped between the wax
pattern and the investment produce nodules
on the casting surface.
 Large nodule- Air trapped during investing

Multiple nodules – Inadequate vacum during mixing

Improper brush technique
Lack of surfactant.

Nodules on occlusal surface –

Prolonged vibration after pouring
 Fins

caused by cracks in the investment that

have been filled with molten metal
 Discolored castings

With calcium sulphate bonded

investments-color of the casting in
black after removal from the
investment
cause

wax not completely eliminated

Mold remains in the oven too
long
Oxidizing flame was used in
melting the alloy
The investment did not contain deoxidizing
agents.
 Pits
(inclusion porosity)
Incomplete casting
The temperature of the alloy should be raised higher than its liquidus temperature
Adequate venting the mold
Sufficiently high casting pressure
Accurate W/P ratio
Use large sprue former
Mold should soak heat approximately 1 hour at burnout temperature.
Mold should be removed from burn out oven and cast immediately
Ensure that no debris blocks the ingate
Cast enough metal
Porosities
Localized shrinkage porosity

caused by premature termination of the

flow of the molten metal during
solidification. The linear contraction of
noble metal alloys - changing from a
liquid to solid in at least 1.25%.
Suck back porosity

• Improper sprue design causes suck back

porosity.
• The entering metal impinges onto the mold
surface and creates a higher localized mold
temperature in this region known as Hot
spot.
• Hot spot may retain a localized pool of
molten metal after area have solidified
causing shrinkage void or suck back porosity.
 Subsurface porosity

caused

Simultaneous nucleation of solid grains and

gas bubbles at the first movement that the
alloy freezer at the mold walls.

Can be diminished by controlling the rate at which the molten metal enters the mold.
Back pressure porosity
 Since back pressure porosity occurs more generally in full crown type
castings, insertion of a wax rod into the core of the investment when
investing the pattern will provide a good means of venting the hot gases
quickly
Use of reservoir
The instance from the top of the
pattern to the outside of the
investment is kept to ¼ inch.
Furnace temperatures above 1100ºF
help eliminate this back pressure
porosity condition
Increasing the number of turns on a centrifugal machine and increasing
the casting pressure.
Performing the casting operation in
a vacuum.
Using more metal when casting so that a good
size button is left us a important precaution.
Hygroscopic low burn out technique produces more
of this porosity than high heat techniques.
 CONCLUSION

Thus, these are the various causes for the failure of the
castings and methods by which these defects can be
avoided, thereby producing a casting of good quality
for clinical success.
 REFERENCES
Operative Dentistry Modern theory and practice-Marzouk

Dental materials – Philiphs – Anusavice

Full mouth rehabilitation – Kornfield

Restorative Dental materials – Craig

Fixed prosthodontics – Rosenstiel

Fundamentals of fixed prosthodontics – Schillinburg.

Australian Dental Journal 1991 36 (5): 391-6

1992 37(1) 93-54
1991 36(4): 302-9
1992 37 (2): 91-7
Notes on Dental Materials – E.C. Coombe

British Dental Journal 1972: 428-435.