History of metal casting Late 20th Century

Early 1970s The Semi-Solid Metalworking (SSM) process is conceived of at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It combines aspects of casting with aspects of forging. 1971 The Japanese develop V-Process molding. This method uses unbonded sand and a vacuum. 1993 First foundry application of a plasma ladle refiner (melting and refining in one vessel) occurs at Maynard Steel Casting Company in Milwaukee, WI. 1996 Cast metal matrix composites were first used in a production model automobile in the brake rotors for the Lotus Elise. 1997 Electromagnetic casting processes developed by Argonne and Inland Steel Corporation. Electromagnetic edge containment greatly reduces cost and energy expenditures in steel production

Recent advances in sand casting technology

After 5000 years of technological advances, metal casting plays a greater part in our everyday lives and is more essential than it has ever been. There are various developments in sand casting technology which include advanced permanent molding, flexible machines for metal mold casting, improved molding and solidification practices for sand casting, rapid prototyping, Computer modeling and simulation Advanced casting processes are rapidly being adopted. These include lost foam castings in volume production, continuous castings, advanced semi permanent mold casting, semisolid casting(SSM) and no bake Sand Castings

Lost foam casting

Lost foam casting (LFC) is a type of investment casting process that uses foam patterns as a mold. The method takes advantage of the properties of foam to simply and inexpensively create castings that would be difficult to achieve using other casting techniques.

Vacuum casting and molding

Similar to investment casting, except: fill mold by reverse gravity Easier to make hollow casting: early pour out

3D Printing of Investment tooling:The Technology Used for Creating 3D Printed Concept Models 1. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Technology 2. PolyJet 3D Printing Technology

No Bake Sand Casting

No Bake is a casting process that uses chemical binders to bond the molding sand. The sand is then transported to the mold fill station in preparation for filling of the mold. A mixer is then used to blend sand with the chemical binder and the catalyst. When the sand exits the mixer, the binder begins the hardening process. After the compaction process, a rollover process is used to remove the mold from the pattern box. The mould is then readied for handling the molten metal. After a shakeout process, the molded sand is taken away from the casting. Then various procedures follow including the finishing and the sand can be reclaimed by thermal means. In the No-Bake resin sand casting process, sand molds are created using a wood, metal, or plastic pattern. Sand is mixed with a plastic binder in a high-speed mixer. This sand is deposited into box containing the pattern and all essential gating, risers and chills for pouring. The sand mixture sets up hard in a few minutes and the mold is removed from the pattern. Cores for forming internal passages in the castings are made using the same process. Cores are carefully placed into the molds. The molds are then closed and are ready for pouring.

Conclusion:
As there is a growth in technology , there is an advancement in each and every stage of casting process which proportionally reduces the cost and time of manufacturing with an improved quality of a product.

References:1. Degarmo, E. Paul; Black, J T.; Kohser, Ronald A. (2003), Materials and Processes in Manufacturing (9th ed.), Wiley, ISBN 0-471-65653-4. 2. Todd, Robert H.; Allen, Dell K.; Alting, Leo (1994), Manufacturing Processes Reference Guide, Industrial Press Inc., ISBN 0-8311-3049-0. 3. Rao, T. V. (2003), Metal Casting: Principles and Practice, New Age International, ISBN 978-81-224-0843-0. 4. Campbell, John (2003), Casting (2nd ed.), Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN 0-7506-479066