Reliance Foundry provides answers to many of the

most commonly-asked questions related to casting

steel and iron products.

Q: What is the definition of casting?
A: In the metal casting industry, there are two distinct meanings:
1. Casting refers to the process of creating a metal part (using cast iron or cast steel) by pouring liquid into a
mold or die to form a solid shape. Once the part cools and solidifies, it is ejected or broken out of the mold.
There are several casting techniques used that offer varying degrees of quality, precision, and economics.
The three most common in the industry are sand casting, die casting, and investment casting.
2. Casting terms can be used reciprocally. After the metal casting process is completed, the finished object is
universally referred to as a "casting".
Q: What is a metal casting?
A: Any metal casting process begins with an actual design of the part desired. A cast steel
foundry uses these designs and specifications to create a 3D dimensional model that will
represent the molds pattern or die. The pattern is the actual shape of the object to be
cast inside the molds cavity. As liquid metal enters the cavity, it fills the pattern shape
or void inside the mold to form the final casting. After a period of cooling and solidification,
the solid metal casting is removed from the mold.
There are variations to the metal casting depending on the type of casting process used.
Q: What kind of metal is used in castings?
A: Any metal that can be melted can be cast. Cast steel foundries can accommodate
different combinations of alloys and metals depending on the desired objects structural
and performance qualities. Throughout the industry, iron and steel represent the most
common metals used today. In order to categorize metals, they are often referred to as
Ferrous Metals and Nonferrous Metals.
Ferrous Metals: Metals which contain iron.
Examples of Ferrous Metals
Cast Iron, Gray Iron, Ductile Iron, Malleable Iron, Cast Steel (ASTM A27 Cast Steel is a commonly used cast
steel), Compacted Graphite Iron, Stainless Steel, & Manganese Steel.
Nonferrous Metals: Metals which do not contain iron.
Example of Nonferrous Metals
Aluminum, Copper Alloy, Brass, Bronze, Zinc, Magnesium, Carbon & Low Alloy Titanium, Corrosion Resistant
Nickel, Heat Resistant Cobalt, Manganese and Tin.

Q: What are common uses for castings?
A: Throughout the globe, metal casting represents a major sector for more than 90% of
all manufactured goods and capital equipment. Whether it is for heavy machinery or
consumer goods, metal casting is used for a variety of applications. Engineered
components in capital equipment require castings. Farm equipment, railroads, ships, oil
and gas extraction, water processing, and mining cannot operate effectively without
precision metal casted parts. All sectors of the U.S. military use castings for tanks, trucks,
jet engines, and other vital defense related components.
In the consumer industry, items that we rely on everyday exist because of cast steel
foundries. Cars, trucks, air conditioners, refrigerators, lawn mowers, weight lifting, and
many moreutilize cast parts to maintain their operations. Even the very production lines
that create consumer products likely require casted parts.
Q: What do metal castings cost?
A: A casting cannot be created without knowing the specifications of the part required.
Considerable planning must go into the economics of casting. Depending on the
application for which the casting will be used, a number of questions are first considered:
What is the application for the casted part?
What are the dimensions of the part to be cast?
What are the metallurgical requirements for the casted product?
Are their mechanical stress or thermal factors required for the casted product?
How many metal castings are required?
What type of finishing work is required after the cast is complete?
A seasoned team of veterans at Reliance Foundry will walk you through the entire
quotation and production cycle. Reliance Foundrys historical lineage spans nearly a
century. In that time, our team has forged a dependable method for planning, cost
savings, material selection, and quality control.

Q: How are castings made?
A: Since there are several commonly used casting processes, each will offer an
advantage depending on the requirements:
Sand Casting: Sand casting is considered the most common and can accommodate a wide range of object
sizes. The three dimensional replica or pattern of the required object is held within a mold surrounded by
compressed sand and binder additives which are used to form the final shape of the desired part. After the
impression of the pattern is formed, the pattern is removed from the mold. Metal is poured into the runner
system of the molds cavity. Once solidified, the sand and metal are separated, and the feeding system
(ingates, runners and risers) are parted from the raw casting. The casting is then cleaned, heat treated (as or
if necessary) and finished prior to shipping. The sand is often reused with some post-production cleaning,
screening and/or re-mixing with new additives; this sand is quite often recycled when it is no longer usable
within the foundry sand system. Casting designs may also require hollow internal features or holes. In this
case, a core is placed inside the mold cavity to replace the volume of that hole and prevent metal from
entering. Once solidified, the mold is broken and the core is removed from the part prior to finishing operations.
DieCasting: For complex engineered shapes which require dimensional accuracy and precision, die casting is
the most common approach. The molds are referred to as dies. The dies are precision machined steel molds
capable of withstanding high pressure and temperature. Typically, die castings are made from nonferrous
metals although water-cooled ferrous metal dies are possible. Forcing molten metal into a steel die results in
several advantages. It allows for finer surface quality, higher dimensional accuracy, and improved part detail.
Die casting is especially advantageous for small or medium sized parts requiring mold reusability and
consistency.
InvestmentCasting: Otherwise known as lost wax process, investment casting has existed for at least 5000
years. In ancient times, beeswax was used to form patterns. Still used by cast steel foundries worldwide,
investment castings often eliminate the need for machining a steel casting. The actual mold is created by
making an impression pattern with wax. The process typically uses wax; although foam can also be used.
The wax pattern is placed in a ceramic slurry which coats the pattern and forms a skin that surrounds its
surface area. The pattern is then heated so the wax melts away leaving a cavity that can be filled with metal
for final casting.
Investment casting offers several benefits. This casting method produces objects with intricately smooth
surface contours and which may not require extensive finishing.
Q: What are green sand castings?
A: Similar to sand casting, green sand casting utilizes a high degree of moisture in the
molding sand itself. The mold itself is not baked or dried. The mold material consists of
silica or olivine sand, bentonite (clay) to act as a bonding agent, and water. Additional
clays, chemical binders, refractory coatings and other oils are often used to formulate the
proper mold design, surface finish, and degasification during the casting process. The
primary difference in using sand casting and green sand casting involves the actual
weight limit of the part being cast. Green sand casting offers virtually no weight limit while
dry sand casting does have a mass limit for parts.
Q: What are the differences between wrought iron vs. cast iron?
A: The primary difference between wrought iron vs. cast iron involves the process in which
the desired shape was achieved. Wrought iron is standard/stock metal that has been
heated and then worked with tools to produce its shape and form. Cast iron is melted and
poured into a mold to give it the desired look, shape, and surface qualities (casting).
The next difference involves the purity of the metal which affects the overall strength and
workability of the product. Cast irons strength is affected by the addition and removal
of chemical agents which effect its purity. The more impurities removed from cast iron,
the easier it is to work with and result in a stronger or more durable end product.
In terms of its properties, cast iron as not as pure as wrought iron but, with molds, it can
be used to create more accurate parts. In the early nineteenth century, wrought iron work
was an individual craft or trade but during the industrial revolution, the development of
more efficient casting processes made it less expensive to mass produce metal goods.
A subset of cast iron, known as "ductile cast iron" was invented in the 1940s. It is less
brittle than cast iron and offered a higher degree of manipulation in terms of flexibility and
elasticity than traditional cast iron. Reliance Foundrys extensive line of bollards include
ductile cast iron products for use in historical restoration, traffic safety, and architectural
settings.
Q: What is the difference between a foundry and casting?
A: A foundry is a place where metal castings are produced. A casting is the process of pouring
liquid metal into the hollow cavity of a mold to form a desired shape upon solidification.
Metal Casting Process
Basics: Molds, Patterns, Cores And Gating
A mold is formed into the geometric shape of a desired part. Molten metal is then poured into the
mold, the mold holds this material in shape as it solidifies. A metal casting is created. Although
this seems rather simple, the manufacturing process of metal casting is both a science and an art.
Let's begin our study of metal casting with the mold. First, molds can be classified as either open
or closed. An open mold is a container, like a cup, that has only the shape of the desired part. The
molten material is poured directly into the mold cavity which is exposed to the open environment.
Figure:1

This type of mold is rarely used in manufacturing production, particularly for metal castings of
any level of quality. The other type of mold is a closed mold, it contains a delivery system for the
molten material to reach the mold cavity, where the part will harden within the mold. A very simple
closed mold is shown in figure 2. The closed mold is, by far, more important in manufacturing
metal casting operations.
Figure:2
There are many different metal casting processes used in the manufacture of parts. Two main
branches of methods can be distinguished by the basic nature of the mold they employ. There is
expendable mold casting and permanent mold casting. As the name implies, expendable molds are
used for only one metal casting while permanent molds are used for many. When considering
manufacturing processes, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
Expendable Mold
Can produce one metal casting only
Made of sand, plaster, or other
similar material
Binders used to help material hold
its form
Mold that metal solidifies in must
be destroyed to remove casting
More intricate geometries are
possible for casting
Permanent Mold
Can manufacture many metal castings
Usually made of metal or sometimes a
refractory ceramic
Mold has sections that can open or close,
permitting removal of the casting
Need to open mold limits part shapes
Patterns:
Expendable molds require some sort of pattern. The interior cavities of the mold, in which the
molten metal will solidify, are formed by the impression of this pattern. Pattern design is crucial
to success in manufacture by expendable mold metal casting. The pattern is a geometric replica of
the metal casting to be produced. It is made slightly oversize to compensate for the shrinkage that
will occur in the metal during the casting's solidification, and whatever amount of material that
will be machined off the cast part afterwards. Although machining will add an extra process to the
manufacture of a part, machining can improve surface finish and part dimensions considerably.
Also, increasing the machine finish allowance will help compensate for unknown variables in
shrinkage, and reduce trouble from areas of the metal casting that may have been originally too
thin or intricate.
Pattern Material:
The material from which the pattern is made is dependent upon the type of mold and metal casting
process, the casting's geometry and size, the dimensional accuracy required, and the number of
metal castings to be manufactured using the pattern. Patterns can be made from wood, like pine
(softwood), or mahogany (hardwood), various plastics, or metal, like aluminum, cast iron, or steel.
In most manufacturing operations, patterns will be coated with a parting agent to ease their
removal from the mold.
Cores:
For metal castings with internal geometry cores are used. A core is a replica, (actually an inverse),
of the internal features of the part to be cast. Like a pattern, the size of the core is designed to
accommodate for shrinkage during the metal casting operation. Unlike a pattern, a core remains in
the mold while the metal is being poured. Hence, a core is usually made of a similar material as
the mold. Once the metal casting has hardened, the core is broken up and removed much like the
mold. Depending upon the location and geometry of the core within the casting, it may require that
it is supported during the operation to prevent it from moving or shifting. Structural supports that
hold the core in place are called chaplets. The chaplets are made of a material with a higher melting
temperature than the casting's material, and become assimilated into the part when it hardens. Note
that when manufacturing a metal casting with a permanent mold process, the core will be a part of
the mold itself.
The Mold:
A typical mold is shown in figure 3.
Figure:3

When manufacturing by metal casting, consideration of the mold is essential. The pattern is placed
in the mold and the mold material is packed around it. The mold contains two parts, the drag
(bottom), and the cope (top). The parting line between the cope and drag allows for the mold to be
opened and the pattern to be removed once the impression has been made.
Figure:4
The core is placed in the metal casting after the removal of the pattern. Figure 5 shows the pattern
impression with the core in place.
Figure:5
Now the impression in the mold contains all the geometry of the part to be cast. This metal casting
setup, however, is not complete. In order for this mold to be functional to manufacture a casting,
in addition to the impression of the part, the mold cavity will also need to include a gating system.
Sometimes the gating system will be cut by hand or in more adept manufacturing procedures, the
gating system will be incorporated into the pattern along with the part. Basically, a gating system
functions during the metal casting operation to facilitate the flow of the molten material into the
mold cavity.


Elements Of A Gating System:

Pouring Basin:
This is where the molten metal employed to manufacture the part enters the mold. The pouring
basin should have a projection with a radius around it to reduce turbulence.
Down Sprue:
From the pouring basin, the molten metal for the casting travels through the down sprue. This
should be tapered so its cross-section is reduced as it goes downward.