Mould technologies
Casting takes shape.
Casting metal parts is one of the oldest known production processes. Metal jewellery and utensils were made by casting molten metals in a mould as far back as the Early Bronze Age. Discoveries that suggest small production series confirm this. The simplest moulds were used for one-off casting of busts and statues and were smashed to separate them from the casting after cooling: a technique that survives to this day in bell founding in the form of “break-moulds”. Nevertheless, it would be impossible to imagine our high-tech world without castings.
Overview of mould technologies:
- Sand casting
With sand moulding, the pattern is shaped in the sand. The pattern is then removed and the hollow space that remains is used to cast the molten material. - Waste-wax casting
In waste-wax casting, small to tiny castings are produced using the lost wax technique. This process is characterised by its level of detail, dimensional accuracy and surface quality. - Chill casting
In chill casting, the molten metal is poured through an sprue into a permanent metal mould, which is called a chill. - Disamatic
The pattern is shaped vertically in the sand with high pneumatic and hydraulic moulding forces combined with very fine moulding sand facilitating a special surface finish and contour fidelity. - Lost-foam casting
In lost-foam casting, liquid metal is cast directly in a polymer pattern embedded in quartz sand. The hot metal causes the thermal decomposition of the pattern, taking on its shape. - Diecasting
In diecasting, the liquid material is compressed and solidified in a diecasting mould by means of very high mould filling speed and high pressure. The pattern required for this process is called a diecasting mould.