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cast metal components run deep. This article details casting realities to open
the minds and doors of opportunity for design engineers and purchasers.
erception is reality. This phrase hits home hard for todays ceptions may have been true, the times have changed and so has
P metalcasting industry.
Many of its current and potential customers have perceptions
the metalcasting industry.
This article explores the seven most prevalent myths about
about what the metalcasting industry is and what it is capable of todays metalcasting industry and details information and ex-
achieving and producing. Whether or not these perceptions are true amples to illustrate what the actual reality is for todays well-in-
is irrelevant because those that believe in them make them true. formed casting buyers and designers. By eliminating these com-
The problem for design engineers and purchasers is that some mon misconceptions from their minds, design engineers and pur-
of the common perceptions about the metalcasting industry are chasers will be able to open their minds to countless new oppor-
nothing more than myths. While at one time some of these per- tunities in component design and flexibility.
Myth 1Castings Require At Least 8-10-Week Lead Times from Design to Production
RealityThe metalcasting process is flexible. Many tion are the AZ91D magnesium castings for a projector from
metalcasting facilities are designed to produce cast components InFocus shown in Fig. 1. Originally plastic injection molded
with lead times as short as two weeks and, possibly, two days. The components, these castings were redesigned to magnesium and
lead time all depends on the metalcasting process and tooling to produced via a plaster and sand casting process. With 1.2 mm
produce the cast component, and the ability to match the best walls and weighing 0.22 and 0.05 lb, the cast components
metalcasting process to a specific component. showed improvements in dimension and stiffness as well as a
Recent data from Purchasing Magazine reveals that, on aver- weight reduction over the plastic parts. But the true key to
age, 40% of all castings are being deliv- the conversion was the 20 day delivery
ered with two to five week lead times. time for the castings.
This includes the purchase and Fr o m t h e m om e n t
production of hard tooling. CAD files were
The key to understand transferred (to
is that certain casting the casting
processes, such as supplier),
diecasting and per- the total pro-
manent mold, require cessall the way
metal dies for tooling and through post-ma-
these must be machined or chiningtook only
castaccounting for longer lead 20 days, said InFocus
times. In this situation, end-users product design engineer
should consider bridge production in Brian Heintz.
which a cast component design is initially
sourced via one process, such as sand cast-
ing, to deliver components in a week and
for the first six weeks of production, and Fig. 1. These three magnesium cast-
then the design is transferred to diecasting ings for a projector were converted
from plastic parts. From the delivery
for high-production volumes. of the CAD design, the customer re-
Examples of bridge production in ac- ceived machined castings in 20 days.
RealityDesigners and purchasers often believe it is more Remember, with the proliferation of CAD and CNC machining,
cost-effective to produce weldments or machined parts than to metalcasting tooling can be produced for 30% less than it was
produce castings for short production runs of components. The even five years ago.
reasoning is that the expense of hard tooling for castings must be If time also is a factor when looking at short production runs,
amortized over the larger production runs to make the metalcasting process offers various short lead
a component cost feasible. The reality is that time and rapid prototyping options for cast com-
the metalcasting process presents design- ponents (as discussed above) that go directly from
ers and purchasers with a wealth of tool- CAD files to castings without hard tooling.
ing and no-tooling options to produce Figure 2 is a prototype sand mold and the
short runs of components economically. resultant aluminum pipe casting produced
From a tooling perspective, a simple, from it. The entire prototyping from CAD
hardwood (or aluminum) pattern file to final prototype casting was less
stored at the foundry can be ideal than 24 hours, with the casting being
for production runs from 10-100 within 0.015 mm tolerance.
parts/yr. When purchasers com-
pare the cost of a hardwood tool
to that of the jigs and fixtures (and Fig. 2. Pictured is a prototype sand mold
possibly floorspace and inventory) and the resultant aluminum pipe casting
produced from it. The rapid prototyping
required for weldments and as- system allowed the customer to go from
semblies, the simple pattern looks good. CAD file to casting in less than 24 hr.
RealityThe success of castings is the geometry they are able rather than the secondary machining.
to achieve that no other metal forming process can touch. While Figure 3 illustrates an example of a component that reaches
the degree of design complexity, tolerances and dimensional sta- the assembly line with as-cast features that eliminate previ-
bility varies by process, metalcasters maintain tight controls to ous assembly and machining time. This heat sink for an X-
ensure the required machining on any component is minimal. ray system is cast in aluminum via the lost foam process with
Table 1 illustrates basic dimensional tolerance information on numerous as-cast holes and 0.1-in. ribs.
various casting processes as well as some other comparison data. While not all metalcasting processes can produce the same level
The thing to remember about this dimensional tolerance data is of casting complexity, each allows design engineers to incorpo-
that it is a generality and not specific to any metal, and specific rate a variety of features into components that save countless sec-
metalcasting operations can hold dimensions even tighter than ondary operations and reduce total component cost.
the table reflects. Also, the key to remember about near-net-shape
is that it doesnt mean machined surface finish.
Beyond tolerances, many metalcasters are working with their
customers to design-in
Fig. 3. Shown is an example of a component that
features into compo- reaches the assembly line with as-cast features that
nents that eliminate sec- eliminate previous assembly and ma-
chining time. This heat sink
ondary machining steps. is cast in aluminum with nu-
The cost of the casting merous as-cast holes and
and the cost of machin- 0.1-in. ribs.
ing that casting should
not be equal if proper casting design
techniques are followed and the metalcasting pro-
cess is allowed to achieve all it can. For features such as a hole, fins
or ribs, it can be more cost-effective to design it into the casting
Dispelling Myths
So, are you convinced? Have all your
preconceived notions about cast com-
ponents and the metalcasting industry
disappeared?
Ju s t r em e m b er, t h e U. S .
metalcasting industry is made up of
more than 2400 casting operations,
each offering differing capabilities.
While every one may not be the best
fit for your engineered component,
many will be able to deliver a quality
component that meets your require-
ments with a short to non-existent
lead time.