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The misconceptions about the capabilities of metalcasting facilities and their

cast metal components run deep. This article details casting realities to open
the minds and doors of opportunity for design engineers and purchasers.

An Engineered Casting Solutions Staff Report

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.

WINTER 2004 ENGINEERED CASTING SOLUTIONS 29


After the initial delivery of a short production run of castings nologies have teamed up to offer a variety of alternatives
to the customer, enough time had passed and the hard metal tool- for tooling-less metal component production. Wax pat-
ing was built. The parts were then transferred to a diecasting fa- terns can be made via RP to use in investment casting. Sand
cility for large production runs. molds and cores can be made via RP technologies to cast
Taking this process one step further, if a lead time of components. Metal tooling can be generated via RP for
less than two weeks is required and your operation is look- tooling. See Myth 2 for an example.
ing for a short run of components (typically, less than 10) The key for short lead times is finding a foundry that is
or protot y p es to test for form fit and function, the flexible and offers these services. While not every metalcaster
metalcasting industry and rapid prototyping (RP) tech- can offer quick lead times, many can.

Myth 2Castings Are Cost-Prohibitive for Short Production Runs

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.

Myth 3Castings Arent Near-Net-Shape

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

30 ENGINEERED CASTING SOLUTIONS WINTER 2004


Table 1. A Comparison of Various Molding Processes
Casting Process Typical Dimensional Tolerances Relative Surface Finish Relative Cost in Quantity Relative Cost for Small Runs
Green Sand 0.010 in. to 0.030 in. Fair to Good Low Lowest
Chemically Bonded Sand 0.005 in. to 0.015 in. Good Medium High Medium High
Permanent Mold 0.010 in. to 0.050 in. Good Low High
Diecasting 0.001 in. to 0.015 in. Best Lowest Highest
Investment 0.010 in. to 0.020 in. Very Good Highest Medium

Myth 4Castings are Metal Surrounding Porosity


RealityAlthough casting designers and buyers sometimes manent mold casting, gas may be intentionally added to the mol-
refer to any defect found in a cast component as porosity, its true ten metal to reduce shrinkage formation.
definition is a grouping of small holes or voids on the surface or The key, however, is that not all castings contain porosity, and
within a cast metal component. These holes may be visible to the those that do are designed so that the mechanical properties in
naked eye or microscopic in nature. Some design engineers and the components critical areas arent affected. When porosity-free
purchasers think of sand inclusions in castings or shrinkage as castings are required, such as in aerospace applications, various
porosity defects, but this isnt the case. End-users must work with foundry molding processes utilizing vacuum melting, counter-
their metalcasting supplier to perform root cause analysis up-front gravity filling, hipping or other special techniques can be em-
during the initial component production to determine defects and ployed (Fig. 4). For those castings that do contain porosity, these
their true cause to ensure quality casting production. holes and voids are not necessarily detrimental to the intended
The causes of porosity are linked to a variety of metalcasting function of the part.
process issues, including micro-shrinkage, entrapped gas bubbles Porosity can be excluded from critical sections of a casting
and soluble gas precipitated during solidification. Solidifying through proper and effective casting design and by feeding and
metal has a natural tendency to form porosity due to its affinity chilling practices during cast component production.
to attract certain gasses in the liquid state as well as its volumetric Another factor to consider is that a possible defect that is be-
contraction during solidification. In some processes such as per- lieved to be porosity related to the casting production may in fact
not be porosity at all. For example, during the machining of gray
iron castings, it is possible to pull the graphite flakes
from the matrix, resulting in voids on the sur-
face of the casting.

Fig. 4. Aerospace components, such as


these pumps, can be produced poros-
ity free utilizing counter-gravity and/or
single-crystal casting techniques. In ad-
dition, metalcasters can aid in component
design to ensure against porosity in criti-
cal areas of cast components.

Myth 5Castings Fail Faster Than Weldments & Fabrications


RealityThe difference between castings and welded fabri- piece cast components at both cost and weight reductions.
cations is that castings are one-piece components of complex Figure 5 illustrates a conversion example of an 84-piece welded
geometry poured and solidified from the same metal. Fabrica- steel assembly to a one-piece, 21-lb austempered ductile iron cast
tions are a collection of like metal welded together to form a com- drive wheel for a utility loader track system. The conversion to
plex geometry. As a result, weldments have joints and heat af- casting reduced weight by 15% and cost by 55% while improving
fected zones at the weld that are prone to fatigue and failure with the components wear, durability
shorter lives than anticipated. As a result, castings exhibit better and appearance because of the
stress concentrations, better integ- elimination of welds and the
rity at the surface compared to ability to place metal where
weld zones and the ability to necessary in the design.
use geometry within the
component design to lower
stress in critical areas of the
casting in application.
Fig. 5. Pictured is the previously
These underlying reasons designed steel weldment (r) and
are why design engineers the new casting design for an
and purchasers often turn to austempered ductile iron drive wheel
for a utility loader. The casting re-
castings to convert existing placed an 84-piece welded assembly at
welded fabrications into one- a weight and cost reduction.

WINTER 2004 ENGINEERED CASTING SOLUTIONS 31


Myth 6Castings Cant Serve as Structural Components
RealityBecause machinings and forgings from wrought An example of the material property differences can be shown
alloy demonstrate consistent mechanical and material prop- with 2000 and 7000 series wrought aluminum alloys and D357
erties throughout the metal regardless of shape, single-piece aluminum alloys, both used in the aircraft industry. The wrought
parts made via these processes are in fact more suitable as alloy can achieve an ultimate tensile strength of 75,000 psi while
structural parts. However, when multiple machinings or the cast alloy can achieve 50,000 psi. In addition, the cast alloy
forgings are welded or assembled together into a fabrication, has a lower fatigue life due to its lower static strength and its
all bets are off (as discussed in the previous section) because inherent porosity (see Myth 4). The problem with the data is
of the necessity for secondary services such as heat treatment that it is a static comparison of two alloysnot a comparison in
for stress relieving or additional machining. action. The example shown in Figure 6 of a strut fan cowl sup-
The key with casting design is to understand where the port beam for the Boeing 737 shows how the wrought alloys in
stresses in application are going to be exerted on the cast metal action dont meet the criteria a casting can when properly de-
component and then design support into the castings geo- signed for a structural application.
metric structure to relieve that stress. While there are mate- The strut fan cowl support beam supports the airplanes fan
rial property differences (tensile and yield strengths, elonga- cowling, which shrouds the engine, and houses a densely packed
tion, etc.) between similar wrought and cast alloys, the stress array of system connections. A structural component, the sup-
the final designed component can withstand is the important port beam was a fabrication of aluminum sheet metal and ma-
fact on which designers must focus. chined parts made from the wrought alloys referenced before. The
component was redesigned to a one-piece, 23-lb D357 alu-
minum casting at a 50% cost savings and with the elimina-
tion of 17 shims, 175 fasteners, 40 linear ft of fillet sealant
and 21 sealed joints. The casting meets the 45 ksi ulti-
mate strength, 36 ksi yield strength and 3% elongation
requirements during application and 50 ksi ultimate
strength, 40 ksi yield strength and 5% elongation in
certain designated areas.

Fig. 6. Shown is the strut fan cowl support beam


structural aluminum casting for a Boeing 737.
This casting replaced an 11 part welded fabrica-
tion at a 50% cost savings for the customer.

Myth 7Metalcasting Is a Low-Tech Process


RealityWhile dating
back to 3000 B.C. as one of
the oldest forms of manu-
facturing, todays metal-
casting process embraces
the lastest manufacturing
including robotics, com-
puter-aided design, engi-
neering and manufactur-
i n g ( C A D, C A E a n d
C A M ) , c a s t i n g p r o ce s s
specific software for mod-
e l i n g , f i n i te e l e m e n t

Fig. 7. The metalcasting indus-


try utilizes the latest in robot-
ics, computer modeling and
rapid prototyping to meet the
demands of its customer. Pic-
tured is a robotic sand core
package production cell.

32 ENGINEERED CASTING SOLUTIONS WINTER 2004


analysis and fluid flow, and RP. In
fact, several RP processes have been
designed specifically for producing
prototy pe castings in days direct
from CAD models.
Figure 7 shows an entirely robotic
core package production cell for an
iron casting operation. The cell utilizes
seven robots to produce a core pack-
age (made up of 11 cores) every 45 sec.
Human hands are never involved in
production on this molding line until
inspection of the final casting.
The integration of software into cast-
ing design is evident when looking at
Oshkosh Truck Corp., Oshkosh, Wiscon-
sin, a leading producer of specialty trucks
and truck bodies for a variety of markets.
This firm has turned to casting process
modeling software for its in-house de-
signers to complement its existing CAD
systems as a means to further its ability
to redesign fabrications and weldments
to metal castings.
Weve worked for several years to
convert many of our parts to castings
and the use of simulation software
to validate our designs will be ex-
t re m e l y b e n e f i c i a l , s a i d B o b
Hathaway, chief engineer-materials
a n d p ro ce s s e n g i n e e r i n g f o r
Oshkosh. We believe highly in cast- Circle No. 122 on Reader Action Card.
ings and will continue to press the
envelope in their utilization.

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.

For More Information

Cost-Effective Casting Design: A


Designers & Purchasers
Reference, American Foundry
Society, Des Plaines, Ill. (2003).
Cost-Effective Casting Design
One-Day Seminar (to be held
next in Spring 2004), Cast Metals
Institute, Des Plaines, Ill.
www.ironcastings.org
Design Tutorials at
www.castsolutions.org

Circle No. 123 on Reader Action Card.


WINTER 2004 ENGINEERED CASTING SOLUTIONS 33

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