Casting is an ancient technique that is used to obtain complex shapes with minimum effort and less cost. During the process, the liquid material is poured into a mold that contains a specific shape. After pouring the molten material into the cavity, it is then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is known as a casting which is then broken or ejected out of the cavity in order to complete the process.
It is believed that the Shang Dynasty was the one that introduced casting around 1300 BC. The copper frog is the oldest surviving casting from 3200 BC. Some people misunderstand the process of casting with molding. Molding is a similar process to casting but they are not the same. The main material that is used in casting is metal, whereas, on the other hand, plastics are used in the molding process.
The rest of the process is the same in both molding and casting. After a great development in the foundry industry, many new types of casting were introduced. Till now, casting is divided into various types. In this article, we will cover some main types of casting. Read on to know what these are:
Classes of casting:
Till now, casting is divided into three categories which are as follows:
- Investment casting
- Non-expendable mold casting
- Expendable mold casting
The above classes of casting are further divided into various categories.
- Investment casting:
Investment casting or lost wax investment casting is divided into the following types:
- Carbon steel casting
- Stainless steel casting’
- Alloy steel casting
- Rapid prototype casting
- Metal casting
- Non-expendable mold casting:
Pressure casting, die and centrifugal casting are some types of non-expendable mold casting
- Expendable mold casting:
Expendable mold casting is divided into two main categories which are further divided into subcategories.
- Permanent pattern casting (sand casting, plaster mold casting)
- Temporary pattern casting (evaporative casting)
