Process
In the casting process, a metal is heated until it melts. The molten metal is then poured into a mold, which can be made of sand, metal, or ceramic. After that, the metal is allowed to cool down, and it takes the shape of the mold.
When it is done cooling, the mold is broken open. The casting is then cleaned and often trimmed or polished if needed.
Classification
Casting can be classified depending on the mold types used:
Expendable Mold Types
Sand Casting: This method uses molds made from sand to shape the metal.
Investment Casting: This uses wax patterns and ceramic molds for fine detail and excellent surface finish.
Non-expendable mold types
Die Casting: This process involves injecting the molten metal at high pressure into metal molds.
Permanent Mold Casting: Here, hard molds are reused many times, and the mold is commonly filled by using gravity.
