Brief discussion on advantages and application of lost foam casting technology

1. Brief discussion on advantages and application of lost foam casting technology Lost foam casting technology fully combined all the advantages of full mould casting and V casting technology. This is widely applied in making small, middle-size and big castings from materials of steel, iron, and aluminum, etc. using dry sand to fix shapes and copying components. Physical dimension of the lost foam casting is accurate. There’re no flashes, burrs, chills or other defects. The cast surface is smooth, and surface finish is close to investment casting. Inner structure of the lost foam castings is stable, without any sand holes, pours, shrinkage defects. This technology takes full advantage of environmental protection, with less investment and no pollution during production process. Lost foam casting is a kind of new technology with little machining allowance, but with high accuracy. This does not require for opening mould, no parting lines and no sand cores. Thus, products are without flashes, burrs and drafts problems. This also avoids the dimensional defects caused by displacing when assembling the patterns. The surface roughness is between Ra6.3 and Ra12.5 and casting tolerance can be controlled between CT7 – CT9. This will save lots of machining costs. Compared to traditional casting technology, this will save about 40 %– 50% machining works. Same as other casting technologies, there’re advantages and disadvantages of lost foam casting technology. Not all products are suitable to be casted in lost foam casting process. Mainly, the application of lost foam casting technology depends on the below factors, 1. 2. Quantity of the castings. The more quantity, the high the economic benefit Material of the castings. Good or bad suitability of materials are grey iron, non ferrous alloy, common carbon steel, ductile iron, low carbon steel, then, alloy steel. Necessary preparation can help to short the testing or modifying period. Sizes of the castings. Mainly considering the application range of relevant equipments(such as swing table and sand box) 3.

2. Structure of the castings. The more complex the structure of the castings, the high advantages and economic effectiveness can be reflected. Products with narrow cavity and interlayer, testing is required before production in lost foam casting process. 4. The development of mould industry is not equal among different regions in China. Development of south-east coastal areas is quicker than middle-west areas. Development of casting equipment in south China is quicker than in north China. The mould industry is mainly in Pearl River delta area and Yangtze River delta area. The production value of these two areas takes 2/3 of all the domestic output.