Pros and Cons of Lost-Foam Casting | Blog Posts

Not to be confused with investment casting, lost-foam casting is a molding process used to create objects or &#;castings&#; from a mold. It involves the use of a polystyrene pellets, which are inserted into the mold cavity. Molten metal is then poured into the mold cavity, which causes the polystyrene pellets to expand. As the polystyrene pellets expand, they form a solid casting.

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Lost-Foam Casting Pros:

Lost-foam casting offers several benefits, one of which is ease of use. Most casting processes are complex and require over a half-dozen steps. Lost-foam casting, however, is relatively simple and straightforward: The polystyrene pellets are injected into the mold cavity, after which molten metal is added. The heat from the molten metal will cause the polystyrene pellets to vaporize, resulting in the creation of a casting that can be ejected form the mold cavity.

Another benefit of lost-foam casting is its ability to create castings with high dimensional accuracy. In certain applications, dimensional accuracy is paramount. Automotive engines, for instance, are often manufactured using lost-foam casting because of its exceptionally high dimensional accuracy. Automakers can use it to build engine blocks in a specific size that offers optimal performance for their vehicles.

There&#;s also no flash with lost-foam casting. Flash, of course, consists of excess and unwanted material that accumulates on a casting. With that said, flash is usually caused by draft. Lost-foam casting doesn&#;t require the use of a draft, however, so it&#;s naturally protected against flash. This casting process offers clean castings with high dimensional accuracy.

Lost-Foam Casting Cons

On the other hand, the castings created by lost-foam casting aren&#;t particularly strong. With their low strength, they are naturally susceptible to damage, such as fracturing and breaking, when stressed.

When compared to other casting processes, lost foam is typically more expensive. Specifically, the molds used in lost-foam casting cost more than those used in other casting processes, which may deter some manufacturing companies from using it.

In Conclusion

Lost-foam casting is a casting process in which polystyrene pellets and molten metal is injected into a mold cavity. The molten metal causes the pellets to evaporate. Once evaporated, the hardened pellets form a casting that can be ejected from the mold cavity. Lost-foam casting is relatively easy to perform, offers high dimensional accuracy and is protected against flash. However, the castings are usually weaker and cost more to produce than those of other processes.

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Lost foam casting process
The lost foam casting process begins with a polystyrene foam pattern that is manipulated to form a mold. A refractory coating (or ceramic investment) is used to cover this foam pattern. This coating helps protect the smooth foam surface from the rough sand surface. After the coating is finished drying, the foam pattern is placed in a flask and is surrounded by un-bonded sand. A vibration table is then used to compact the sand, and the mold is then ready to be poured. Molten metal is poured into the polystyrene foam pattern which gets vaporized, leaving behind the metal. Finally, in the last part of the lost foam casting process, refractory coating is removed exposing the metal part.

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From sand conditioning to mold compaction in a single, automated process.
General Kinematics combines design innovation, process expertise, and vibratory technology into a precision, versatile compaction system engineered for quality results and cost-efficient operation.

Vertically stacked vibrating components conserve floor area and provide a continuous free flow of sand through each processing stage. GK&#;s lost foam system delivers many immediate user benefits:

From development to production
GK lost foam casting systems allow process development to determine optimum procedures, and can be programmed to operate as a high volume production system, all with the same equipment.

Compact, cost-efficient
Occupying minimal floor space, GK lost foam casting systems require no pits or special foundations to be available in your workspace. The lost foam casting systems use low-energy motor-driven components that operate with minimum cost and maintenance.

Sealed process
Within the lost foam casting system, dust collection is required at the flask fill station only. All other stages  of the lost foam casting process are linked by flexible seals.

Adaptable to your needs
GK lost foam systems can be adapted to any size flask used in your operation.

Low maintenance, quiet design
All components utilize reliable, sealed, motorized drives to assure acceptable sound levels. The absence of other moving parts minimizes maintenance requirements.

Benefits of Lost Foam Casting
When it comes to complex castings, lost foam casting has quite a few advantages. Lost foam casting produces parts that are dimensionally and proportionally accurate. No drafts are required, any parting lines are eliminated, and the foam is malleable, which allows for multiple foam parts to be combined to form a single part. Parts that are made by lost foam casting have a top-notch surface finish.

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Features:

• Screener &#; Sand is introduced through the General Kinematics vibrating screener/classifier unit mounted at top of the equipment stack. The unit maintains desired grain size distribution and removes undesirable fines.
• Shut-off Gate &#; Sand flows into a surge hopper equipped with a pneumatically operated bottom gate which permits system shut-down without unloading.
• Cooler &#; The General Kinematics VIBRA-FIN&#; sand cooler senses inlet temperature and automatically cools sand to ideal molding temperature.
• Distribution &#; Sand flows through the second hopper into a flow control and distribution unit which uniformly rains sand into the flask. The gentle rain pattern eliminates the distortion of fragile patterns. Specific areas can be masked if desired.
• Compaction &#; General Kinematics compaction table is isolated on a pneumatically operated lift frame which is raised to precisely position the flask at the fill station. Following an automatically sequenced compaction cycle, a table is lowered allowing the filled flask to be transferred by roller conveyor or automated flask handling system.
• Gripper &#; Pattern is initially positioned and held within flask by pneumatically operated gripper which relaxes its grip as compaction cycle progresses.