Centrifugal Casting: Everything you Need to Know
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What is Centrifugal Casting?
Centrifugal investment casting, also known as spin casting, is a manufacturing process that leverages centrifugal force to produce high-quality metal parts with intricate details and superior mechanical properties. Centrifugal casting is most commonly used to make thin-walled castings with a hollow centre, for example cylindrical pipes. It is good for manufacturing products with a high material soundness.
This process begins with the creation of a wax pattern, which is coated with a ceramic slurry to form a mould. Once the ceramic shell hardens and the wax is melted away, the mould is mounted on a centrifugal casting machine.
Molten metal is then poured into the rotating mould, and the centrifugal force drives the metal into every cavity and fine detail of the mould, ensuring a precise and dense casting.
As the mould spins, the denser metal is pushed to the walls. Directional solidification occurs from the outer diameter (O.D.) and progresses inwards towards the inner diameter (I.D.), with impurities ‘floating’ towards the centre where they can easily be removed with machining.
The O.D. is determined by the dimensions of the mould, while the I.D. is determined by the amount of metal poured.
What are the Advantages of Centrifugal Casting?
The key advantage of centrifugal investment casting lies in its ability to produce parts with excellent dimensional accuracy and reduced porosity. The centrifugal force helps to eliminate air bubbles and ensures that the molten metal fills even the most complex geometries, resulting in parts with smooth surfaces and high structural integrity.
This process is particularly effective for producing components with thin walls and intricate features that would be challenging to achieve with traditional casting methods. It is widely used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and jewellery manufacturing, where precision and quality are paramount.
Centrifugal investment casting also offers significant flexibility in material selection, allowing for the casting of various metals and alloys, including stainless steel, bronze, and aluminium. This versatility makes it an ideal choice for applications requiring high-performance materials and intricate designs.
By understanding the nuances of centrifugal investment casting, manufacturers can take advantage of its precision and quality to produce components that meet stringent industry standards.
Whether for high-stress aerospace parts or detailed jewellery pieces, centrifugal investment casting provides a reliable and efficient solution for complex metal casting needs.
Different Kinds of Centrifugal Casting
- Vertical centrifugal casting The die rotates around a vertical axis. Additional moulds, bosses or flanges may be added to the die to alter the shaping on the outside surface of the casting. Typically the height of vertically casted items is less than twice the width.
- Horizontal centrifugal casting The die rotates about the horizontal axis. This method is commonly used for long cylindrical parts where the length is significantly longer than the outside diameter. The mould must spin very quickly to combat the effects of gravity on the molten metal.
- Vacuum centrifugal casting This is used when part detail and exposure to atmosphere is critical. Some alloys react to oxygen meaning they require a vacuum for casting, as is the case with some investment casting.
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