Overview of Lost Foam Casting

1. Lost foam casting process

The lost foam casting process is simple, without complex processes such as core making, core baking, molding, mold repair and box closing, and direct pouring without mold lifting. The lost foam casting process is divided into three areas: white area, yellow area, and black area. The white area is foam molding and casting structure production. The yellow area is to spray refractory paint and dry it until there is no moisture. The black area is filled with sand particles and vibrated and compacted, the molten metal is poured, the castings are cleaned and subsequent heat treatment and the old sand and waste are recovered.

2. Characteristics of lost foam casting

Lost foam casting is a new casting method that retains the advantages of three casting methods: F method, m method, and V method, overcomes the disadvantages of these methods, and realizes the casting technology of high efficiency, high quality, low cost, and green environmental protection.

Compared with traditional casting, the advantages are as follows:

(1) Simple and less process, short production cycle, and high efficiency;

(2) The labor intensity of workers is low, which improves the working environment;

(3) The dimensional accuracy of castings is high, and the relevant dimensions and tolerances of lost foam casting workpieces.

(4) The degree of freedom of part structure design is increased;

(5) Good casting quality and low scrap rate;

(6) The riser is easy to place and saves the utilization rate of molten metal;

(7) Easy to master process technology and convenient production management;

(8) Less investment and quick results.

3. Application scope of lost foam casting Technology

Each method has a corresponding application scope, and the lost foam casting process is no exception. The following is the application scope of lost foam casting Technology:

(1) Alloy type: all metals that can be used for sand casting are suitable for the lost foam casting process. The poured alloys include black alloys such as ordinary cast steel, stainless steel, alloy cast iron, and nodular cast iron, as well as non-ferrous alloys such as aluminum, magnesium, and copper.

(2) Casting size: in short, the size of the sand box determines the size of the lost foam casting, that is, the size of the sand box is as large as the casting. The casting weight can range from a few kilograms to hundreds of kilograms. Considering the existing process level and actual operation, the minimum wall thickness of the casting should be greater than 4mm.

(3) Casting structure: it has more advantages for castings with complex structures and difficult pattern parting and modeling. lost foam casting does not need to consider structural and technological problems such as parting and stripping, and has strong adaptability to the casting structure, especially for castings with difficulties in parting, stripping, and core lowering.